Sip sip hooray for zero waste tea! Beyond the environmental plastic waste, plastic tea bags release billions of microplastics into our tea, no less. Yuck.
Now that the cat’s been let out of the (tea) bag on this and other issues—such as responsible tea leaf sourcing—you, like us, are probably seeking out more ethical and, dare we say it, zero waste ways to drink tea.
Thankfully, there are brands committed to serving up sustainabili-tea with each piping hot (or iced) cuppa. We considered ingredients, ingredient sourcing, tea bag materials (hint: loose tea is hands down the most environmentally friendly option), ethical supply chains, sustainable packaging and more, when selecting the best brands for a conscious cuppa.
Note: Our brand rating system assesses brands based on multiple sustainability-related criteria, including things like climate action, biodiversity impact, and ethics in the supply chain. Brands need to opt in to be rated. So put the eco kettle on while you peruse the rated brands in our directory.
We independently research all featured brands, and we ask them to confirm their claims. In many cases we personally review recommended products. This post contains affiliate links which means we may earn a commission if you buy something. We explain this further in our Terms of Use.
The Most Tea-riffic Zero Waste Tea Brands
Bird & Blend Tea Co. handcrafts its zero waste loose leaf tea in small batches.
Numi’s zero waste tea bags carry all the flavor and convenience of typical tea bags through USDA-certified organic ingredients and home compostable tea bags.
For loose leaf tea in home compostable packaging (that also happens to be made using solar power), grow your palate with Arbor Teas.
Index: Brands Making Zero Waste Tea Leaves, Bags & Packaging
- Bird & Blend Tea Co Jump to brand
- Numi Tea Jump to brand
- Woodland Herbal Jump to brand
- The Tea Spot Jump to brand
- Rare Tea Company Jump to brand
- Arbor Teas Jump to brand
- Yogi Tea Jump to brand
- T2 Jump to brand
- Pukka Herbs Jump to brand
- Zero Waste Tea Infusers And Strainers Jump to brand
Bird & Blend Tea Co
Price: $5 – $43
UK-based Bird & Blend Tea Co. is on a mission “to spread happiness & reimagine tea,” crafting over 100 zero waste loose leaf blends—from classics to playful options like Blueberry Pancake. They’re true tea blend experts, regularly releasing new creations, running tea mixology workshops, and even letting you shop by mood or join a monthly tea tasting club.
Most blends are vegan, with the few containing ethically sourced honey or bee pollen clearly labeled. As a Certified B Corp, Bird & Blend pays above the Fairtrade base rate and ensures full traceability across its ingredients. Every blend is hand-crafted in small batches and packed locally.
Their zero waste packaging is fully compostable and plastic free, with reusable tins made in the UK using solar power. Popular blends are also available in compostable tea bags. In-store, takeaway cups are plant-based, with one tree planted per cup sold—plus a 50p discount when you bring your own.
The brand is carbon neutral through Ecologi and supports rotating charities alongside regular community volunteering.
Numi Tea
Price: $10 – $15
California-based Certified B Corp Numi creates certified organic, ethically sourced teas with a mission to “create lasting positive change.” Founded by siblings Ahmed Rahim and Reem Hassani—named after the dried desert lime tea of their childhood—Numi offers more than 40 blends, from black and green teas to herbal, Pu·erh, and Flowering Teas™.
Their hand-picked, full-leaf blends use only real fruits, flowers, and spices. All teas are USDA-certified organic, Non-GMO Verified, Fair Trade Certified, and Verified Fair Labor—a standard Numi helped develop. They work closely with farmers who use regenerative growing practices.
Numi’s zero waste tea bags are fully home compostable, made from unbleached manila hemp with recycled paper tags printed in soy ink and cotton strings. Wrappers are industrially compostable, using FSC-certified paper with sugarcane-based and eucalyptus layers.
The brand is Climate Neutral Certified, and the Numi Foundation supports global and local initiatives—from clean water programs to emergency food relief.
Woodland Herbal
Price: $5 – $43
Ohio-based Woodland Herbal is a small, family-run business with four generations of herbalists crafting natural wellness products, body care, and handcrafted herbal remedies. Their zero waste loose leaf teas are blended with certified organic botanicals and formulated for specific needs—like Sunshine Tea for mood support or Chill Out for easing stress and anxiety.
All products are handmade to order in Ohio, using natural, chemical-free, cruelty-free ingredients. Most teas come packaged in reusable tins made in the USA.
For every item sold, Woodland Herbal plants 100 wildflower seeds on an acre of land they’re restoring as a pollinator garden.
The Tea Spot
Price: $5 – $79
Woman-owned and Colorado-based, The Tea Spot is a zero waste travel company and Certified B Corp using tea “as a force for good.” They’re known for modernizing the loose-leaf experience through patented teaware—including stainless steel tea tumblers perfect for low-waste travel.
The Tea Spot sells loose leaf tea and full-leaf pyramid bags made from a certified non-GMO, sugarcane-based material that’s fully compostable and plastic free. You can shop by type, flavor, or function, with blends supporting digestion, sleep, stress relief, adaptogens, detox, and more.
