ETP was founded by a coalition of tea companies with a shared concern to understand supply chain risks. Today, ETP is a global membership organisation catalysing long-term, systemic change, to benefit everybody who works in tea – especially people in tea-producing regions.

Our work addresses the key issues within economics, equality, and the environment. The issues in the tea sector are complex; they are caused by a multitude of factors and cannot be addressed by one stakeholder alone. We focus on:

• delivering locally-led projects, often in partnership with other organisations, that seek to involve communities and ensure their voices are heard;
• supporting the private sector to pioneer responsible business models; and
• engaging stakeholders to support policies that positively impact people in tea.

We believe that by listening to workers, farmers, and communities and working collectively we can realise our vision of a tea sector that is thriving, socially just, and environmentally sustainable.

ETP is supported by both our members and donor organisations. We do not receive funding from members of the public or individual donors.

Our funding comes from three main sources:

1. Annual membership fees: All our member companies pay an annual fee, which forms the core of our funding. These funds are unrestricted and help sustain all our operations.
2. Additional project contributions: Some members choose to provide funding for specific projects in addition to their membership fees.
3. Donor funding: We also receive support from private and public sector (government) donors who share our vision.

ETP operates in most of the major tea-producing regions globally. These regions are determined by the sourcing priorities of our members. We have a London-based secretariat and regional team members based in Africa and Asia. Learn more about where we work here.

Our members include a range of tea companies that pack, source, and retail tea, from start-ups to multinationals in the sector.

Learn more about our members here.

When our members display our logo on their packaging, they are highlighting their ETP membership and their contribution to improving the tea sector.

ETP does not issue certifications or work with auditing firms to carry out audits on tea estates or factories. This means the use of our logo does not indicate that a product has been sourced from producers audited against specific standards.

Our Membership Global Rules outline the membership requirements for ETP members. These are under review by the ETP Board in consultation with ETP’s current members and wider stakeholders, and a new set of criteria will be confirmed in 2024.

Unlike Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade, we do not issue certifications or work with certification bodies to audit tea estates or factories against social and environmental standards.

We focus on delivering locally led projects that involve communities, supporting the private sector to pioneer new business models, and engaging stakeholders to support policies that positively impact people in tea.

ETP supports initiatives in alignment with our strategy and our specific country plans, developed by our regional teams for each of our focus countries. These provide an in-depth analysis of contextual issues and guide our desired outcomes and activities across our three thematic areas: economics, equality, and the environment.

At ETP, we embed assessment and evaluation into all our work. To determine the short and long-term impact of our projects, we have developed robust monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) processes. Our Global Impact Framework applies a mix of quantitative and framing indicators to rigorously measure outcomes and impact and help standardise reporting. We involve project stakeholders at different stages of this data management process to ensure the data we hold can have a positive impact. We also monitor project elements such as partner selection, procurement, funding, and deployment of staff and contractors.

Lean more about our impact here.

As a company that packs, trades, or retails tea, the best way to support ETP is by becoming a member. We rely on membership fees to deliver our transformational initiatives and would not be able to have the impact we do without our members.

Please note we do not accept donations from the public. As an individual, you can check to see if your favourite tea is a member of ETP here.

Derived from Ethical Tea Partnership, we now refer to ETP just with the initials in order to acknowledge the complexities and different interpretations which arise from the words ‘ethical’ and ‘partnership’.

We believe renaming ourselves as ‘ETP’ pays homage to our history, while also giving us scope to continue modernising our brand.

As part of our renaming process, we consulted with key internal and external stakeholders to determine the opportunities and risks that come with a name change, and, how this decision would impact our members.

Click here to read more.

Membership is open to any company that packs, trades, or retails tea, provided they meet our membership criteria. Membership is not available to tea producers, including tea farms, estates and factories.

Our Membership Global Rules outline the criteria for ETP Members. These are under review by the ETP Board in consultation with ETP’s current members, and a new set of criteria will be confirmed in 2024.

Learn more about membership here.

ETP members gain access to our extensive tea expertise and connections at global and producer levels. Members can contribute to innovative projects, take part in creative partnerships and receive support in addressing issues in the tea sector.

Learn more about membership benefits here.

Membership fees are determined by the volume of tea packed, sourced, or imported in the previous calendar year, with a minimum annual fee of £7,500.

Friends of ETP pay a fixed annual fee of £3,000 per year. ETP Affiliates pay a fixed annual fee of £25,000 per year.

Learn more about membership fees here.

If you are interested in joining ETP, please review the process and complete an expression of interest form. Our team will then be in touch with more information about the application process.

Learn more about how to become a member here.