Biodegradable bags suit product to a tea

GEELONG’S international tea expert Sharyn Johnston is calling for tea bags made from a 100 per cent biodegradable material derived from corn starch to become the industry standard.

A recent Canadian study has put the spotlight on the composition of tea bags after finding a small percentage contained nonbiodegradable plastics that were leaching billions of plastic particles into the tea when brewed in water at higher temperatures.

Researchers at McGill University found a hefty dose of microplastic was being released from plastic tea bags, as manufacturers moved away from the traditional paper option.

Ms Johnston said before establishing the International Tea Masters’ factory in Breakwater, her company spent months researching materials being used around the world and were aware of the issues around contamination.

“We discovered that nylon or polyethylene terephthalate bags, which are petroleum based nonbiodegradable plastics, were releasing concerning amounts of microparticles and nanoparticles into tea when brewed in water at higher temperatures,” she said.

She told World Tea News that as a result of the research she sourced a safe product and solution to the contamination problem.

“Yamanaka Industry Co Ltd has created a material called Soilon that is composed of bio-based, non-oil based biodegradable polylactic acid derived from plants,” Ms Johnston said.

“We have been using his product for our all our tea bags since we began bagging tea.

“We believe this type of fabric should be the industry standard.”

She said the current concerns around contamination were not only a concern to the public and the tea industry but also to her company.

“We are concerned that there is an increasing assumption that all tea bags with a similar appearance to the nylon bags are made of the same material when in fact companies like Australian Tea Masters are spending the time and resources to research and deliver a more health conscious and environmentally friendly solution,” Ms Johnston said.

“We also have taken the time and effort to have our factory HACCP, export approved, halal, kosher and organic certified.

“Using the safest and best tea bag material is of the utmost importance.”