Our contribution to climate protection

Conserving resources and protecting the climate

We want to contribute to attaining national and international climate targets. As a tea producer that procures raw ingredients from natural sources, we depend on an intact environment – it forms the foundation of our business model. Its protection is our highest priority. Therefore, we do everything in our power to reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases.

How climate change affects tea cultivation

Annemarie Leniger, Managing Director of OTG, regularly visits the cultivation areas and consults with the growers. In our interview, she explains why the sustainable treatment of resources is so essential for tea cultivation.

Frau Leniger, to what extent does climate change affect tea cultivation?

A. Leniger: Tea, especially black tea, is affected by the adverse effects of climate change because it is grown in subtropical regions. The plants need healthy soil, warmth, and moisture to grow well, but these conditions are compromised by changing climatic conditions such as flooding, drought, or shifts in the monsoon seasons. When the climate is in jeopardy, so are the tea bushes, and with that, the tea production.

And what does that mean for agriculture and cultivation methods?

A. Leniger: As a consequence and direct reaction to this situation, farmers will be forced to use more fertilisers and pesticides to deal with conditions such as drought in the long run. However, that is not in line with OTG's high-quality standards and values.

How drastic has the situation already become in the growing areas?
A. Leniger: There are already forecasts that tea cultivation will cease to exist in certain regions, such as Assam, in the future. Climate change poses a clear threat, and no tea producer will be spared the consequences. Thus, it is so crucial to act now.

OTG is a member of the 50 Sustainability and Climate Leaders initiative

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Fifty companies from different industries have tasked themselves with taking a pioneering role in the fight against climate change. As leaders in their respective industries, these companies show which strategies and measures they actively employ to achieve a sustainable environment and inspire others to follow their positive examples.

We are turning our German sites climate-neutral

We have turned our German sites climate-neutral for the first time for the business year of 2020, after already significantly reducing our greenhouse gas emissions through a wide range of measures. We compensate for the remaining CO2 emissions through offset payments and thus support international climate protection projects.

Our Certificate

Learn more about our climate protection projects.

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Our initiatives for more environmental and climate protection

Offsetting CO2 Emissions

In cooperation with ClimatePartner, we offset the CO2 emissions that we are not yet able to avoid or reduce at our German sites by making compensatory payments to international climate protection projects in India and Rwanda that are certified to the highest standards..

100 per cent green electricity

Since 2015, we have been running all German sites with electricity from 100% renewable energy sources. However, we also know that the cleanest energy is that which is not even consumed in the first place. Therefore, we work continuously to improve our energy efficiency.

Energy Management System

Since 2014, we have been recording our consumption in detail to identify potential savings. We have converted to LED lighting in the production facilities and the warehouses, control them with motion sensors and use energy-efficient drives for our compressors.

Federal Government Funding

We have made our technical equipment even more sustainable and efficient. For this, we received a five-figure federal government grant through the initiative Deutschland macht’s effizient” (“Germany makes it efficient”) in 2020.

E-Mobility and Bicycle Leasing

We have installed a charging station at our headquarters and provide an electric car as a fleet vehicle. At our facilities in Grettstadt, Norden and Buchholz, we offer our employees a bicycle leasing opportunity.

Sustainability blog

Employees can submit ideas for more sustainability to our internal sustainability blog. These submissions have already led to introducing reusable lunch boxes in the canteen or reducing the number of garbage bags used in production by 5,000.