Tea is a global industry employing around 13 million people, with production split between large estates and smallholder farmers—who account for about 60% of global output. Despite their critical role, tea growers and workers face significant challenges due to an unequal distribution of profits, exploitative business models, and a power imbalance in the supply chain. Much of the tea is sold through auctions, where a few dominant buyers can dictate prices, leaving farmers with minimal earnings.
On International Tea Day, Fairtrade launched the Brew it Fair campaign to promote greater accountability in the tea sector, and published a report called: Brew it Fair: Creating a Fairer Future for the People Behind the Tea we Drink.
The report highlights key issues in the Tea Sector including:
Insufficient Wages and Livelihoods
Tea farmers and workers often earn far below a living wage. A Fairtrade survey in Kenya revealed that 80% of tea producers struggle to support their families, afford food, or pay for education. In Assam, India, workers earn about 250 rupees per day—nearly half of what is considered a living wage. On large estates in India and Bangladesh, workers are sometimes compensated with in-kind benefits like housing and food, which are often substandard and limit their financial independence.
Unsafe Working Conditions and Poor Living Standards
Tea cultivation is physically demanding, involving long hours and heavy loads in difficult terrain. Many estates are located in remote areas with poor access to healthcare, sanitation, and nutrition. Workers are frequently exposed to hazardous conditions, including agrochemicals and wildlife, without adequate protective gear or safety measures.
Impact of Climate Change
Tea is highly sensitive to climate variability. In Kenya, which supplies nearly half of the UK’s tea, optimal growing areas are projected to shrink by over 25% by 2050. Farmers are already experiencing unpredictable weather, leading to reduced yields, increased debt, and heightened vulnerability.
The Brew it Fair tea campaign is urging the UK government to take three major actions:
1. Introduce a Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD) Law to pave the way for living wages and incomes throughout supply chains and for businesses to consult all stakeholders. It aims to close legal loopholes, enhance the UK’s global reputation, and support sustainable supply chains. With similar legislation emerging in the EU, UK companies—especially multinationals—are already preparing to comply. Fairtrade emphasizes that the law must be designed to benefit farmers directly, without shifting the burdens of proof and compliance onto them.
2. Foster Multistakeholder Collaboration by convening retailers, brands, civil society, and tea growers—to collaboratively address the tea sector’s challenges.
3. Fulfill its International Climate Finance commitments to help tea farmers adapt to climate change, and to restore the aid budget to 0.5% of Gross National Income (GNI), as a first step. This funding is vital for supporting sustainable farming and protecting vulnerable communities, especially women in the tea sector.
Fairtrade’s proposals aim to ensure that the people behind our tea are treated with dignity and can thrive in a changing world.
Please support the campaign by signing this petition for the Government to Brew it Fair.
Written by, Sophia Ostler, Senior Policy Manager, The Fairtrade Foundation.
Posted by: CJC Team | Tagged as: Partner resource
