What's In Your Cup? - Sustainable Firewood
At Williamson Tea Group we take both our commercial activities and Corporate Social Responsibilities very seriously. Our commitment to sustainable production has meant that for the past 5 years we have been actively engaged in securing our own source of firewood and by the end of 2015 we hope to have secured sufficient areas on our own land to manage our factories responsibly and sustainably for years to come soley with our own source of Eucalyptus Gum trees.
At Williamson Tea Group we take both our commercial activities and Corporate Social Responsibilities very seriously. Our commitment to sustainable production has meant that for the past 5 years we have been actively engaged in securing our own source of firewood and by the end of 2015 we hope to have secured sufficient areas on our own land to manage our factories responsibly and sustainably for years to come soley with our own source of Eucalyptus Gum trees.
Whilst not only
providing sustainable power for our factories, Gum plantations also provide an
important sink for Carbon, aiding our Carbon Footprint and providing habitat
for local wildlife.
Regrettably this is
not always the case with our competitors.
More factories in Kenya are opening and being granted manufacturing
licenses. These factories do not have a
secured supply of sustainable firewood and we often view immature and
unseasoned wood from indigenous or unsustainable sources being sold, even on
the roadsides. This practice was
highlighted by a quick witted journalist in a recent newspaper article and our
trade body the KTGA has taken up the matter with the appropriate authorities.
The lack of sustainable firewood to power our boilers and the lack of current cost
effective alternatives places a heavy restriction on the future growth of the
Kenya Tea Industry.
