After water, tea is the most drunk drink in the world, with 70,000 cups
consumed every second. Tea has grown far and wide since its
beginnings as an ancient medicinal crop in China. Millions of people are
employed by the multibillion-dollar tea industry, but working conditions
and wages for the producers are often appalling. To get Fairtrade tea to
consumers all around the world, Fairtrade collaborates with both
smallholder farmers and plantation employees.
All teas made from the leaves and buds of the Camellia sinensis plant
are referred to be fairtrade tea. Fairtrade also works with the spices and
herbs that are the foundation of many herbal teas.
Large plantations are where the majority of the
world's tea is produced. Low wages and
unpleasant working conditions are typical, and
many employees live on or close to the estates
where they work. Tea estate workers frequently
depend on in-kind benefits since, even when the
national minimum wage is met, there is still a
sizable difference between that and a living wage.
Small-scale tea farmers frequently have relatively small plots and depend on surrounding tea
plantations as their connection to larger markets,
which limits their ability to increase their revenues.
Fairtrade is dedicated to bringing about change for
tea farmers and workers while being aware of
these difficulties in the industry.