Tea

Material Composition Assumptions

A representative kilogram of dried tea encompasses a wide variety of product forms — black tea (the dominant global trade category), green tea, oolong, white tea, and herbal infusions. The CCI score of 4.0 kgCO2e/kg represents a weighted average dominated by black tea, which accounts for approximately 75% of global tea trade by volume. Key upstream material inputs include:

• Fresh tea leaf (Camellia sinensis): Approximately 4–5 kg of fresh leaf is required to produce 1 kg of dried black tea (a moisture loss of ~75–80% through withering and drying). Green tea processing is lighter and retains more moisture, requiring 3.5–4 kg fresh leaf per kg dried.
• Nitrogen fertiliser: Applied at 100–250 kg N/ha/year on commercial tea estates, driving N2O soil emissions. Kenya’s tea industry is notable for lower fertiliser intensity relative to Indian and Chinese estates.
• Processing energy (coal, wood, or electricity): The withering and drying stages in black tea manufacturing require substantial heat — typically 8–12 MJ per kg of dried tea. In India, coal boilers dominate; in Kenya, hydroelectric-powered factories are common. This difference produces the largest single source of within-category variation.
• Packaging materials: Teabags (woven polypropylene, nylon, or paper), foil envelopes, overwrap film, and cardboard outer boxes. A standard 25-bag box (approximately 50 g dried tea) carries packaging adding roughly 0.3–0.5 kgCO2e per kg of tea.
• Water (irrigation): Irrigation is uncommon in high-rainfall tea regions (Assam, Kenya highlands) but used in parts of China and southern India, adding to farm-level energy consumption.

Why the Score Is What It Is

Tea’s footprint of 4.0 kgCO2e/kg is lower than coffee’s in large part because the fresh-to-dried conversion ratio is better for certain types and because tea cultivation — particularly in Kenya and parts of China — tends to use lower fertiliser application rates per unit of output than coffee in comparable regions.

Agricultural emissions at origin (~42% of total) are driven by synthetic nitrogen fertiliser and the associated N2O soil emissions, farm vehicle fuel, and in some regions, irrigation pumping energy. Estate-scale tea production in Assam and Darjeeling involves significant mechanisation; smallholder production in China and Kenya relies on more manual labour with lower direct energy intensity.

Processing energy is the second-largest contributor (~22% of total, spanning Scope 1 and Scope 2). Black tea requires withering (12–18 hours of warm air circulation), rolling or CTC (cut, tear, curl) cutting, oxidation (fermentation), and drying. The dryer — typically a continuous-tunnel hot-air dryer — is the single most energy-intensive piece of processing equipment. Indian factories powered by coal face a much higher Scope 2 footprint than Kenyan factories powered by the country’s predominantly hydroelectric grid (~100 gCO2e/kWh).

International freight contributes approximately 18%. Tea is relatively lightweight per unit compared to liquid beverages, meaning freight emissions per kg are modest — comparable to coffee. Sea freight from Mombasa (Kenya) to European ports is approximately 0.05–0.08 kgCO2e/kg; from Kolkata (India) or Shanghai (China) slightly more. Airfreight of specialty or fresh green teas can add significantly.

Packaging contributes ~12%. Teabags made from nylon or polypropylene carry a higher packaging footprint than those made from paper; individually foil-wrapped bags add further material intensity. Loose-leaf tea in bulk packaging has the lowest per-kg packaging footprint.

What Drives Variation

Origin country is the most powerful driver of variation. Kenyan tea produced at factories supplied by the national hydroelectric grid carries a total footprint of approximately 2.5–3.5 kgCO2e/kg. Indian tea processed using coal-fired boilers typically sits at 4.5–6.0 kgCO2e/kg. Chinese tea ranges widely depending on province: coastal provinces with cleaner grids and green-tea dominance (shorter processing) tend toward 3.0–5.0 kgCO2e/kg.

