Sustainability

DELIVERING THE BEST TEA EXPERIENCE THROUGH CONSTANT IMPROVEMENT

Barry’s Tea was founded in Cork, in 1901 by James J. Barry.

Our values reflect those of a family business which started with our commitment to deliver the finest quality teas to you, each and every day.

We’re a passionate bunch, always improving - whether it’s the introduction of new blends or innovating our packaging to become more sustainable, we hold ourselves to the highest standards.

OUR SUSTAINABLE JOURNEY

We’re a long way into our sustainability journey and are proud of our continued progress. We started on our sustainability journey some time ago. Our tea boxes are 100% recyclable and printed using vegetable-based inks. The plastic over-wrap on our boxes is also recyclable.

After significant investment in the redesign and development of our machinery, 100% of our black tea range, produced in Cork and available in shops are biodegradable. Since the end of September 2021 all of our Fruit, Herbal and Green teas are now also biodegradable. This means you can put them in your food waste bin at home for industrial composting.

Our products are Rainforest Alliance Certified™ - meaning our tea is grown and harvested on farms and estates that promote environmental, social and economic sustainability.

For an independent, family-owned, Irish business, each milestone we reach is - one step closer to a greener and more sustainable product. We credit our team’s passion and ambition in making these positive changes and we look forward to continuing to push for innovative, sustainable practices in our tea making.

We will keep you updated on our progress, as it happens.

Our Packing Disposal Guide

Here's a helpful guide: Wondering how to dispose of your tea bags? If you have a food waste bin that's collected for industrial composting, you can put the tea bags in there.

To explain a little more: Our tea bags are made from renewable plant-based materials. It's perfect for industrial composting, where your tea bags will completely break down.

It's important to know: These tea bags don't work well in home compost bins. Because of the cooler climate in Ireland, home compost heaps do not get hot enough to break down the tea bags.

If you do not have a food waste bin that's collected for industrial composting, you can try this instead: open the used tea bag, compost the tea in your own compost heap, and put the tea bag in your refuse bin.