Earlierthis month, the Indian media reported 608 million kilograms of tea (46 percent ofthe country’s annual output) has been verified and certified by trustea, asustainability code developed in India. But is there a need for yet anothercertification body? And how can a domestic code like trustea raise the bar forthe Indian tea industry?
Trustea was set up in 2013 as a domestically-developed code of standards for tea. It is backed by IDH, Hindustan Unilever Ltd. - who initiated the movement - Tata Global Beverages and Wagh Bakri, with Ethical Tea Partnership and Solidaridad as implementing partners.
Borrowingfrom other bodies such as Rainforest Alliance - listed as an Advisor - thetrustea code is comprehensive, addressing many of the Indian tea industrychallenges, especially with labor policies and welfare.
InAssam, Mrityunjay Jalan of Chota Tingrai, an estate known for its progressivepractices, and a trustea member since 2017 says, “Tea remains different fromother industries in India with respect to the labor force that’s used, and thebenefits to the resident laborers that the industry has to provide. Astandardized sustainability code aimed specifically at the Indian tea industrydoes help.”
Ofinterest are the 7 Zero-Tolerance Criteria Points listed, perhaps the bestindication of where the real problem with the industry lies: examples areEngaging forced or bonded labor, or child labor; Corporal punishment,harassment, intimidation of labor; Engaging women and adolescents in sprayingagrochemicals; Deforestation or encroachment of forest land of notified forestland or encroachment.
Thecertification process can take up to two months depending on the size of theestate, beginning with a Gap Audit by Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP). Once thegaps are covered, the trustea certificate is provided. Designed for a phasedimplementation over four years, complete compliance is expected by Year 4.
SaysMrityunjay, “As the compliance norms are strict and the review is yearly, ithelps the person at the ground level change his habits rather quickly.” Hefeels that where trustea can really play a role is in creating a level playing fieldbetween the organized and the unorganized sector, something which is currentlymissing. “If buyers are under pressure to procure only trustea certified tea,then the unorganized tea producers (accounting for 44 percent in Assam alone)would also have to come under the ambit of the trustea sustainability practices.”
trustea’sstarting point is the estate factories, bought leaf factories and independentgrower groups, so the onus still remains on the producers to make the shifttowards better compliance of standards. Not all of them have yet embracedtrustea. In the Nilgiris, MN Bopana, Managing Director of Craigmore says,“Craigmore has GlobalGAP, ISO compliance, Ethical Tea Partnership, RainforestAlliance, UTZ.” Collectively, they satisfy the requirements in labor welfare,environment, food safety, packaging, transport. When asked about addingtrustea, he asks, “If we have to keep adding every new certificate that comesup, where’s the end?”
Thepush for certifications comes from the buyers, especially in the export market.A global buyer may insist that the producer is Rainforest Alliance certified.The cost of certification is very high and borne entirely by the producer. Forlarge producers, if this investment translates to a better price for a bettertea, there is incentive to get certified. But small growers or factories canill-afford it. Neither can they ignore it because increasingly, the marketingconversation is about the source, sustainability and responsible production.
Bopanaagrees that trustea is a positive step towards raising the standards but isconcerned that this too will become one of many certifications. He opines thatif packers and producers could come together to set one standard, that’sacceptable for all, and addresses all the concerns that certifications do, itwill become the useful standards body it sets out to be.
trusteainsists that it is a voluntary certification, and the choice is on the produceror factory to get certified. Cognizant of the cost factor, trustea bears someof the cost in certification. This must make it especially attractive to smallgrowers who could use any advantage available to sell their teas. And buyers inIndia, says Mrityunjay, are strongly in favor of the trustea certification.
Herelies an interesting challenge for trustea, because it’s not a gatekeeper of theindustry’s laws. How can it include estates that are already certified by say,RA and other global standards without necessitating another expensive cycle ofcertification? How can it push the unorganized sector towards compliance? Andcan it establish itself as a single standards code for India that stands forsafe and sustainably-produced tea?