The growing of tea invariably replaces biodiversity-rich tropical forests with a beautiful, but single species (monoculture). Soil erosion, competition for water, pollution from fertilizers and the requirement of firewood to fuel tea driers, are some of the main environmental concerns that accompany commercial tea cultivation.

By following the Sustainable Agriculture Network Standard, tea growers can pro-actively address social and environmental challenges. By complying with the requirements of this standard, tea estates can obtain "Rainforest Alliance Certification".

The UK consumes an astonishing 165 million cups of tea every day, but most of the teabags that go to making the nation's favourite hot drink still end up unnecessarily in landfill.

Now manufacturing giant Unilever has teamed up with two Essex councils, Brentwood and Chelmsford, together with Wrap the government's advisory body on waste, to encourage people to compost their teabags with their food waste.

Unilever UK is the manufacturer of tea brand PG Tips, while the group is the largest tea buyer in the world, buying about 12% of the world's tea supply of black tea.

Major energy savings in the steel re-rolling sector and in the small tea processing enterprise, initiated by the UNDP, has seen a substantive increase in energy efficiency in these industries.

UNDP, India, country director Caitlin Wiesen, told this newspaper, “Intervention in the steel re-rolling industry has seen efficiency levels go up between 30-40 per cent.”

With the Union commerce ministry turning down the demand for declaring tea the national drink, tea associations will seek Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s intervention in this regard. Minister of State for Commerce Jyotiraditya Scindia told the Rajya Sabha that a proposal to declare tea the national drink was examined during 2006 but was not pursued further because objections were raised by a few state governments. It was felt that coffee is a competing beverage and declaring one a national drink will likely be at the cost of the other.

New Delhi: It’s the most common drink in the country after water. So what added benefits can a ‘national drink’ status bring to tea, especially since it is unlikely to be accompanied with special incentives or tax breaks? Plenty, say tea industry insiders and experts, claiming there is much more at stake than just prestige.

GUWAHATI, April 26 – The declaration of tea as the National Drink of India is long overdue as no other drink can come even closer to tea in the country, observed the chairman of the Tea Board, MGVK Bhanu. He also said that the declaration of tea as the National Drink would not only give due recognition to tea, but it would also help in increasing exports.

Jorhat, April 24: At least five persons died and over 50 were injured when a hailstorm hit several parts of Tinsukia district late last evening. Strong winds damaged more than 600 houses in Kakopathar and Saikhowa, which are the worst hit areas of the district. Power cables in large parts of the district have snapped and several roads were blocked with uprooted trees.

Environmental advocacy group Greenpeace said on Tuesday that an investigation it had conducted found tea bags sold in China by Unilever's Lipton brand contained unsafe levels of pesticide residue, though Unilever said the product was safe and to standard.

Greenpeace said in a statement that in March it randomly purchased several boxes of Lipton tea bags sold in two Beijing stores and sent them to an independent laboratory for pesticide residue testing.