Our products are packaged in 100% recyclable materials and designed to take up less space during shipping.
Our hanji product boxes are designed to be reusable as storage for small items. Our other paper-based packaging is made from 100% recycled, FSC-certified paper stock. Paper and biodegradable packing materials are also used for shipping.
Because of the perishable nature of tea, plastic layers in packaging are necessary to maintain a hermetic seal. Tea packaging should be rinsed and then recycled as #4 plastic (LDPE) in the US and other localities where accepted. Plastic packing material may be reused during shipping to protect ceramics and glass.
Our metal matcha tin cans can be washed and reused as storage for small items or recycled with other metal cans.
Our operations in Korea take advantage of robust recycling system for paper, plastic, and food waste. Waste from operations and end-of-product lifecycle is tracked and accounted for in our sustainability model.
Customers are encouraged to reuse tins and boxes, recycle packaging materials, and compost tea leaves or dispose in green bins where allowed.
Monitoring and reducing our carbon footprint is essential to our sustainability goals to minimize our environmental impact. We use the industry standard GHG Protocol to track the direct and indirect carbon emissions of our operations.
Currently, fossil fuels comprise roughly 70% of electricity generated in Korea, with the remaining being nuclear and renewable energy sources. While we do not have control over the energy sources consumed in our facilities, we are tracking our energy usage and purchasing credits yearly to achieve a carbon neutral footprint.
Customer orders shipped from within the US are carbon neutral thanks to Shopify Planet. Customer orders shipped directly from Korea via FedEx are carbon neutral after tracking the associated carbon emissions in FedEx Sustainability Insights and calculated in our sustainability model.
Our online platform Shopify is 100% carbon neutral.
Carbon credits are a method of offsetting carbon emissions by investing in projects to permanently remove excess carbon from the atmosphere. Projects range from new forestation projects to building wind power and underground carbon sequestration.
Our carbon accounting is far from perfect, but we strive to continue broadening the scope and detail of our accountability report. We will continue to expand the tracking and reporting of our carbon footprint and analyze our impact per product sold so that we are able to identify areas for further improvement.
Over the next ten years, our goal is to include our growers and producers in our carbon accounting. We plan to audit and account for carbon emissions occurring throughout the production of our teas, so that we can be aware of our complete carbon impact from farm to cup. Subsequently, we hope to design and implement plans to enable more of our value chain to be powered by clean, renewable energy.