Typhoo

How ethical and sustainable is Typhoo? 

Typhoo is a Tea brand that features in The Good Shopping Guide’s Ethical Tea Ratings Table. Typhoo tea has not yet met our ethical standards, but we hope that in the future, the brand will make the necessary improvements to function as a more ethical corporation.

More information about the ethical issues in the tea industry may be found in our article on Ethical Tea. You can also compare Typhoo to other brands in our Ethical Tea Rating Table.

What does Typhoo do?

Typhoo was launched in 1903 by grocer John Sumner in Birmingham, England. He created Typhoo which was the first brand of tea that was sold pre-packaged and word began to spread. In 1905 John Sumner closed his grocery business to focus on tea and Typhoo tea Ltd was incorporated.

Since 2021, Typhoo tea has been owned by private equity firm Zetland Capital Partners LLP. Typhoo continues to make a large range of different tea products under this new ownership.

For which criteria does Typhoo perform poorly? 

There are several areas within our research that Typhoo requires improvement in.

Firstly, Typhoo does not provide sufficient evidence that is committed to improving its sustainability record and therefore receives a bottom rating for Environmental Report.

Although we found no evidence that Typhoo uses GMOs in its teas, as the brand does not confirm its products are non-GMO, it receives a middle rating in the Genetic Modification category. The brand also has no Fairtrade teas on offer and therefore receives a bottom rating in the Fairtrade criterion.

In what areas does Typhoo score well for its ethics?

Typhoo is not associated with any Animal welfare, Political Donations, Armaments, or Nuclear Power issues. As a result, the brand receives a top rating in all of these categories.

How can Typhoo improve its ethical rating?

The Good Shopping Guide calculates a brand’s Ethical Rating into three categories: the Environment, People, and Animals. In order to receive more detailed recommendations on how to improve, Typhoo should seek Ethical Accreditation.

Typhoo might raise its rating and meet our basic ethical standard by upgrading sustainability commitments to include more clear objectives to strive toward in the future. The brand should also issue a statement regarding its GMO usage and look to obtain Fairtrade certification for its teas.

If you work for or are affiliated with a tea business that places ethics high on its priority list, why not look into The Good Shopping Guide’s Ethical Accreditation? Tea manufacturers, such as Wunder Workshop, have benefited from this accreditation of sustainability and ethics. To learn more about our sustainability certification, get in touch with us, or fill out our quick form to get started.