Microplastic Pollution In Tea
There could be as many as 11 million microplastic particles in every cup of tea you drink.
Learn more below and please join us in urging tea companies to stop using plastic in their tea bags.
IS THERE PLASTIC IN YOUR TEA BAG?
Why plastic and boiling water are a bad combination
More and more companies have begun to package their tea in tea bags made from plastic — either nylon or polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
In September 2019, researchers at McGill University found that a single one of these tea bags releases more than 11 billion microplastic and 3 billion nanoplastic particles when steeped in boiling water.
Frequent tea drinkers could be repeatedly dosing themselves with billions of plastic particles, some small enough to potentially infiltrate human cells. In addition to these nylon and PET plastic tea bags, the majority of paper tea bags also contain plastic fibers used in the sealant. And even paper tea bags contain a troubling chemical called epichlorohydrin that’s added to prevent the bag from breaking.
A 2019 report by the World Wide Fund for Nature found that adults ingest an average of a credit card's worth (5 grams) of plastic particles each week. The potential human health impacts of microplastic pollution are a cause of concern to many medical professionals and an area of increasingly urgent scientific study.
In addition to requesting that tea companies transition to plastic-free packaging, tea lovers should skip single-use tea bags in favor of loose leaf teas brewed in a glass, metal or ceramic strainer.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
If microplastic pollution is not your cup of tea, please join us in urging tea companies to stop using plastic in their tea bags.
Fill out the form below now to tell Bigelow, Celesstial Seasonings, Clipper, Harney & Sons, Lipton, Luzianne, Mighty leaf, PG Tips, Red Diamond, Tazo, Teavana, and Twinings that microplastics is NOT your cup of tea and ask them to switch to completely plastic-free packaging.
Once you’ve sent your email, scroll down for our three simple tips to making your tea plastic-free.
Take these simple steps you can take to avoid microplastics in your teacup:
Stop buying tea packaged in single-use tea bags.
Opt for loose leaf tea that you can either order in a tin or buy in bulk at your local grocery store, coop or natural foods market.
Brew your loose leaf tea in a ceramic, glass or stainless steel infuser or tea ball - these are cheap and easy to find online if you can’t pick one up at a home goods or kitchen store locally.
Happy tea drinking!