PG tips, the nation’s favourite cuppa, has become the first major tea brand to start moving towards a fully plant-based range. After recently completing the change on the iconic pyramid tea bags to a biodegradable plant-based material, PG tips is now starting the removal of the outer plastic overwrap on its 160s retail boxes.

The switch to ‘naked’ boxes first became available at the end of 2019 on the 160s packs, with the entire range set to be completely plant-based by summer 2021.

With over nine billion PG tips bags enjoyed by cuppa lovers every year, the brand has been committed to finding ways to make a more environmentally friendly cuppa.

PG tips has spent several years developing fully biodegradable tea bags and is now the first major tea brand¹ to feature them in all retail boxes. First introduced in 2018, the plant-based tea bags are derived from corn starch and can be disposed of in a food waste bin to biodegrade back to nature.

“As the nation’s favourite tea brand, making over 170 million cuppas a week, we’ve been working hard to make this environmentally-friendly switch. It’s not been without its challenges, but we’re delighted to be the first major tea brand to offer tea-drinkers a fully biodegradable cuppa in plant-based packaging with the same great taste they expect from PG tips,” said Fiachra Moloney, Tea Director at Unilever UK&I.

The new teabags will also be made available to the brand’s large catering bags and Food Service range later this year. PG tips’ Manchester factory, where the tea is blended and packaged, is also carbon neutral with 100% of the energy used coming from renewable sources.