SECAUCUS, NJ / PR Karma / May 5, 2024 11:09

Secaucus, NJ May 2, 2024 – In March 2024, global news outlets reported extreme single-day rainfalls in India and Bangladesh—events slated to become more frequent in coming years. Despite increasingly unpredictable weather patterns across tea growing regions, a new report from Firsd Tea—the largest importer of Chinese tea in the U.S.—finds most professionals in tea and related industries do not prioritize sustainability when purchasing inventory.

Specifically, most respondents in 2023 listed flavor (96%), leaf grade (91%) and origin/terroir (90%) as the top three characteristics that contributed to their decisions to stock particular tea types. Survey-takers ranked "sustainability" in the bottom three purchasing drivers, edged out by demand, consistency of supply and price.

“What’s crystal clear is that the tea industry fully understands how pressing the threats of climate change are for the supply chain," Firsd Tea marketing director, Jason Walker, explains. He adds, “On the flip side, we haven’t seen an urgency to stock tea products that reflect this urgency.”

Along with discovering purchasing habits of professionals in tea and related industries, the study also found:

• Most survey-takers remain worried about the effects of climate change on their business operations (80% in 2022 vs. 75% in 2023).

• Tea is still considered the most sensitive industry to the effects of climate change by most professionals in tea and related industries (93% in 2022 vs. 95% in 2023).

• Most respondents in tea and related industries still agree Organic Certification is the most important standard to consumers (84% in 2022 vs. 88% in 2023).

• Compared with Firsd Tea’s 2022 study, Vietnam (+37%), Kenya (+33%), China (+26%), and Sri Lanka (+26%) saw outstanding perceived sustainability improvements in 2023.

• Most respondents in tea and related industries report improved outlooks on progress made in sustainability from 10 years ago, the current state of sustainability in tea, and the trajectory for the next 10 years.

"By shedding light on sustainability perspectives within the tea industry, we hope to steadily nudge our professional peers to carefully consider their inventory choices," explains Firsd Tea executive director, Shengyuan Chen. “There’s more work to do. And we look forward to continue to partner across stakeholders to support a better and brighter future for our environment that allows us to enjoy tea, as well as the people who make cultivation of this crop possible.”

Firsd Tea Sustainability Perspectives 2023 is the second annual survey that continues a first-of-its-kind global 2022 study to gauge opinions of tea sustainability among associated experts.

The study derives its results from a three-month long survey conducted from May 2023 to July 2023 in collaboration with Tea & Coffee Trade Journal, a 120+ year-old publication covering the global tea and coffee industries from origin through the supply chain. Princeton-based Crothers Consulting administered the survey to 100 voluntary respondents conducting business in tea and related sectors (e.g. coffee, wine and cocoa). 

For the full Firsd Tea Sustainability Perspectives 2023 Report, click here.

About Firsd Tea:

Firsd Tea is the U.S. subsidiary of parent company, Zhejiang Tea Group, Ltd. (ZJT), China’s largest tea exporter and the world leader in green tea exports. Founded in 1950, ZJT has been the largest tea producer and exporter in China for 25 consecutive years. The company has remained one of the leading and most technologically advanced manufacturers and innovators in the Chinese tea industry. ZJT boasts strategic collaboration with the Science Department of Zhejiang University as well as the Hangzhou Tea Research Institute of All China Federation of Supply and Marketing Co-operatives. Zhejiang Tea Group’s 

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