In the words of the legend that is David Attenborough, “the oceans are under threat now as never before in human history”. If you watched Blue Planet II, you will have been moved by the tragic and destructive impact plastic is having on marine life.
But one small change can make a big difference. We're here to tell you why you should make the switch to the mighty Change loose leaf tea.
There are 6.3 billion tonnes of plastic waste on Earth. Plastic is everywhere ... even in your brew.
Polypropylene is a sealing plastic which makes sure teabags don't fall apart in the box or in your cup. It only takes a small amount to seal the bag but in the UK, we Brits gulp down 160 million cups of tea every day - that is a lot of plastic.
Plastics are designed to last and more often than not, plastic sticks around for longer than we do. For instance, a plastic bottle will pollute our natural environment for 450 years.
In contrast, loose leaf tea doesn't need the nylon, or the paper bag, or the string, or the box, or the plastic wrapper. It also requires significantly less processing and energy to prepare. One study found that loose leaf tea has one-tenth the carbon footprint of teabags.
All you need is a teapot and an infuser.