"Green tea" is taking on a new meaning at Bigelow Tea, a Connecticut-based specialty tea company that has been family owned and operated for 65 years.
Founded by Ruth Campbell Bigelow in 1945, Bigelow Tea was run by Eunice and David Bigelow for 45 years before their daughter Cindi took over as company president five years ago. Bigelow's business philosophy has long been steeped in a simple concept: "Do the right thing, and good things will follow." This philosophy extends to Bigelow's commitment to the environment, and their efforts to go green-dubbed the Sustainabili-Tea program-begin and end with every cup of tea.
Bigelow teas, some of which are organic, are grown and handpicked by socially responsible farmers, and their American Classic teas are grown on the company's Charleston Tea Plantation, the only working tea plantation in North America.
Sustainable Processing and Packaging
Once harvested, the teas are sent to one of Bigelow's three facilities, where sustainability permeates every aspect of processing, packaging and shipping.
Filter bags are bleach- and dioxin-free, biodegradable. The teabag string is cotton, and while some are bleached, Bigelow uses oxygenated water, which is more eco-friendly than chrome bleaching.
Most Bigelow machines can produce tea bags without requiring staples, but in the products where staples are used, they're made from non-toxic aluminum, and Bigelow has cut the amount of foil used in the overwrap by 12 percent, reducing their annual aluminum use by 55,000 pounds.
The paperboard tea cartons are made with wood that is forested in a sustainable manner-logged areas are reforested and no wood from old growth forests or endangered species are used-and Bigelow has also reduced the amount of paper product required for the cartons by 15 percent.
Bigelow uses outer case shippers made with 100 percent recycled material and water-based glues. They're biodegradable, compostable and can be reused up to six times. In total, 85 percent of Bigelow's packaging is biodegradable or recyclable.
Investing in Green Energy and Efficiency
Bigelow's commitment to the environment also extends to their Fairfield, CT, headquarters and manufacturing plant, as well as their two other plants in Boise, Idaho, and Louisville, Kentucky.
In 2007, Bigelow Tea installed 900 solar panels on the roof of their Fairfield facility. The system-which cost $1.5 million and was funded in part by the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund-generates 207,124 kilowatt hours of energy, or about 10 percent of the power used by the facility. The warehouse was also retrofitted with a new cooling tower and air compressor.
Bigelow has upgraded the lighting fixtures in all of their facilities, and added motion sensors on all Fairfield offices, restrooms, storage rooms and the warehouse. They also have aerators on all faucets, and use green cleaning products.
Bigelow's efforts to improve energy efficiency haven't gone unnoticed. The company was recognized as a Business Leader for Energy Efficiency at the Northeast Energy Efficiency Summit in Boston on March 31, for their cumulative energy cuts, which save 1,147,000 kilowatt hours of energy and about $81,000 in energy costs annually.
The company has also re-organized their production so they can produce product closer to consumers, cutting 50,000 shipping miles each year. They also have a no-idling policy for trucks, which saves the company 192 gallons of fuel and eliminates 1.9 tons of carbon emissions each year.
As if ensuring a sustainable product, energy efficiency and emissions reductions aren't enough, Bigelow's offices and employees consistently embrace the company's sustainable philosophy.
Office staff use 100 percent recycled paper, electronic payroll reduces paper use, and programming automatically shuts down 200 desktop computers at the end of the day. Paper cups have replaced Styrofoam in the cafeteria, rechargeable batteries are the standard, and there's even a carpool incentive program. The company also collects used linens for the Bridgeport Animal Shelter, and there's a paperback swap so staff can read more for less.
Future initiatives include reconsideration of the company's printing needs and the use of video conferencing, but one thing's for certain: Bigelow is well on their way to being Sustainable to a Tea.
For more information on Bigelow products and the company's committment to the environment, visit BigelowTea.com.
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