Tea type matters through the processing route. Green tea processing skips oxidation and typically requires less overall heat than black tea, reducing the processing energy footprint by 20–30% per kg of finished product. However, because green tea requires less fresh leaf per kg of finished product than black tea on average, the absolute reduction is partly offset.

Farm management (organic vs. conventional) alters the fertiliser N2O component. Certified organic tea eliminates synthetic nitrogen inputs but may reduce yields by 20–40%, meaning more land is required per unit of output. Net lifecycle emissions can be similar to or slightly lower than conventional depending on yield gap and soil carbon dynamics.

Packaging choice can move the score by 0.3–0.8 kgCO2e/kg. Plastic-free teabags (unbleached paper, no polypropylene heat-seal strip), minimal overwrap, and recycled cardboard boxes all reduce the packaging contribution. Compostable teabag materials are now commercially available but vary in their actual compostability under home vs. industrial conditions.

Retail geography affects the last-mile distribution footprint, though this is generally a small contribution (0.05–0.15 kgCO2e/kg) compared to origin-country processing and agriculture.

Manufacturing Geography

Tea cultivation is concentrated in a geographic band between 35°N and 35°S. The four largest producing countries — China (~44% global production), India (~22%), Kenya (~8%), and Sri Lanka (~7%) — account for over 80% of global supply. Each has distinct grid characteristics and processing norms:

• China: Diverse grid (~565 gCO2e/kWh average, with significant coal dependence inland). Green and oolong tea dominates production; numerous small artisanal processors alongside large-scale factories.
• India: High-carbon grid (~700 gCO2e/kWh). Coal-fired boilers widespread in Assam tea factories. Government electrification programmes are slowly shifting the mix.
• Kenya: Exceptionally clean grid (~100 gCO2e/kWh, predominantly hydroelectric and geothermal). Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA)-managed factories are among the most carbon-efficient large-scale tea processors globally.
• Sri Lanka: Mixed grid (~500 gCO2e/kWh). Predominantly smallholder production with significant CTC black tea output.

Blending and packing typically occur either at origin or in the consuming country (major packers include Unilever, Tata Consumer Products, and Twinings operating facilities in the UK, Netherlands, and USA).

Provenance Override Guidance

Buyers and brands can override the default CCI score using:

1. Origin factory energy audit data specifying fuel type (coal, biomass, electricity), consumption per kg of dried tea output, and grid emission factor for electricity consumed.
2. Fertiliser application records per estate or cooperative, enabling direct substitution of the default N2O emission factor.
3. Freight mode and distance records from port of origin to packing facility, including any airfreight percentage for specialty or seasonal teas.
4. Packaging material LCA data covering teabag substrate, overwrap film, and outer carton — particularly relevant for brands reformulating to plastic-free options.
5. Rainforest Alliance or equivalent certification audits that include verified scope 1 and 2 emission data at factory level.

Kenyan Rainforest Alliance-certified teas can demonstrate footprints 30–50% below the global average when factory energy data is included.

Methodology Notes

• CCI score of 4.0 kgCO2e/kg is a conservative mid-range estimate for a blended black-tea-dominant product at global average origin mix. Published LCA values range from 2.0 kgCO2e/kg (Kenyan factory, clean grid, efficient processing) to 8.0 kgCO2e/kg (coal-intensive Indian processing with high fertiliser use).
• Scope breakdown: Scope 3 dominates at ~78% (3.1 kgCO2e), driven by agricultural inputs and international freight. Scope 2 (processing electricity) is ~13% (0.5 kgCO2e). Scope 1 (direct combustion at factory and farm) is ~10% (0.4 kgCO2e).
• Functional unit: One kilogram of dried tea product, cradle-to-gate at packing facility (consumer brewing and waste excluded).
• Confidence is medium because processing energy intensity and fertiliser rates vary substantially across origins, estates, and seasons. Systematic farm-level reporting is improving through KTDA and Rainforest Alliance programmes but is not yet universal.