For this study one hundred tea workers were interviewed on a total of eight tea plantation companies, all supplying tea to Unilever. Seven of these plantations are located in India and the remaining plantation concerns Unilever's own tea plantation in Kenya. It was found that working conditions on tea estates that supply Unilever are problematic despite having been certified by the sustainability standard system, Rainforest Alliance. This in turn raises concerns about the effectiveness and credibility of this standard. Workers reported sexual harassment and ethnic and gender discrimination, all constituting violations of ILO, Rainforest Alliance standards and Unilever's own code of business principles (CBP). In addition, the poor housing conditions for casuals and the casual status of many de facto permanent workers are Rainforest Alliance standard violations. NB Unilever has since acknowledged some of these problems and taken steps to address them: see https://www.unilever.com/sustainable-living/what-matters-to-you/kericho-tea-estates.html

On 9th April, the Indian Tea Association (ITA), the Tea Research Association (TRA) Tocklai, the Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP), and the Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH) hosted the largest gathering of organisations interested in the future of the Indian tea sector. TEAM UP India brought together the whole of the tea supply chain, with 165 delegates from over 50 organisations in attendance. Delegates included producer companies, Indian and International packers, UN organisations, specialist implementation agencies, international funders, certification bodies, tea associations from both India and abroad, smallholder and bought leaf sector representatives, and development partners. The objective of the event was to determine how to develop and scale-up approaches to deal with the sustainability challenges facing the Indian tea industry and communities so that producers thrive, workers lives' and the environment are improved, and buying companies can be assured that they are sourcing sustainably produced teas.

A study of child rights risks within the tea sector in Sri Lanka. These include risks to education, health, protection and wellbeing. The aim of the study was to identify and make recommendations in respect of potential entry points to influence sustainable progress and improve the lives of children. The study was conducted by Save the Children in partnership with the Center for Child Rights & Corporate Social Responsibility – Hong Kong.

East Africa was the world's last region without submarine fibre-optic broadband internet access, and until the summer of 2009 had been forced to rely on slow and costly satellite connection for access. However, the region as recently been connected via fibre-optic cable, in theory, allowing much greater speeds at much lower prices. This rapid transformation in the region's connectivity has prompted politicians, journalists, academics, and citizens to speak of an ICT-fuelled economic revolution happening on the continent. However, while some research has been conducted into the impacts of ICTs on economic processes and practices, there remains surprisingly little research into the impacts of changing connectivity on economic processes and practices in East Africa. Here we summarise research examining the effects on this changing connectivity in the Rwandan tea sector.

This paper explores how UK-based companies deal with their responsibility to respect the human rights of Assam (India) tea plantations workers. Using publicly available corporate reports and other documents, it investigates how companies approach and communicate their potential human rights impacts. It highlights the gap between well-documents human rights issues on the ground and corporate reports on these issues. It aims to answer the following research question: in a context where the existence of human rights violations at the end of the supply chain is well-documented, how do companies reconcile their possible connection with those violations and the corporate responsibility to respect human rights under the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and HUman Rights? The paper reveals the weakness of the current CSR approach from the perspective of rights-holders. It supports a business and human rights approach, one that places the protection of human rights at its core.

Verité provides this well-sourced web page, including details of reported child and forced labour in several tea producing countries, and explores what trafficking and/or child labor look like in the production of tea, and what governments, corporations, and others are doing to address the issue.

The impact of COVID-19 has shaken the entire world. Irrespective of the economic challenges the outbreak of COVID-19 has exposed the health and wellbeing of farmers and workers to extreme vulnerability. The farming community continues to remain on the frontline ensuring food security for the population while they battle against lost income, increased poverty, and lack of access to healthcare facilities.

The tea industry has been going through an economic crisis over the last few years. Tea prices have remained stagnant while costs have continued to increase, both for inputs and wages. Added to this, COVID-19 will have a huge negative impact on the financial condition of the industry. The tea industry requires a Financial Relief Package to tide over the crisis. The Consultative Committee of Plantation Associations looks at some interventions which are placed for the Hon'ble Government of India's consideraiton.

This document describes the case for action for piloting and scaling alternative business models that have the potential to distribute value in more equitable ways. It provides a summary of the main failures of the current business models, the problems they create across agricultural commodities, the need for system level change, and highlights additional enabling factors for driving transformational change. This case for action serves as a foundation to the Sustainable value chains – case study series, which Forum for the Future is curating in partnership with other organisations in order to promote cross-commodity learning on alternative business models in tea, coffee, cotton and beyond. The case study series is intended as a useful resource for those planning, or already undertaking, work to test different business models. The lessons learnt have the potential to inform other projects addressing similar challenges, and ultimately accelerate the change that is needed.

A draft of the Tea (Promotion and Development) Bill 2022 issued by the Government of India which, if enacted, would repeal India's Tea Act (1953). If enacted, the new Bill would establish a Tea Board which, along with the Government of India would have the objectives of tea promotion and development set out in the Bill.