Page 64 - #48 English

Tea

Article By David DeCandia
Provided by Tea & Coffee Trade Journal

Pure Ceylon Tea:

True Sustainability

In a new three-part tea series, David DeCandia, be achieved the three pillars: social, economic and en-
director of tea at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, and the first vironmental must move together to achieve long-term
Ceylon Tea Ambassador to North America appointed by performance benefits.
the Sri Lanka Tea Board, discusses the three main pillars
of sustainability—social, economic and environmental—in Social Sustainability: Healthcare
terms of Sri Lanka’s practices as they pertain to tea. Part I Each day, year in and out, tea pluckers and their
of the series focuses on the social aspect of sustainability. families function fully on Sri Lankan tea estates. Children
As he has been traveling to Sri Lanka several times per year on their way to school, fathers and mothers off to work.
for the last 17 years, and has created many corporate social The level of healthcare can vary from estate to estate,
responsibility (CSR) programs, the article also includes but I, myself, have seen a very impressive focus on the
DeCandia’s personal perspectives. overall well-being of estate workers and their families.
According to the Western Australia Council of The regional plantation companies in Sri Lanka and
Social service (WACOSS), West Perth, WA, “social other large private factories often provide well-structured
sustainability occurs when the formal and informal health-care facilities on their premises with medical staff.
processes, systems, structures and relationships actively Even though some of these facilities may not be up to
support the capacity of current and future generations to international standards and can improve, it is clear that
create healthy and livable communities. Socially sustain- there is a continued focus in this area. There are some Sri
able communities are equitable, diverse, connected and Lankan tea-plantation companies where state-qualified
democratic and provide a good quality of life. Unfortu- physicians attend to the tea estate workers and provide
nately, social sustainability is the least defined and least proper healthcare.
understood of the different ways of approaching sustain- As a tea buyer who travels to tea origins globally I
ability and sustainable development. Social sustainability have always found it important to personally see that the
has had considerably less attention in public dialogue than estate workers are cared for. I believe that great tea comes
economic and environmental sustainability. from areas that have a true interest in the welfare of the
During my many trips to Sri Lanka, the idea of social estate workers and their families. You can see it in their
sustainability has continued to become more important faces as well as the overall condition of the factories and
to me personally, especially as it relates to tea. The three living areas. This is no easy task for sure but those estates
main areas in my opinion are health-care, education and that can secure a consistent health-care program will surely
wages. Of course, in order for full true sustainability to see the advantages in overall output and consistent quality.
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