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