Bigelow Tea's Sustainability Journey

At Bigelow Tea, honoring and executing sustainability practices is not just a daily or month-long event -- it's a commitment ingrained in our culture. Under Cindi Bigelow’s management, third generation president and CEO, Bigelow Tea has developed ecologically sound practices that are carried throughout the organization which ranges from maintaining Zero-Waste-to-Landfill operations since 2012 and earning the designation of being a Green-e® Certified company in 2020 to being a Certified B Corporation since 2019. Bigelow Tea’s commitment to environmental stewardship has been part of the company’s DNA since the tea business was founded by Ruth Campbell Bigelow 80 years ago. Today, these efforts are supported and driven by the Bigelow Green Team. Let’s dig deeper to learn how this dedicated group collaborates in order to plan, execute, and grow Bigelow Tea’s sustainability programs.

What is the Bigelow Green Team?

Every day is Earth Day at Bigelow Tea, thanks to the Green Team. Comprised of passionate employees from every department who are committed to driving real change, the Bigelow Green Team not only represents a culture of environmental consciousness throughout the organization, but also actively spearheads sustainability efforts year-round. Bi-monthly meetings across all facilities serve as a platform for brainstorming, implementing, and tracking the success of strategies in order to reduce Bigelow Tea’s ecological footprint. The result? A greener workplace that not only encourages employees to adopt sustainable lifestyles but also ensures that Bigelow Tea as a whole minimizes its environmental impact. 

Green Team Highlights: Actions That Make An Impact

Engage with Nature: From nurturing pollinator pathways in Fairfield, CT to organizing community clean-up events with River Discovery and Idaho Rivers United, the Green Team is at the forefront of helping employees engage with nature. Each spring, they kick off the season by greening up Bigelow Tea’s various locations while also hosting educational sessions on the importance of protecting pollinators such as bees. Additionally, the ten year old community garden at headquarters in Connecticut has become a wonderful example of giving back by donating fresh grown produce to local charity, Bridgeport Rescue Mission (BRM).

Manage Waste: Our Green Team leads by example when it comes to waste management. Through innovative ventures like upcycling supply chain materials into winter decorations and collecting old holiday cards for creative art projects for the St. Jude’s Ranch for Children art program, to name a few examples, each employee strives to minimize the company’s environmental impact. With a steadfast commitment to maintaining zero-waste-to-landfill facilities, the Green Team ensures that waste reduction remains a top priority.  

Conserve Energy: Bigelow Tea is powered by 100% renewable energy!  Bigelow Tea is Green-E® certified meaning facilities are powered by natural energy sources in Idaho, Kentucky and Connecticut. 870 solar panels on the roof of our Connecticut headquarters, for example, converts sunlight into electrical energy. Within the workplace, the Green Team collaborates with the IT department to educate employees on energy-saving practices like dark mode and energy vampire awareness. Through seasonal office audits and departmental competitions, the team encourages everyone to take proactive steps towards conserving energy and reducing our carbon footprint.

 Bigelow Tea’s Green Team Best Practices Tips

• Schedule monthly meetings, structure is important.
• Build a flexible and diverse team so every department is represented; all voices matter and provide valuable insights.
• Include interns by educating them on all sustainability programs and then build them into the implementation schedules. Great ideas emerge through our collaborations.
• Divide and conquer all tasks. Every Green Team member brings strengths and each department has ideas on how to execute the greening ideas that have been accepted. This is not a one-person effort. With everyone being fully committed to the sustainability programs, we have achieved great success over the years.

More Insights From The Bigelow Tea Green Team

Three generations of the Bigelow family and 450 employees which includes the Bigelow Green Team are deeply committed to a purpose far beyond making profits, where the aim is to always do better through good citizenship, ethical business practices, accountability and transparency, protecting the environment, sustainability and supporting communities local to all Bigelow Tea facilities.