Sustainability is a broad topic that describes whether a practice can be done indefinitely without harming people or society or the environment in such a way that the practice must be stopped. One common concept is the "three pillars of sustainability": social, environmental, and economic issues. In order for a practice to be sustainable, it must be sustainable in each of these three senses. The word "sustainable" is sometimes used interchangeably with the word "green", but sustainability is a broader concept.
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Environmental Issues in Tea Production:
Issues associated with fertilizer use: Because tea leaves are continually being harvested, resulting in the loss of nutrients in the leaves, nutrients must be continually added in order for tea to continue being harvested. Unfortunately, natural and ecologically-friendly fertilizers are not the norm in the tea industry: chemical nitrogen fertilizers, including ammonia and nitrate-based fertilizers, are the norm. These fertilizers can lead to a number of problems. Although small amounts of these nutrients are beneficial on land, when they flow into water and become concentrated, they can damage aquatic ecosystems, which can destroy or negatively impact fishing industries as well. Overfertilization can also result in soil acidification and contamination of water supplies with nitrates.
Toxic chemicals used as pesticides: Although the tea plant is a tough, resilient plant that generally has little problem with insect pests, the practice of massive monocultures of tea plants, of the same variety, with little or no buffer of other crops or natural ecosystems between them creates an environment in which many farmers feel compelled to spray their tea crop with synthetic pesticides and other chemicals. Many of these chemicals, including DDT (which was used in China for tea production as recently as 2004 and may have continued to be used since then) have devastating ecological consequences, killing wildlife, and also have negative impacts on human health, both for workers exposed to the chemicals in their work, and people consuming food or drink contaminated with them.
Social And Economic Issues in Tea Production:
Most of the world's main tea growing regions are located in developing countries with less wealth and economic power. These countries often have laxer standards for human rights and fair treatment of workers. The primary exception to this rule is Japan: Japan is the only wealthy industrialized country that is also a major tea producer.
The conditions in which many tea workers are employed and the wages they are paid would alarm many people in the U.S. and other western countries. One major matter of concern is that, of the final price of tea paid by a shopper in the U.S., only a tiny portion of the amount paid actually reaches the workers who grew and harvested the tea: the lion's share of the profit is pocketed by those employed in the blending process, and the branding and sales of the product in the wealthy countries in which the tea is sold. Westerners often think of these issues as the plantation owners "exploiting" the workers, but this is not the most accurate way of looking at things: most plantation owners are themselves struggling to make ends meet, and enjoy a quality of life much less than the norm in western countries. The true culprit is the disparity in wealth and power between wealthy and poor countries, and an economic system that solidifies rather than alleviates these differences.
Solutions:
Organic tea sets out to address the environmental issues associated with tea production. By using natural fertilizers and having stricter standards of what fertilizers are used, nutrient pollution and other problems associated with fertilizers can be minimized. Synthetic pesticides can also be avoided, which results in a safer work environment for the people growing and harvesting the tea, as well as a healthier and safer beverage for those buying an drinking the tea.
Fair trade tea sets out to address the social issues and some of the economic issues that plague tea production. Fair trade attempts to improve working conditions by setting certain minimum standards for the percentage of profits that make it into worker's hands. Farmer- and worker-owned cooperatives and direct sourcing are other, related solutions to these same problems. The idea behind cooperatives is to ensure that all workers have an ownership stake in the company. Direct sourcing aims to cut out middlemen who take a cut of the profit.
Traditional processing methods are also worth mentioning. Organic tea can still be grown in large, mass monoculture plantations, which are not ideal for the environment. Traditional processing methods are by nature organic, as synthetic chemicals are a modern invention. Buying traditionally processed tea thus offers another way to promoting sustainability in your tea drinking.
More ideas:
These issues are just the beginning of the ways in which tea and sustainability intersect. Other issues to think about include composting used tea leaves, supporting local tea businesses, avoiding bottled or ready-to-drink teas, and drinking loose-leaf tea instead of tea bags.
It does not matter what business you are in, whether you are a small retailer, importer, exporter or a manufacturer you will always benefit from the support and services of a Trade Association. Simply in every field of trade and industry in every country you will find regional, national and international Trade Associations. It is estimated that there are more than 90,000 Associations around the world.
By looking at the numbers, you see their popularity but what are Trade Associations and why they are so important?
In this article you will learn more about Associations and their role in the modern business world.
First Let's Explain What They Are:
A Trade Association is a member based organization which is funded by a group of people or businesses in a specific industry to facilitate collaboration between companies. They defend their members' interests by advertising, producing standards for industry, lobbying, publishing magazines or newsletters, producing exhibitions or conferences, networking, finding new customers or potential suppliers for member businesses by arranging trips and meetings and last but not least education by offering educational materials or courses. Trade Associations are governed by bylaws and managed by officers who usually are members.
Now let's talk about the history of Trade Associations and review their evolution throughout history.
The first Society, the Academia Secretorum of Naples was born in 1560. During the next century other societies spread throughout Europe in London, Paris and Italy.
In 16th century, United Kingdom's first associations were born by name Guild, to protect interests of merchants and craftsmen. The well-known Royal Society of London, which was founded in 1662, is one of the examples. They set rules for wages and work hours and they also offered education by training skills. In 1800s, Guilds were working closely with local governments.
The first Association which remains in existence was formed in 1768 by 20 merchants in New York and they named it Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York. Another example is American Seed Trade Association which was founded in 1883. After this time more regional associations came into existence around the country but most of them were local Gewerbeverein Uri Associations. After the civil war and the vast expansion of the country's industrial capabilities, many local and national Associations were formed in order that manufactures could find new markets and expand their businesses. By 1900 almost 100 national and state Associations were active across United States to ensure their competitiveness in the market.
Although the Trade Associations services were helping businesses to stay competitive in the market, with growing demands for products, soon they decided to take advantage of the situation and use it to create monopolies and price fixings. This matter changed with the introduction of antitrust laws and the decision of US Supreme Court, ruling on the openness of pricing exchange information.
World Wars I and II drastically increased the number of Associations and they became a valuable resource by providing industry statistics to the government.
Today Trade Associations continue to maintain their essential role as intermediaries between government and businesses and also in helping businesses to expand by finding new markets while improving products' quality by setting standards and educating people.