UK supermarket The Co-op is developing a teabag that is fully biodegradable and does not contain plastic. The company will produce its own-brand Fairtrade 99 teabags without polypropylene, a sealant widely used within the industry to maintain shape, for sale by the end of the year. A spokesman said: "We are working with our suppliers on this new product which we hope will be available in stores before Christmas." Of the 165 million cups of tea consumed in the UK each day, 96% are produced using teabags.
UK supermarket The Co-op is developing a teabag that is fully biodegradable and does not contain plastic. The company will produce its own-brand Fairtrade 99 teabags without polypropylene, a sealant widely used within the industry to maintain shape, for sale by the end of the year. The Co-op, which sells 367 million teabags annually, has developed a method of heat sealing the items in partnership with supplier Typhoo and Finnish sustainable fibre firm Ahlstrom-Munksjö. Of the 165 million cups of tea consumed in the UK each day, 96% are produced using teabags.