Akbar Brothers Limited, Sri Lanka’s leading tea exporter, has once again underscored its commitment to sustainability by securing the prestigious Eco Label for its subsidiary, Quick Tea (Pvt) Ltd. This accolade highlights the company’s dedication to environmentally friendly practices and positions it as a pioneer in the global tea industry’s shift towards greater sustainability.

Founded on the rich legacy of Ceylon tea cultivation, the Akbarally family has propelled Akbar Brothers to the forefront of the tea export market since 1992 through a relentless focus on quality. This tradition of excellence now includes a significant stride towards environmental stewardship, with Quick Tea being recognized as Asia’s first carbon inset company. This status, verified by the Sustainable Future Group, signifies Quick Tea’s achievement of net zero emissions by offsetting its own carbon footprint, showcasing an exemplary model of responsible business practice within the industry.

The Eco Label, conferred by the National Cleaner Production Centre, Sri Lanka (NCPC-SL), identifies products that are environmentally sustainable, minimally impact human health, and are produced ethically. As a rigorous third-party certification, it provides a trusted mark of quality and sustainability, assuring consumers and stakeholders of the product’s environmental credentials.

Mr. Tyeab Akbarally, Managing Director of Akbar Brothers, expressed pride in this landmark achievement, stating, “Securing the Eco Label and being acknowledged as Asia’s first carbon inset company is a testament to our deep-rooted commitment to sustainability. This recognition validates our efforts in achieving net zero emissions and marks a significant milestone in setting new environmental standards in the tea industry. We are honoured to lead by example, demonstrating that harmonizing successful business operations with environmental respect is possible and imperative for the future.”

The Eco Label certification process, administered by NCPC-SL, a member of the Global Eco Label Network (GEN), is underpinned by the principles of ISO 14024, aiming to establish high standards across various product categories. This initiative is part of Sri Lanka’s broader commitment to sustainability, supported by international organizations like UNIDO and UNEP.

Akbar Brothers’ journey towards sustainability extends beyond mere business objectives; it is a reflection of a profound respect for nature and a commitment to the well-being of Sri Lankan communities. The company’s efforts ensure that the natural beauty of Sri Lanka and the prosperity of its people are preserved and enhanced in conjunction with the success of Akbar Ceylon Tea.

By achieving the Eco Label and being recognized for its carbon-neutral operations, Akbar Brothers reaffirms its leadership in sustainable business practices and sets a benchmark for the industry at large. In an era where environmental conservation is increasingly critical, Akbar Brothers stands out as a beacon of hope, demonstrating the viability of integrating ambitious business goals with comprehensive environmental stewardship.

This recognition serves as a milestone for Akbar Brothers and the global tea industry, encouraging a shift towards more sustainable and responsible business practices. Through its pioneering efforts, Akbar Brothers continues to inspire a movement towards a greener, more sustainable future.

Quick Tea (Pvt) Limited, is a subsidiary of Akbar Brothers Limited incorporated in 1972, the largest tea exporter and the flagship brand of finest Ceylon tea from Sri Lanka. Quick Tea is one of Sri Lanka’s largest Teabag production facilities with a capacity of over 3 billion teabags per year, Quick Tea was certified as a Carbon-Inset® Company by leading sustainability validation, verification and certification firm, The Sustainable Future Group (SFG).

Carbon insetting is a novel concept that is rapidly gaining popularity as an attractive alternative to the more commonly known method of neutralising greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, carbon offsetting. Unlike the traditional approach, Carbon insetting offers the opportunity to make use of emissions reduction/removal possibilities within a business entity’s own value chain. Global brands such as Chanel, Nespresso and L’Oréal are already using Carbon insetting in managing their environmental sustainability, and it is predicted that Insetting will surpass offsetting as one of the preferred methods of combating climate change in the next few years.

Quick Tea brought in Sri Lanka’s foremost environmental consulting firm, The Carbon Consulting Company (CCC), to conduct a GHG Assessment of all three scopes related to the company’s overall operations. The carbon reduction initiative that Quick Tea selected to meet the requirements of SFG’s proprietary Carbon-Inset® Guideline is the Puttalam Grid-Connected Renewable Energy Project. CCC further calculated the energy production from these three wind power plants, in order to calculate their annual emission reductions.

The project was then independently validated by SFG to establish conformance with the ISO 14064-2 Standard, and the quantification of carbon reduction estimates were verified to determine the amount of Carbon Insets that will be generated. SFG then verified the results of the Organisational GHG Assessment conducted for Quick Tea, following which a matching amount of insets from the above project that are listed on SFG’s Inset Registry were retired, prior to awarding the company Carbon-Inset Certification.

Quick Tea Director Shiraz Akbarally commented, “We would like to thank the CCC Team for being the guiding hand in helping us meet our sustainability goals. We pride ourselves on excellence and accomplishing the milestone of being the first certified Carbon-Inset® Tea Company is a fantastic achievement. We can no longer ignore the vital importance of being environmentally conscious in an ever-evolving market place. As leaders in our industry, we want to reinforce this message to all our stakeholders that we are committed to a more sustainable future.”

“We are proud to have Quick Tea as a corporate partner in our quest to promote sustainable business practices across Sri Lanka,” remarked CCC CEO Sanith De S Wijeyeratne. “It is commendable to see a company not only strive for excellent products for its clients but also understand the importance of fighting against climate change. We hope that more companies follow in their footsteps and take action in helping achieve a net-zero economy.

CCC Project Lead (LCA, Carbon & Waste Management) Hasini Siriwardana; CCC CEO Sanith de Silva Wijeyeratne; Sajeewa Ranasinghe, SFG, Quick Tea Director Shiraz Akbarally; Imran Akbarally, Quick Tea; Shayne Choksy, Quick Tea