Plastic is arguably the most pervasive material in the history of humanized production. It’s used for packaging, shipping, storage – you name it. While it’s a convenient material in the short term, it has long term side effects for the world’s ecosystem. Assuming your standard piece of plastic makes its way to a landfill, it will take an estimated 450 years to decompose. The unfortunate reality is that a significant portion of the world’s plastic consumption finds it’s way to the oceans.

At least 14 million tons of plastic ends up in the ocean every year per the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This amount of plastic is simply unfathomable. This plastic harms marine life as it can be ingested by aquatic life or worse; entangled within breathing mechanisms of ocean species. 80% of all ocean debris is estimated to be plastic.

Even after plastic degrades, it leaves behind microplastics which impact smaller species on the food chain by polluting their digestion systems. It’s estimated that humans who regularly drink plastic bottled water consume 90,000 microplastics per year! These plastics inhabit your body for life in many cases.

Why are we using so much plastic if it has such harmful consequences? Well, most companies don’t care. The bottom line is the deciding factor on all issues. Money over a moral obligation to care for the planet. It’s time to end our incessant plastic usage, especially in areas where plastic are simply unnecessary. At Steepwell Tea Company, none of our tea comes from plastic sources. 0%. Zilch. Nada. Nothing. No plastic. This is our mission from day 1 – just remove plastic from the equation. Our packaging is 100% biodegradable and can even be used as food for your garden plants! It’s freezer safe, non-toxic, and most importantly it won’t stick around for 450 years. Our biodegradable packaging and biodegradable teabags will naturally and safely decompose within a year or two of outdoor conditions. It’s time to start caring about our environment and our bodies. Let’s end plastic consumption where possible. We all have the capacity to make change and sometimes a small step goes a long way.