Boil the right amount of water for your brew

On average, us tea drinkers brew twice as much water as we really need.(1) Well, there’s a simple fix for that – just fill the kettle using your mug.

Kettles are pretty power hungry, so only boiling what you need can make a big difference – not only to the planet, but also in savings on your energy bill and getting your brew in your hands that much quicker!

Everything we make at Yorkshire Tea is carbon neutral from the tea field to supermarket shelf. We’ve been working hard on reducing our own footprint and balancing the emissions in our supply chain while supporting the farmers we work with since 2015.

But we know that a third of the carbon footprint of a brew is tied up in boiling the kettle so what happens when we get our tea home makes a big difference. If everyone in the UK only brewed the water they needed, it could help cut 618 tons of carbon emissions — the equivalent of 1.5 million miles in the average family car – every single day.(2)

We’ve made a downloadable poster as a handy reminder to only boil the water you need, just pop your details in at the bottom of this page and we’ll send it over to you via email, but please, only print responsibly. 

[1] Utilita Energy October 2020.

[2] UK Tea & Infusions Association (UKTIA) October 2021. GHG experts from Carbon Intelligence (www​.car​bon​.ci), a sustainability data and consulting firm, calculated the findings reported by the UKTIA. Note the figure is per day as a UK nation collectively.

Our top tips for a carbon friendly brew

  1. Fill your kettle using a mug to measure each brew you are making — you can add a ​‘proper brew’ mark on the kettle so you’ll know for next time!
  2. Pop used tea bags from all these boxes in the food waste caddy or garden waste bin to avoid them being sent to landfill.
  3. Recycle the Yorkshire Tea carton.
  4. Consider switching to a renewable energy provider — it can reduce your carbon footprint and potentially save money on your energy bill.
  5. Keep your kettle in fine fettle by giving it a regular wash – if mineral deposits have built up, add 1⁄4 cup white vinegar and 2 cups water to the kettle, then simmer for 20 minutes.
  6. Next time you need to replace your kettle, make sure to buy an energy saving one to reduce your energy use.

For more facts and figures on reducing the carbon footprint of your brew, take a look at the Smart Boil research from the UK Tea and Infusions Association.