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Ethical brand ratings and accreditation since 2001

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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. A way for Typhoo to increase consumer trust is by applying for Ethical Accreditation, which would include a more complete examination and recommendations for ethical growth.

More information about the importance of organic tea may be found at The Good Shopping Guide to 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.

For which criteria does Typhoo perform poorly? 

Despite the progress made, there are still areas in which the brand might improve. Typhoo Tea has only a brief sustainability page that features no aims and inadequate detail for a firm of this scale. Typhoo has no complaints about GMOs in its goods, but no statement including this, so it gets a middle grade. The brand also has no Fairtrade teas on offer.

Past Criticisms of Typhoo’s ethical record

Typhoo came under fire in 2021 after female plantation workers in Malawi filed lawsuits against their employer Lujeri and its parent company, which Typhoo uses as a supplier. Due to their employers’ failure to shield them from sexual assault, harassment, and discrimination, these women filed a lawsuit against them. More on this story may be found here (this article does include mentions of sexual assault).

In what areas does Typhoo score well for its ethics?

Typhoo is not associated with any animal welfare, political donations, armaments, or nuclear issues.

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 its environmental and sustainability report to include more explicit objectives to strive toward and in the future, it should also issue a GMO-use report.

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.

Ethical performance in category

0

GSG score

63
65

GSG category benchmark

100

Ethical Rating

Environment

  • Environmental Report

    Poor

  • Genetic Modification

    Acceptable

  • Organic

    Good

  • Nuclear Power

    Good

Animal

  • Animal Welfare

    Good

People

  • Armaments

    Good

  • Political Donations

    Good

  • Fairtrade

    Acceptable

Other

  • Ethical Accreditation

    Poor

  • Public Record Criticisms

    Acceptable

= GSG Top Rating = GSG Middle Rating = GSG Bottom Rating