The majority of tea drinkers choose to drink their tea using a teabag. However, how many of them pause to consider what these tea bags are made of? Nonwoven Network, LLC set out to revolutionize the market for filtered media by creating a new environmentally friendly filter standard. This line of products, called One Earth®, offers environmentally friendly plastic free teabags and coffee filters, as well as the accompanying tags, strings, and envelopes.
In late September, 2019, a number of articles were written about tea bags containing plastics. After conducting a few simple tests, Canadian researchers discovered that many regular paper and nylon pyramid tea bags, once introduced to hot water, release plastic microparticles. In fact, many high-end tea bags are manufactured from polyester and nylon or feature plastic in the paper for sealing; both options produce plastic microparticles that are released into the tea itself. Even tea bags that are not manufactured directly from plastic are nevertheless often heat-sealed with a thermoplastic, PVC, or polypropylene—none of which can thus offer a non-plastic outcome for the consumer. In fact, every time someone pours a tea using a tea bag that contains plastic, the risk of microparticles is present.
It was with these issues in mind that One Earth® inventor, Stephen W. Foss, set out to create a new standard of tea bags. He used his knowledge of nonwovens to create One Earth®, a patented nonwoven filter media that is certified non-GMO, certified compostable in 21 days, allergen-free, chemical free, bleach free, and—most importantly—plastic free. It is truly the most environmentally friendly tea bag material available!
One Earth® tea bags are a nonwoven created from Polylactic Acid (PLA), a plant-based material derived from sugar cane. The material is fully biodegradable and compostable, it does not contain any plastics. In fact, not only is this material not petroleum based, it is free of any glue, metal, or plasticizers as well. One Earth is a very unique nonwoven that has extremely high water porosity and has virtually no dust like other products. It is semi-translucent and goes completely clear in hot water which allows the tea to brew in seconds.
One Earth® not only offers tea bag material but also offers coffee filter material, string, tag and envelope/wrapper which are all sourced from non-GMO sugar cane. The entire product line is environmentally friendly, non-GMO, USDA 100% Biobased, Plastic Free and certified compostable in 21 days or less. One Earth® is currently covered by 20 patents with additional patents pending and is a registered Woman Business Enterprise.