Walmart touts Great Value tea as sustainably sourced

Joining the likes of Walmart’s Great Value tuna and coffee items, Great Value black and green tea bags have been certified sustainable through the Rainforest Alliance, granting the private brand teas business from Walmart U.S., as using methods that support three pillars of sustainability: social, economic and environmental.

Last year Walmart announced its Great Value canned tuna would be certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) or sourced from a time-bound fishery in the Fishery Improvement Project that is actively working toward certification. In 2019, Great Value coffee committed to third-party certification via Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance or UTZ.

Walmart’s set a goal to source 20 diverse key commodities, including tea, tuna and coffee, more sustainably by 2025.

In a post from Silvia Azrai Kawas, vice president of private brands food, at Walmart, tea is the second-most consumed beverage globally, just behind water, which can put additional stress on farmers and communities in the world. Azrai said the fact that Great Value tea is 100% Rainforest Alliance certified means the brand is sourcing from a farm that works with the Rainforest Alliance to ensure that it provides training to farmers around responsible land management, ensures the farms advance the rights of people in the supply chain, especially in rural areas, and works to bring farmers out of poverty by providing sustainable options for building better livelihoods.

The Walmart post also said it will maintain to keep Great Value teas affordable.