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 stainless 99 containers 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 containers 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 manufactured using plastic .
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.