Plastic free tea bags? Yes, you heard that right…
Your cup of tea might contain 11 billion microplastic particles and this is due to the way the tea bag is engineered.
According to a 2019 Canadian study at McGill University published in the Environmental Science & Technology Journal, steeping a plastic tea bag at a brewing temperature of 95°C releases around 11.6 billion microplastics into a single cup. Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic between 100 nanometres and 5 millimetres in size. Compared to salt, for example, which has been also found to contain plastic, each cup contains thousands of times greater mass of plastic, at 16 micrograms per cup.
Let’s go one step back and understand how a tea bag is made and why it might contain plastic:
How a teabag is made | Inside the Factory
Ever wondered how a teabag is made? ☕️
Posted by BBC Two on Tuesday, 18 July 2017
Are you shocked? Yes, we were too. We couldn’t believe that incorporating plastic in tea bags wasn’t tested for migration before engineering them, without even mentioning that fact that they are of course not biodegradable and compostable.
From now on, ask the brand of your prefered tea if they manufacture the tea bags using plastic or even better for you and the environment, switch completely to loose leaf tea.
The plastic in tea bags is used to heat seal the filter bag and to prevent it from falling apart. It can be:
Both of these materials can migrate into hot water. Most tea brands that used to use plastic in the filter tea bags are now transitioning to biodegradable PLA polylactic acid based material (see the explanation below). In their response to customers, they will reply that their product is plastic-free but in reality they mean it is free of conventional plastic and most often made of bio-plastics.
Here is a 2023 updated guide to some of the most available and favourite plastic free tea brands in Australia and other English speaking countries. We list the sustainable tea brands in alphabetical order and the answers were provided by the manufacturers or we found the information on their respective websites, in the FAQ section. In that case, we link to the source.
This post contains affiliate links, which means we may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. This helps us continue the very hard work we put into researching products and solutions. It took us weeks to compile this overview.
Related: The 10 Best Plastic-free Electric Kettles
Vahdam
Related: Microplastics in Food: The Latest Research.
PLA stands for poly-lactic acid and it is a vegetable-based biodegradable plastic material, which commonly uses cornstarch as a raw material, but remember much of the corn supply is genetically modified! The good news is that it is not fossil based (no petroleum based).
Of course 100% paper bags can be composted in your backyard compost or placed in your FOGO (Food Organics and Garden Organics) bin. However, PLA tea bags will not necessarily biodegrade in your backyard compost, unless you live in the tropics with a very hot and humid climate. If your climate is not warm enough, it will be harder for PLA to break down within the time frame specified by global ‘Compostable’ labelling standards. However, PLA can fully break down in industrial and municipal composting facilities, in certain controlled environments (i.e. controlled humidity and temperature), of which there are only few in Australia. Always ask your Council if tea bags are accepted in your FOGO bin. We have read that some Councils don’t accept them for fear of contamination with plastic tea bags.
If you try to tear your tea bag, you can easily understand if it is made with plastic. If it doesn’t tear at all, it means it is nylon or propylene, and it is particularly true for those pyramid shaped silky tea bags. This video shows this clearly.
For your health and for the environment, of course, the best way to drink tea free of microplastic is to use loose leaf tea and we love to drink our Chai Latte with our reusable telescopic straws.
T2, Nerada, Harney & Sons nearly every tea brand offers loose tea. The list of loose tea brands is endless!
On our directory for solutions to plastic pollution, we are listing eco-brands that offer their own range of loose leaf tea in certified home compostable packaging, so that you don’t have to worry if your tea bag is plastic free or not. For example:
Do you have any question or comment?
Or maybe would you like to give us some more information about other tea brands?
Just write in the section below or email info@implasticfree.com
Browse the Food & Drinks section of our eco-brands directory to find products in plastic-free packaging.
This article has been last updated on June 2023.
Well done. Good info.
Crap. Just finished a bag of Tazo tea… And it’s not listed on this website. Man, darn these companies touting to be organic and healthy… Yet use plastics in their manufacturing process.
Thanks for the info. Any idea where I can get decaffeinated loose leaf tea?
T2 All Day Breakfast
Hi I was wondering if HT (Harney & sons ) sachets are plastic free. I drink their tea daily. Also if they are not plastic free would it help to cut them open & use the tea as “loose” tea leaves ? Would that cut down on the plastic in my cup ?
Hi Karen, thanks for your question and sorry about our late reply. We’ll enquire with HT and let you know if their sachet are plastic free. If they aren’t, we would not recommend to cute the sachet open as the effect of cutting through plastic releases a lot of microplastics. There was a recent study on this: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2237900-just-opening-a-plastic-bottle-can-release-thousands-of-microplastics/ I hope it helps!
Hello!
Is Lipton pure green tea 100 tea bags plastic free? I just bought them 🙁
I’ve heard the glue they use to seal the paper tea bags is just as bad as the plastic materials. Do you know if this is true?
I can’t seem to find anything out about Laura Secord pyramid tea bags. I’ve been told they’re bad. Any comment on that?
Can you cut the tea bags and combine all the loose leaf and use it in a stainless steel strained? Or do you still get the plastic when heated? I have sooo much tea! And I’m wondering if I have to throw it all away.