They blend and package in small batches in Colorado and prioritize sourcing that supports regenerative agriculture.
A Public Benefit Corporation, The Tea Spot donates 10% of all profits to global wellness initiatives and partners with charity: water through a co-branded stainless steel tumbler whose profits fund clean water projects.
Rare Tea Company
Price: £7 – £23
UK-based Rare Tea Company aims “to source and supply the world’s best loose leaf tea directly from farmers and their tea gardens,” offering only loose leaf blends packaged in reusable, low-waste tins for maximum flavor and sustainability.
Their collection spans black, white, green, oolong, and pu’er teas, along with blends, single estates, hand-rolled varieties, smoked teas, cold infusions, and options that pair well with milk. You can also browse by country of origin for a more tailored experience.
Rare Tea Company builds long-term, ethical partnerships with small-scale farmers who follow organic principles, even if they lack formal certification. Orders are shipped in recyclable boxes with recycled packing materials.
Founder Henrietta Lovell also established the Rare Charity, which channels a portion of revenue into educational scholarships for tea-growing communities in Malawi.
Arbor Teas
Price: $4 – $37
Michigan-based Arbor Teas aims to “find the world’s most fantastic organic teas and deliver them as sustainably as possible,” committing to social and environmental responsibility from crop to cup—including fully zero waste packaging.
They offer an extensive range of USDA-certified organic loose leaf teas, from black, green, white, and oolong to pu-erh, rooibos, herbal, decaf, and iced varieties. Arbor Teas is also certified by the Global Organic Alliance, and many blends are Fair Trade certified with transparent information about partner tea gardens. Whenever possible, herbs are sourced from within the USA.
Their home-compostable packaging is made from wood pulp-derived cellulose with sugarcane-based paper labels and compostable adhesive, making it one of the most low-waste options on the market.
Arbor Teas operates a solar-powered packaging facility and is a Gold member of Green America’s Green Business Network. Overseas teas are transported by sea freight, and the company offsets associated emissions through Carbon Fund.
Yogi Tea
Price: $5
Certified B Corp Yogi Tea® is centered on “fostering global well-being,” offering Ayurvedic herb and spice blends for detox, digestion, sleep, stress relief, immune support, and more. Each tea bag includes a printed message and a simple yoga exercise to encourage mindful moments.
All ingredients meet EU Organic Regulation (EC) 834/2007 standards, and rooibos used in some blends is Rainforest Alliance Certified™. Yogi Tea® is also part of the Ethical Tea Partnership and the Sustainable Spices Initiative.
Their teas are produced in Northern Italy using renewable energy. The Manila hemp tea bags are fully compostable, including the organic cotton string and FSC®-certified paper tag. Envelopes are made from FSC®-certified paper, though they currently use a small amount of plastic for heat sealing. The brand aims for fully plastic-free packaging by 2025.
Outer boxes are FSC®-certified, and Yogi Tea® participates in the GoodShipping initiative for more sustainable transport.
Through the Yogi Tea® Foundation, the brand supports global and local projects, including reforestation in Madagascar, orphanages in Nepal and India, and the German Wildlife Foundation.
T2
Price: £9 – £29
Certified B Corp T2 began as a small Melbourne tea shop and has grown into a global tea company. Their mission is to source high-quality tea and make it accessible while minimizing waste through reusable accessories and thoughtful packaging.
They offer both loose leaf tea and tea bags—each batch tested for 450 compounds and residues. Classics like black, green, matcha, chai, herbal, fruit, and oolong sit alongside limited-edition blends such as Mulled Wine Magic and Sleepy Hemp.
T2’s tea is sustainably sourced, and their teaware factories are audited under SMETA or BSCI standards. Women hold 75% of senior roles and make up the majority of the global workforce.
Their low-waste tea bags are made from industrially compostable PLA with paper tags. Packaging options include recyclable cubes, reusable tins, and black foil (recyclable in Australia via REDcycle). Paper retail bags are fully recyclable, and most in-store gift wrap and tissue paper are recycled and recyclable.
To reduce their environmental impact further, T2 partners with Qantas Future Planet to carbon offset emissions.
Pukka Herbs
Price: £11
Pukka Herbs means “real, authentic, or genuine” in Hindi—fitting for a brand offering all-organic teas and supplements designed to “nurture healthier, happier lives through powerful organic plants”.
Their herbal blends use practitioner-grade organic herbs and include favorites like Cleanse, Feel New, Joy, Love, Peace, Night Time, Radiance, and Revitalise. You can also opt for a selection box to sample multiple varieties.
Pukka partners long-term with organic growers in more than 20 countries and holds certifications such as Soil Association Organic, Fair for Life, and Fair Wild. All products are 100% cruelty-free, and cosmetics carry the Leaping Bunny certification.
Their zero waste tea bags—made from abaca, wood pulp, and plant cellulose—are plastic-free and home compostable. While the envelopes are recyclable, they do contain a small amount of plastic for the barrier layer. Currently, 98% of their packaging is widely recyclable in the UK, with a goal of switching entirely to plant-based or circular packaging by 2025.
