British retail giant ASDA will replace all its own brand tea bags with polylactic acid (PLA) materials
Asda has recently made a major change to its own-brand tea bags by introducing plant-based packaging, meaning the 550 million tea bags it sells each year could end up in the kerbside food bin.
The new tea bags are made from PLA derived from cornstarch, a bio-based material that will replace the non-renewable petroleum-based plastic bags previously used.
Asda will gradually roll out new tea bags across its entire range, from Just Essentials to Extra Special, over the next six months.
Asda's packaging technology specialist said: "We know our customers want to do what they can to reduce their environmental impact and we want to make it as easy as possible for them to do so.
"Tea is a staple in most of our clients' households, so it was a big moment for us to make a change that would make such a difference."
Asda has pledged to remove 3 billion pieces of plastic from its own brand products by 2025.