Of course, make sure that those specific tea bags contain plastics first!
Expect to have to contact the manufacturer a couple of times. Their first response is likely to be a bit low-key with the facts. They might use words like “vegan” or “cruelty-free” as red herrings, and will probably end up using words like “plasticiser”, “polymer”, or “hydrocarbon” intead of “plastic”.
Your information on Tetley bags is incorrect.
Tetley tea bags are 99% plastic free, but still have the 1%. This is on their website…
Are Ito en tea bags plastic free?
I am trying to find out if the brand Selection Orange Pekoe Black tea, bagged/packaged for Metro stores in Quebec (product from ?), uses any plastic. I found your site and now I am wondering if my plastic coffee purcolator might also present the same problem. Perhaps there is a full list, somewhere, of products containing plastic that we are oblivious to!!
Tetley stringed tea bags are plastic free,BUT the box they come in is covered in plastic
PLA plastics also regarted as a polymerrized plastic. Can biodegradable means not harmful in our body and it can degrade into not hazardous material in body? PLA plastics doesn’t make micro or nano particles in tea infuwsion?
We are hearing that the increase in IBS, Leaky Gut Syndrome is linked to the amount of plastics and other chemicals in our systems that land there and in our Biome! I’m not a doctor but it makes a lot of sense.
If we are pouring boiling hot water on a tea bag, whose to say it doesn’t break down the plastic, and even change is properties from inert to “nasties”. Same as those “plastic looking” BBQ mats that are now becoming popular
Hello, unfortunately we don’t know the long time effects of ingesting PLA bioplastics micro- or nano particles in our body. We are just providing the information as delivered by tea manufacturers. However, according to this 1995 study issued in the Food and Chemical Toxicology Journal: “PLA is Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) when used in contact with food.” Here is the link to the study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/027869159400145E
Keep in mind that despite a chemical being approved for use by FSANZ, that just means that no harm has yet been identified. Such additives don’t provide any nutrition to the organism, but merely extend shelf life, change colour of the product, change the texture, sweetness, or other flavour component more cheaply than by improving a recipe, or superficial property.
Rather than trying to keep track of the ever-changing panorama of additives, I made the simple decision some years ago only to buy and eat foods that were made out of foods.
Keep in mind that despite a chemical being approved for use by FSANZ, that just means that no harm has yet been identified. Such additives don’t provide any nutrition to the organism, but merely extend shelf life, change colour of the product, change the texture, sweetness, or other flavour component more cheaply than by improving a recipe, or other superficial property.
Rather than trying to keep track of the ever-changing panorama of additives, I made the simple decision some years ago only to buy and eat foods that were made out of foods.
Thank you !
i’m confused, on one part you say ipton – Their Quality Black and Intense traditional tea bags are made from Manilla hemp and cellulose fibres. They are compostable but not recyclable.
and then lower you say that another version is also made with Manilla hemp and cellulose fibres.
but that it is NOT compostable but not recyclable.
which is it??
Here in WA tea bags are collected with compostable food and garden material by council so plastics are being collected and spread around gardens etc. Alarming! Big policy change needed.
How about harada green tea plastic bags, it’s a japanese brand, is it plastic free?
Does anyone have any information on the teabags that Starbucks / Teavana use? Thanks!
Hi Jon,
We received the following answer from Starbucks about their Teavana tea bags:
• Teavana full leaf tea sachets (bags) are made of food grade, BPA-free, nylon or PET plastic depending on the manufacturer. Teavana tea sachets comply with applicable regulatory requirements for their use.
• Food grade nylon is a material that meets food safety regulatory requirements.
• Full leaf sachets are sold in our retail stores and in the grocery channel.
• These Teavana tea sachets are not compostable or recyclable.
We’ll updated this blog article, asap. I hope this helps.
Kind regards,
Simona
This is not accurate about Pukka. Their teabags DO contain plastic, I just confirmed this directly with them. Your article is misleading to people trying to avoid all plastic in their tea bags, and should be corrected in your article
What about Bromley tea bags?
Are Vahdam tea bags plastic free? I can’t find any information on the. Thank you.
Hi Cathy, we received the response by Vadham and just updated our blog article. I hope this helps: https://www.implasticfree.com/why-you-should-switch-to-plastic-free-tea-bags/
The Teavert is the only brand with fully biodegradable, FSC certified white birch veneer, with no glue, no plastic, no PET, PLA, and no epichlorohydrin. All production is done in Seattle, US.
IMPLASTICFREE
January 1, 1970 at 12:00 amThanks Alison, that’s a very good point. When we contacted them, they only mentioned the pyramid bags, didn’t know they also have other tea bags. Thanks for the information, we’ll update our blog post!
Margaret
February 9, 2020 at 6:51 amAre Clipper Tea bags plastic free?
I'M PLASTIC FREE
February 9, 2020 at 9:52 amHi Margaret, we just found this information on their website. Their tea bags are sealed with PLA (poly lactic acid) which is a vegetable based plastic material. I hope this helps. Kind regards, Simona https://www.clipper-teas.com/faq