Ethical Trade Partnership

The ETP is an organization within the tea industry that seeks to better the lives of workers and their families in tea producing countries.

ETHICAL TEA TASTES BETTER

Over the last century and a half, numerous advancements have been made in the way tea is produced, marketed and distributed. One of the more positive of these was the creation of the Ethical Tea Partnership in 1997.

WHAT IS THE ETP?

The ETP monitors and regulates social conditions on tea estates. The organization is run by member companies and bolstered through external audits by Price Waterhouse Cooper (The global accounting firm responsible for tabulating and guarding votes for the Academy Awards.)

A TRANSPARENT VIEW OF THE TEA TRADE

The goal of the ETP is to provide consumers with a transparent understanding of where tea is grown and how it is manufactured. Everything from fair compensation to health coverage, housing and childcare is closely scrutinized.

NORTH AMERICA'S FIRST SIGNEE

When ETP membership was opened to non-UK members in 2003, Metropolitan Tea was the first company to sign on in support. As a member, Metropolitan Tea contributes to organizational policy and purchases ETP certified teas whenever possible.

HOW DOES THE ETP DIFFER FROM FAIR TRADE?

The ETP has many of the same goals as Fair Trade, but deals only with the tea industry. Because tea is not a publicly traded commodity, such as coffee, Fair Trade is unable to penetrate many of the nuances and regional peculiarities of the tea trade.

Where the ETP also differs from Fair Trade is in primary focus. Fair Trade's primary concern is ensuring sustainable profits for local producers. The ETP on the other hand is a socially and environmentally directed organization. This difference is significant. Why? In some instances, an economically based model in which higher prices are paid to producers leaves the door open for unscrupulous companies to bolster lost margins.