Unilever NV, which owns Lipton teas, said Friday that it will purchase all its teas from sustainable, ethical sources. To achieve this, the company has asked Rainforest Alliance, an international environmental non-governmental organization, to start certifying tea farms in Africa. The nonprofit already certifies coffee, cocoa, bananas and other crops.
Unilever expects to certify all Lipton Yellow Label and PG Tips tea bags sold in Western Europe by 2010 and all Lipton tea bags sold worldwide by 2015. It said those brands will be the first to contain certified tea. The NGO will begin by certifying Unilever’s tea estate in Kericho, Kenya, followed by other farms in Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Indonesia, India, Argentina and Sri Lanka.
Rainforest Alliance’s certification standards require farmers to commit to improvements in worker conditions, farm management and environmental protection. Shares of Unilever slipped 3 cents to finish at $29.71.
