THIRST News

Are you the new Chair of THIRST?

As Jane Nyambura’s term as Chair comes to an end (she remains as a valued member of the Board), THIRST is seeking a strategic leader who shares our vision of a tea industry that is fair for all and is aligned with our principles of openness, inclusiveness and collaboration, focussed on practical and long-lasting solutions to the root causes of human rights breaches in the tea sector. (NB this is a voluntary, unpaid position.) Is this you, or someone in your network? If so, we are keen to hear from you.

Darjeeling Tea Multi Stakeholder Roundtable, 27th November.

THIRST, Fairtrade International/NAPP and Teekampagne are delighted to announce the inaugural meeting of the Darjeeling Tea Multi Stakeholder Roundtable on Friday 27^th November at the Salesian College, Darjeeling. As labour shortages are a core problem, with workers consistently citing low wages as the cause for leaving, we will start with a consultation on the living wage estimate by the Anker Research Institute. This will be followed by a wider discussion on how producers, buyers, civil society and government can work together to address this and other critical issues impacting on the Darjeeling tea sector. The Darjeeling Tea Multi Stakeholder Roundtable has the potential to be an ongoing engine for change. For more information or to express interest in attending, please contact us.

Behind the Brew update

Work is progressing well on our research – with Women Working Worldwide – on progress towards ending gender-based violence in the global tea sector in the three years since our publication of the ‘Consent…’ report outlining the risk factors for gender-based violence throughout the tea sector following media exposés. Using the Ethical Trading Initiative’s new GAIA Principles as a framework we have engaged with tea retailers, brands, suppliers and producers, and focus group discussions with NGOs and tea industry organisations. We aim to publish the report at the end of September to share examples of good practice, identify gaps and make recommendations to the industry and its stakeholders. If you would like to take part in the research, please contact us.

The Circle of Tea update and next meeting – September 29th

The next full meeting of The Circle of Tea will take place online on September 29th, 2026 from 12:00 – 13:30 BST. Previous meetings have attracted almost 100 participants from across the tea sector keen to share their experience of implementing environmental and social sustainability work in tea estates and tea farms around the world. The Circle has also hosted three rich focus group meetings on Climate Resilience & Sustainability in the Tea Industry; Labour and Human Rights Sustainable Improvements to Worker Livelihoods and Embedding Gender Equity. Practitioners from within the industry shared their experiences of working in these areas as well as some of the challenges they faced. Work is underway to revamp The Circle of Tea website to make it easier for you to upload information about your own sustainability projects, questions or ideas and find those that others have posted. The September meeting will be a valuable opportunity to add to the learning we are building together on these important issues and to start finding others within the sector with whom we can share this learning and put it into practical action.

New item in our Knowledge Hub

Multilevel Framework for Addressing SEAH in the Tea Sector

This paper sets out the Ethical Tea Partnership’s (ETP) framework for addressing sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH) in the tea sector as part of our broader mission of fostering Empowered, Safe Tea Communities.