Pyramid teabags made from a plant-based material will go on sale next week, with company’s other teabags set to follow suit by end of 2018

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The UK’s biggest tea brand is switching to fully biodegradable tea bags free from synthetic materials to cut down on plastic pollution caused by the nation’s favourite hot drink.

The first of the new eco-friendly pyramid teabags from PG tips – made from a plant-based material that is 100% renewable and biodegradable – will go on sale in UK supermarkets next week, it was announced on Wednesday.

In the first major move by a mainstream tea brand, the Unilever-owned company says it is working to make all its teabags from 100% plant-based material by the end of the year. Unlike conventional teabags, they will be free of polypropylene, a sealant used across the industry to ensure bags hold their shape.

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Unilever’s scientists have been exploring plant-based alternatives for PG tips for some time and have already converted ranges in Canada, Poland and Indonesia.

According to the trade body the UK Tea and Infusions Association, teabags account for 96% of the 165m cups of tea drunk every day in the UK.



“Tea is the most consumed beverage in the UK, with nine billion PG tips teabags sold every year,” said Noel Clarke, vice president of refreshment at Unilever. “Our latest move maintains the same great taste of our tea whilst minimising our environmental impact.”

The Co-op, which sells 367m teabags a year, announced recently that it is in the final stages of creating a fully biodegradable paper teabag for its own-brand Fairtrade 99 tea. The new bags are expected to go on sale by the end of the year.