SUSTAINABILITY
Numi Organic Tea is committed to sustainability in its sourcing practices, packaging and business procedures. Numi goes to great lengths to source teas and ingredients that are USDA certified organic whenever possible. All of Numi's raw tea and herb materials are 100 percent biodegradable, and all of Numi's raw materials are fully utilized in the production process and are transported in reusable cardboard cartons. Numi recycles all plastic wrap, cardboard and wood materials that are used in conjunction with the transportation and storage of products. Furthermore, there are no byproducts or waste generated in the production process. Numi is constantly examining ways to reduce waste throughout its production and operating processes.

WHAT IS ORGANIC?
According to the federal USDA organic label, products that are certified organic are grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), or ionizing radiation. Organic agriculture promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity through management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony. It also helps to improve the health of farmers and workers by freeing them from exposure to harmful chemicals, while keeping excessive use of these chemicals out of the food chain.

Look for the USDA Certified Organic label on food, beverage and personal care products to ensure that the product is organic, or made with organic ingredients.

Organic Tea Farming:
Tea grown from international gardens and estates became available under the USDA certified organic label in 1987. Organic tea production helps ensure a premium-quality product, a more environmentally sound agricultural system and a healthier work environment for farmers and farm workers. Choosing organic tea is especially important because tea leaves are not washed or rinsed before coming to market, so if any pesticides or chemicals are used, they may be steeped right into the consumer's cup.

Numi sources its organic teas, herbs and ingredients from around the world, making sure its products are organic whenever possible and remain committed to the health of farmers, workers, consumers and the planet.

PACKAGING
Numi's cardboard tea boxes are made from a minimum of 85 percent post-consumer waste, which annually conserves more than 5,202 trees and reduces landfill by 334,560 pounds. Numi's tea boxes include an Eco Audit table on the bottom of the box that identifies its waste reduction. Numi has worked directly with Environmental Defense to audit its waste reduction impacts by submitting the total weight of (1) recycled packaging purchased and (2) other materials that it recycles:

TREE SAVED	LANDFILL REDUCED (lbs)	ENERGY REDUCED (ooo) BTU	WATER REDUCED (gallons)	NET GREENHOUSE EMISSIONS
5,202	334,560	2,754 million	2,332,740	460,475

From its beginning, Numi made a conscious choice to eliminate the use of cello-wrap in its packaging and use bamboo for its merchandising and gift items.

Biodegradable Tea Pouches:
Numi's tea bags are made from natural fibers with a double chamber to release all the subtle flavors each tea and herb has to offer. Numi does not follow the trend of using "silky," see-through (nylon or cornstarch/GMO-based) tea bags.

Bamboo Packaging:
Bamboo has been chosen for Numi's gift boxes, tea chests and merchandising; not only for how its beauty complements tea, but also for its sustainability and abundance. Bamboo is recognized as an organic, earth-friendly material, known for its fast re-growth, high strength, and ease to work with, and it is one of the most untapped and renewable plant resources on the planet. In addition, the bamboo packaging is hand-produced by a small group of handicraft workers, primarily women, who can help support their families and improve their livelihoods through this project.

BCORP Numi Organic Tea is proud to be a Founding B Corporation, joining a growing community of more than 225 companies that are changing what it means to be successful. Certified B Corporations define a new type of company that is purpose-driven and creates benefit not only for shareholders, but for employees, the community and the environment. The Certified B Corporation label helps consumers tell the difference between a "good company" and just good marketing. This is important for Numi's employees, who want to feel good about their employer's overall impact, and for also for Numi's consumers, suppliers and investors, who want to support companies that make a positive impact on society and are willing to make their business practices transparent. Numi surpassed the minimum score on B Corporation's B Ratings System by more than 20 points (see our B Report here). The B Ratings System is a comprehensive tool that assesses a company's social and environmental performance. Numi considers the interests of its employees, suppliers, consumers, community and environment integrally in its business practices and the B Corporation Ratings system allows us to measure our impact on each of these key stakeholders and improve our performance over time.

NUMI'S CARBON OFFSET PROGRAM
Through a new partnership with Big Tree Climate Fund, Numi is on the path to becoming carbon neutral. Big Tree helped Numi conduct an annual emissions audit of carbon output for 2008; then supplied the equivalent amount of carbon offsets and renewable energy certificates (RECs). Numi purchased enough carbon offsets and RECs to offset its total estimated emissions for 2009.

The emissions from electrical output was offset by buying Renewable Energy Certificates, or RECs which represent the environmental benefits associated with generating one megawatt-hour of renewable energy. Numi's REC purchases support the Wilton Wind Energy Center, a wind farm in North Dakota generating enough electricity to power 15,000 homes.

Numi's carbon offset purchases support the Brazilian Methane Avoidance/Clean Water Initiative, which has been selected by the Environmental Defense Fund as a model project for global carbon reductions. As a result, treated wastewater from the Brazilian pulp and paper manufacturing company is directed to a river without harmful organic material to maintain a clean water supply for animals, plants and humans.