Already carbon neutral, Pukka aims to reach net zero by 2030. As a member of 1% for the Planet, they support environmental nonprofits including TreeSisters.
Zero Waste Tea Infusers And Strainers
Switching to loose leaf tea for the first time?
You’ll need a zero waste tea strainer or infuser to handle those loose leaves.
Bird & Blend Tea Co’s offers a reusable tea infuser that fits most cups and mugs, complete with a lid that doubles as a saucer for your used infuser. The Tea Spot’s Steepware® line features mugs and bottles with integrated infusers.
T2 offers several options, including mesh ball-style infusers, glass bottle infusers, and a stainless-steel leaf-shaped strainer with a silicone handle for pot brewing.
How We Found The Best Zero Waste Tea Brands
So, how did we find the best zero waste tea brands?
The Tea Itself:
Hands down, zero waste loose leaf tea is the most environmentally friendly, eliminating the single-use materials and manufacturing processes involved in making tea bags.
They also don’t rely on you having an indoor compost bin to properly get rid of your biodegradable tea bag—though you can compost the leaves themselves!
Because you can re-steep the leaves, it’s good for your sustainable wallet, too.
If a brand sells tea bags, they need to be compostable tea bags, which also means free from the bleaches, glues, microplastics, and those pesky tag staples.
For either form, we look for organically grown tea and herbs (which may or may not be certified depending on the size of the tea producer.)
- Certifications: USDA Organic, Global Organic Alliance
Ethical Sourcing and Supply Chain Practices:
We looked for zero waste tea companies that care about people at all levels of the supply chain.
We also like seeing transparent sourcing policies, especially those that show ingredients coming from sustainable food systems and eco friendly methods of harvesting.
For waste free green tea without greenwashing, third-party certifiers and membership initiatives like the Ethical Tea Partnership show that ethical sourcing is a priority.
- Certifications: Certified B Corp, BSCI, Fair Trade, Fair for Life, Fair Wild, Soil Association Organic, Rainforest Alliance, SMETA, Fair Labor Association
Green Business Practices and Charitable Giving:
Tea aside, when it comes to a pro-planet cuppa, zero waste tea packaging is a major consideration.
Reusable tin canisters, recycled and recyclable cardboard boxes, and compostable zero waste tea packets hit the right notes.
Some brands are still using a small amount of plastic in their heat-sealable tea bag envelopes but are actively seeking compostable alternatives.
Climate Neutral Certified companies are our cup of tea and if they’re a brand that gives back, well, that makes that cup of spiced chai extra warming.
FAQ: Plastic Free Tea
What is the main purpose of the article?
We’re highlighting a selection of tea brands that meet higher sustainability criteria — like compostable packaging, plastic-free tea bags, and ethical sourcing — so that tea drinkers can choose zero waste tea instead of conventional options.
What does “zero waste tea” mean in this context?
It refers to tea products where packaging is reusable, compostable or plastic-free (for example reusable tins or home-compostable tea bags) and where waste generation through packaging and disposal is minimised.
Why should someone switch to zero waste tea?
Because many conventional teas contain plastic in tea bags or non-recyclable packaging; switching to zero waste tea reduces waste, avoids plastic micro-particles, supports better packaging design and often supports more ethical sourcing.
What features should a buyer look for in a zero waste tea?
Some key features:
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Packaging labelled compostable, reusable or plastic-free.
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Tea bags made of cellulose, hemp or cotton rather than plastics.
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Loose leaf tea in refillable or reusable containers.
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Ethical sourcing certifications (organic, Fair Trade, etc) and transparency about supply chain.
Are zero waste tea options suitable for everyone’s budget or taste?
Yes — the article shows a variety of brands (from smaller specialist brands to larger ones) offering different flavors, formats (loose leaf or tea bags) and price points. Summary of many brands in one place gives consumers more accessible options.
Final Thoughts On Low & No Waste Tea Brands
A cup of organically grown, zero waste tea is a brew-tea-ful thing, for people and the planet.
With billions of cups of tea drunk every day, imagine the impact it would make if everyone switched to more sustainable tea drinking habits.
While the most waste free tea is the one you can buy at your local zero waste store, decanted into your own reusable container, the next best cuppa comes from one of these zero waste tea brands.
Know some avid tea-drinkers? Forward this list of the best zero waste tea brands and help them steep responsibly.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in September 2022 and updated in November 2025 to include new images, refreshed copy, and an expanded FAQ section.
Jenny is a UK-based sustainability writer and tea-drinker extraordinaire who has a Masters in Social Anthropology from the University of Edinburgh. Her travels have taken her to organic permaculture farms in the UK and Nepal but you’ll mostly find her working on the veg patch with a garden fork in one hand and a cup of tea in the other. Jenny writes for ethical brands and purpose-powered publications on a broad range of sustainable living and conscious consumerism topics. She is passionate about organic and regenerative farming, nature reconnection, and the small things we can do each day to better care for our planet.
Valuable information for tea lovers. Thank you.