An Overview of the Ethical Tea Partnership

An Overview of theEthical Tea Partnership

www.ethicalteapartnership.org

The Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP) is a not for profit membership organisation that works to improve tea sustainability, the lives and livelihoods of tea workers and smallholder farmers, and the environment in which tea is produced. Our vision is of a thriving tea industry that is socially just and environmentally sustainable.

Key Facts:• Established1997-originally

calledtheTeaSourcingPartnership

• 40internationalmembercompanies,globalteabrands,boutiquelabels,andretailers

• Aninternationalteamofexpertstaffinthemainteaproducingregions(seemap)

• Engagingwithmorethan1,000estates/producers

• Workingwithmorethan700,000farmers

• Ourprogrammesarefreetoproducers

1. Raising Core StandardsWeensureproducersinourmembers’supplychainsmeetinternationalsocialandenvironmentalstandards.Weimproveconditionsforworkers,andthewayteaestatesandfactoriesaremanaged.

2. Improving Worker Lives & LivelihoodsWeruntrainingandsupportprogrammesthatmakeworkplacesbetter,fairer,andsafer.WeworkwithpartnerstoreducepovertyandmakeprogresstowardstheMillenniumDevelopmentGoals.Wealsorunprogrammesthattacklecomplexandattimessensitiveissuesthatgobeyondtheboundariesoftheteasector.

3. Improving Smallholder Lives & LivelihoodsWehelpsmallholdersachievebetterincomesbyassistingthemtoimprovequalityandproductivity,accesstointernationalmarkets,andaffordablefinance.

4. Climate Change & the EnvironmentWehelpproducersimprovetheirenvironmentalmanagementsystemstoprotectsoil,water,ecosystems,andwildlife.Wealsohelpproducersandsmallholdersunderstandtheimplicationsofclimatechangeandwaystomaintainteaproductioninthefaceofchangingweatherpatternsandgrowingconditions.

About ETP MembershipMembershipofETPisopentoanycompanyinvolvedinthesourcing,trading,orpackingofteathatcandemonstratefullcontroloverproductsourcingandtraceability.ProspectivemembersarerequiredtoprovideafulllistoftheirsourcesofteatotheSecretariatoftheETP.

TEAM UPTogetherwiththeSustainableTradeInitiative(IDH),wehostTEAMUP,thenumber one tea and sustainability event of the year.TEAMUPbringstogetherallthekeyplayersfromacrossthevaluechaininordertoimproveteasustainability.TEAMUP2016willtakeplaceinLondononTuesday16June.

UK Team

Improving Worker Lives and Livelihoods: Empowering Women

Raising Core StandardsTheETPGlobalStandardcoversallkeysocial(includingallrelevantILOrequirements)andenvironmentalissuesassociatedwithtea:

Manyissueswe’rehelpingtotacklegobeyondtheboundariesoftheteasectorandarewidespreadinthecountriesweoperatein.Theseincludediscriminationofwomen/minoritygroupsandalackofopportunitiesforyoungpeople,especiallygirls.Weworkwitharangeofcarefullyselectedpartnerorganisationstoaddresstheseissuesandothersforthebenefitofteaworkersandtheircommunities.

In Sri Lanka a 3 year partnership with CARE on 13 estates delivered wide-ranging benefits:• Reformedworker-managementrelationships• Reduceddomesticviolenceandalcoholism• Improvedopportunitiesforwomen,includingbetter

controlofhouseholdfinances,leadershiprolesincommunities,andbettercareeropportunities

• 25%improvementinworkforceproductivityandbetterestateservices,e.g.crèches

• 90%ofworkersfelteconomicandsocialopportunitieshadimproved

We’re tackling harassment and discrimination at tea processing factories including those at Kenya’s largest smallholder cooperative, KTDA1:• Over1,000membersofKTDA’s9,000staffhave

beentrained• GendercommitteesestablishedatallKTDA

factoriesandfemalerepresentationoneachfactory’sboardisnowcompulsory

• Womennowworkintraditionallymalerolessuchasdrivingtrucks

• Systemintroducedtoallowfemalesmallholderfarmerstocollectpaymentsforgreenleaf

Social Provisions• FreelyChosenEmployment• FreedomofAssociationandtheRighttoCollective

Bargaining• HealthandSafety• ChildLabour• WagesandBenefits• WorkingHours• Discrimination• RegularEmployment• DisciplinaryandGrievanceProcedures

Environmental Provisions• EnvironmentalManagementSystems• Agrochemicals• SoilConservation• EcosystemConservation• WaterConservation• EnergyUse• WasteManagement

Weruntrainingprogrammesonkeysustainabilityissuesthatproducerscommonlystrugglewith,e.g.healthandsafety,safeuseofagrochemicals,goodhumanresourcemanagementpractices,androbustenvironmentalpractices.

Wealsohelpproducersachievecertificationandverificationtothefollowinginternationalstandards:

1KenyaTeaDevelopmentAgency

Improving Worker Lives and Livelihoods: The Malawi 2020 Tea Revitalization ProgrammeTogetherwithOxfam,IDHtheSustainableTradeInitiative,GIZ(GermanDevelopmentAgency)andtheTeaAssociationofMalawi(TAML),we’releadingacoalitionofstakeholdersfromacrosstheentireteavaluechaintocreateacompetitiveMalawianteaindustrywhereworkersearnalivingwageandsmallholdersarethriving.

TheprojectwasdevelopedinresponsetoconcernsraisedbyNGOsaboutlowwagesingarmentandagriculturalsupplychainsincludingtea.Inordertounderstandtherealsituationontheground,ETP,Oxfam,andIDHcommissionedareportthatassessedthewagesofteaworkersagainstinternationalbenchmarksforIndonesia,India,andMalawi.ThiswasfollowedupbydetailedanalysisforruralteagrowingareasofsouthernMalawibywageexpertsRichardandMarthaAnker.TheirreportfoundthatwhilesignificantprogressinrecentyearshasbeenmadetoimproveteaworkerwagesinMalawi,thereisstillalongwaytogobeforeworkersreceivealivingwage.

