ICYMI
We’ve donated 2 million cups and counting! Help us reach our goal of 3 million
Tea
Sustainability
Proudly introducing
new compostable bags!
Caring for the planet, the people and the community sets us apart and keeps us growing—from compostable packaging to water sustainability and giving back, we’re not stopping there. And you (our customers) play a major role in that!
giving back
Tea is more than just tea. Our community means everything to us, and when we think about the joy and comfort that comes with enjoying a cup, it makes all the difference. For that reason—and for many others!—we do what we can to give back to communities across the globe.
2 Million+ Cups Donated
Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve donated 2 million cups of tea to hardworking frontline heroes, including
healthcare workers, educators, first responders and beyond, across the continent. Every purchase makes a difference and helps us reach our next goal of 3 million!
Manoomin Maple
We partnered with Tea Horse
(now Tipi Horse Connects), a woman-led, Indigenous-owned company to bring you Manoomin Maple, a
cozy black tea featuring manoomin (meaning wild rice in Ojibwe). Through every purchase of this limited-edition tin—featuring the breathtaking work of Indigenous artist Emily
Kewageshig—we support Indigenous communities through the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC).
clean water
Clean water is a fundamental human right. That’s why water sustainability is a priority for us every day of the year. And of course, it’s no secret that water is essential to tea. This is why we launched the Nepal Clean Water Project in partnership with Jun Chiyabari tea garden.
To support the installation of sustainable water filtration systems in Nepal, we donated proceeds from loose leaf teas raised on November 28, 2020. Since March 2022, 1% of proceeds of Organic Nepal Black go towards this project all year long, with Jun Chiyabari tea garden generously matching all our donations. That means every time you enjoy a cup of this velvety smooth black tea, you’re contributing to REAL change. So far, you’ve helped us positively impact the lives of 3,200 people, including children and staff—and this is just the beginning!
less waste
We aim to leaf nothing behind. For us, helping customers make greener choices has been a priority since day one. So, whenever possible (and without compromising the freshness & integrity of our tea), we prioritize the use of compostable packaging materials. And when we really can’t find a solution—which does happen—we stand by our commitment to recyclable packaging.
Loose Leaf Teas
We’re proud to announce that we’ve recently introduced 100% compostable printed bags for our Garden to Cup teas. It was no small feat—but we did it! On the other hand, for all our other loose leaf teas, we’ve made sure to pack them in recyclable printed bags. Did you know? All loose leaf teas are fully
compostable, so you can feel free to drop them right into your compost bins!
Sachets
Our sachets are made from plastic-free, plant-based
and biodegradable PLA (Soilon®) mesh—the tea industry’s most environmentally responsible sachet to date! Sometimes we pack them individually, but the packaging is always either
recyclable or compostable.
less talk, more action
Here’s what our team has worked hard to accomplish so far.
Caring For Our Community
We connect with a community of tea lovers from all walks of life—different backgrounds, tastes and experiences, we welcome and appreciate everyone. From where we operate to where we source, we use the connections we make for positive change in our communities and around the world.
- Over 90% of our collection is vegan, making our tea more accessible.
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We launched our Diversity & Inclusion Committee to promote respect and acceptance of all people.
- We support various cultural and social causes and are investing in employee training for gender equality, equity & reconciliation.
- We added Land Acknowledgements across our digital platform and continue to support Truth & Reconciliation.
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We prioritize the mental and physical health of our community.
- We go the extra mile by offering our salaried employees paid wellness and volunteer days.
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Supporting Pride has always been deeply rooted in the core values that guide us as a company. We embrace people’s differences and celebrate unique perspectives, always.
- During Pride month in 2023, we donated proceeds from three best-selling teas to Rainbow Railroad, a global non-profit organization that brings at-risk LGBTQI+ people to safety all around the world.
- Partnered with Mamas for Mamas—a national charitable organization that supports caregivers in crisis by providing support, access to programs, and essential & self-care products.
Ethical & Sustainable Tea Sourcing
It tastes better to sip something responsible. Our decision-making is fuelled by our goal to positively impact the tea industry throughout our supply chain. From tea workers to farmers and their families, we want everyone involved to benefit from safe, fair and equal working conditions.
- We are a proud member of ETP, a global membership organization working to create long-term, systemic change in the tea industry—from equality to the environment and beyond, we care for our community and the environment in which our tea is produced.
- We source from trusted partners that offer sustainable and ethically sourced ingredients to ensure they check all the flavour boxes and our commitment to ethical sourcing. While certification isn’t automatic for each garden—it’s a long process with many rigorous steps—the gardens we source from use eco-friendly farming and fair labour practices.
- Through our collaboration Fair Trade CertifiedTM, we’re able to protect and care for our tea community and the environments in which our tea is produced.
- Re-blending our tea collection whenever possible to create positive impact, like prioritizing natural, organic & Fair Trade CertifiedTM ingredients.
- Today, over 60% of our collection is Certified Organic.
- In November 2020, we launched the DAVIDsTEA Impact Fund, which contributes to our local & global give-back initiatives, like the South African Homework Facility. This project provided a safe space for the children of tea farmers to study, in the region where we source our Wild Grown Rooibos tea.
Compostable & Regenerative Packaging
Our packaging choices make a difference. While packaging and shipping can be incredibly wasteful, we’ve worked hard to reduce waste by introducing compostable packaging, reducing plastic and prioritizing recyclable materials.
- We introduced industrially compostable mailer envelopes for small, non-breakable orders.
- We’re reducing waste by including more bulk packaging online (like our bulk bags of 65 sachets), plus larger formats of our best-selling loose leaf tea flavours.
- Customers who bring in their own reusable containers at any one of our 18 store locations receive an exclusive discount.
- We’ve cut down cut out tissue paper, stickers and non-recyclable bubble wrap for online orders.
- We’ve introduced compostable overwraps for our wholesale individually wrapped sachets.
- Our iconic silver bags and most of our gift packaging is recyclable.
