Dilmah invites industry collaboration to strengthen sustainability and resilience in Ceylon Tea

Section of the auidence

With the climate emergency clouding prospects for farmers globally, Dilmah Tea invited stakeholders in Ceylon Tea to a collaboration aimed at embedding sustainability and resilience into Sri Lanka’s tea industry. The initiative is linked to wider conservation, restoration and sustainable agriculture efforts by Dilmah Conservation, linked to its genesis, nature based solutions program, and its global climate action efforts via the Dilmah Conservation, One Earth Climate Research and Adaptation Centre. The initiative envisages collaboration with Universities and Researchers in strengthening climate resilience on tea plantations through more regenerative forms of agriculture.

Dilmah Founder Merrill J. Fernando founded Dilmah Tea with emphasis on family values and a commitment to kindness to people and nature. That foundation is reinforced by his lifetime of devotion to Ceylon Tea until he passed away in July last year. In 2012 the family company established Biodiversity Sri Lanka with the intention of escalating its own efforts at conservation through Biodiversity Sri Lanka into a broader coalition. Recently Merrill J. Fernando’s son Dilhan, now Chairman and CEO of Dilmah Tea, invited stakeholders in the tea industry to a collaboration aimed at driving sustainability in the Ceylon Tea industry.

The launch event was held on 1 December 2023 at Dilmah’s ‘Founder’s Auditorium’, where 128 regional plantation companies and representatives of tea smallholders convened. The meeting aimed at collectively addressing concerns and actions towards mitigating threats to the shared future of the tea industry. The focus was on the opportunity in greening the plantations, by supporting livelihoods and strengthening sustainability while mitigating the effects of increasing climate extremes. The opportunity for Ceylon Tea lies in building on sustainability to meet growing demand, strengthen livelihoods and consumer appeal while minimising environmental impact. The theme of the gathering reflected the reality of a shared future, “Stronger Together.”

In July 2023, a similar initiative was launched to support sustainability among packaging material manufacturers – the Dilmah-MJF Sustainable Supply Chain Road Map focuses on strengthening capacity of small and medium packaging companies in the area of sustainability. While inviting collaboration for positive change, Dilmah offered support to colleagues and competitors in the industry. 

“Sustainability is too often viewed as a cost, when it is in reality an opportunity that builds resilience, strengthens consumer engagement and ensures the survival of businesses that take sustainability seriously,” stressed Dilhan C. Fernando. He added that while Dilmah Conservation had worked on conservation, restoration, climate action and sustainable agriculture since 2007, the “Stronger Together” initiative was aimed at extending those benefits across the Sri Lanka tea industry.

Key figures in the tea industry and biodiversity, including Tea Board Chairman Niraj De Mel, Owita Naturals CEO Vihagun Ariyarathne, Anil Cooke of Asia Siyaka Commodities PLC, Conservation Biologist Prof. Enoka Kudavidanage addressed the event.

Tea Board Chairman Niraj De Mel has been vocal in the past about the role of smallholder growers in the industry and need to reach production goals, particularly in the areas aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). At the event, he also emphasised the relationship between the tea industry and sustainability explaining – “we have destroyed that tea bush by going away from the sustainability code and thereby come into the situation where we say we cannot achieve B60 (leaf program route).Don’t blame it on the weather and the lack of input – we have moved away from basics. If we are to be sustainable, we need to look after the tea bush and that is the only way we can also get into the top end of the tea market.” 

Ceylon tea marks 157 years since its inception with a Colombo Tea Convention this year. The uniqueness of the industry has ensured its survival through turbulence, industry change, and transformation while preserving the identity as a universally loved beverage. Dilmah invited the gathered tea plantation community to submit their proposals aligned with carbon emission reduction or higher education opportunities for children in the plantations. After a transparent evaluation, Dilmah’s MJF Foundation will support the most impactful proposals.

In fulfilling Merrill J. Fernando’s pledge to make Dilmah a business that serves humanity, the company continues to use a minimum of 15% of its pre-tax profits for kindness to people and nature, via the MJF Foundation and Dilmah Conservation. The environmental and humanitarian efforts of both are documented in ‘Impact,’ an e-publication that can be accessed online [https://issuu.com/dilmah/docs/impact_2022_family_business_serving_humanity]. “Stronger Together” is a significant component in this effort, combining environmental and humanitarian priorities in a collaboration that will strengthen the foundation of Ceylon Tea for the next century.