DuringthebuilduptotheTEAMUP2015teasustainabilityconference,allkeyvaluechainstakeholdersoftheMalawiteaindustrysignedanMoUcommittingtheirsupporttotheMalawi2020Plan,whichwasannouncedatTEAMUP.

Key objectives include:• Anindustrythatisinvestinginitsfutureanditsworkforce• Significantimprovementinwagesandbenefitsfor

workers-supplychaincommitmenttowardsalivingwageby2020

• Improvementsinsmallholderfarmingpractices,yields,quality,income,andincomediversification

• Ahealthier,motivated,andproductiveworkforce,withgreateropportunitiesforwomen

• Animprovedwage-settingprocesswithgreaterworkerrepresentation

Improving Worker Lives and Livelihoods: Protecting Children from Exploitation & Trafficking, AssamLikemanyotherruralcommunities,teacommunitiesinAssamfacemanychallenges,particularlyinrelationtochildprotection.Morethan80millionIndianchildrenayear–41%ofthechildpopulationleaveschoolwithoutcompletingeightyearsofeducation,and43%ofgirlsaremarriedbeforetheyare18.

ETPhasbeenworkinginIndiaformanyyearsandwehavebecomeincreasinglyawareofthemorehiddenissuesfacingteacommunities,includingthevulnerabilityofyoungpeopletotraffickingandoffersofworkincities,whichoftenturnouttobehighlyexploitative.InSeptember2014,ETPandUNICEFlaunchedaground-breakingthree-yearprogrammetohelpprotectandchangethelivesofthousandsofchildrenlivinginthreedistrictsofAssam.

Thethree-yearprogrammeisworkingwith350communitiesandmorethan100teaestatesto:• Equipmorethan25,000girlswiththeknowledgeandlife

skillstohelpthemsecureabetterfutureandreducetheirvulnerabilitytoviolence,abuse,andexploitation

• Givemorethan10,000communitymembersknowledgeandtrainingonchildprotection

• Raisefamilyawarenessineachcommunityaboutchildrightsandthesupportavailabletohelpthemeducateandprotecttheirchildren

• Workwithstateanddistrictgovernmenttoimprovethequalityofeducationandtheeffectivenessofchildprotectionpoliciesandstructures

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Tea Association of Malawi Limited

TheChandlery50WestminsterBridgeRoadLondonSE17QYUKT:+44(0)2079537664|F:+44(0)2079537670|www.ethicalteapartnership.org

Improving Smallholder Lives and Livelihoods

Climate Change & the Environment: Helping Farmers Adapt to Changing Weather Patterns, Kenya

Whilesmallholdersareincreasinglyimportanttoworldteaproduction,manystruggletomakeadecentlivingfromtea.OurfirstmajorcapacitybuildingprogrammeinpartnershipwithIDHtheSustainableTradeInitiativefocusedonsupportingmorethan1,000smallholdersfrom3cooperativesinWestJavaandWestSumatratoachievebetterincomesbyimprovingteaqualityandproductivity,andaccesstointernationalmarkets.Aspartoftheprojectwedevelopedateabushnurserysupplying500,000affordableandhigheryieldingteabushestofarmers.Wealsotrainedfarmersongoodpracticefarmingtobettermanagesoil,water,andcroppingpractices.Theprojecthasresultedinhigheryieldsandfarmerincomes–morethandoubleinsomecases.Inaddition,$150,000ofaffordableloanshavebeenarrangedthroughtheprojectandfactoriesnowpayfarmersonadailybasisfortheirleaf.

We’realsopartneringwithIDHandTataGlobalBeveragesinKenya,Uganda,andMalawitorollouttrainingthroughfarmerfieldschoolstoimproveincomesandlivelihoods.Thetrainingcoverscompostingandagrochemicalmanagement,energyconservationandclimatechangeadaptation,incomediversificationbygrowingfoodcropsandrearinglivestock,businessskillstraining,beekeeping,healthandnutrition,wastemanagement,andHIV/AIDSawarenessamongotherthings.

SimilarfarmerfieldschoolprogrammesarealsobeingruninpartnershipwithIDHandTaylorsofHarrogateinRwanda.TheexperiencefromalltheseprogrammesprovidesuswithasolidplatformtoplanandrunsimilaractivitiesinIndia,China,andSriLanka.

Theeffectsofclimatechangeareincreasinglyaffectinghowandwhereteacanbegrown.Thisishavingseriousconsequencesforthepeoplewhodependonteafarmingforaliving.InKenya60%ofteaisproducedbysmallholderswhoareparticularlyvulnerableduetolimitedfinanceforinvestingindrought/frostresistantteabushes,inputmaterialssuchasfertilisers,andwaterharvestingandirrigationsystems.

Ourthree-yearprojectinpartnershipwithGIZ(GermanDevelopmentAgency)providedtrainingandsupporttoteafarmerssupplyingKenyaTeaDevelopmentAgency(KTDA)factoriesandledtoanumberofachievements:

• 100,000+farmerstrainedonclimatechangeadaptation&goodagriculturalpractices

• TrainingembeddedinKTDAFarmerFieldSchoolsyllabus,potentiallyreaching500,000farmers

• 3,500,000+treesplanted• 600,000drought&frostresistantteaclones

suppliedtofarmers• 25,000+energyefficientstovesinstalled• 2,500+rainwaterharvestingand/ordripirrigation

systemsinstalled• Projecthaswonvariousenvironmentalawards

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TEA & COFFEE