Lipton well in the black but cannot put that down to going green

SALES of Australia's leading tea brand, Lipton Quality Black, have climbed faster than the market since the decision by the brand's owner, Unilever, to get tea from sustainable plantations.

But despite the $3 million sales fillip, neither the company nor the environmental organisation that certifies the plantations, the Rainforest Alliance, is sure how much being ethical drives sales.

Unilever's marketing chief, David McNeil, said Australian consumers put quality and value for money first. Marketing centred on the line "Pick your tea with care" to highlight the ethical and environmental advantages of choosing tea from sustainable plantations but also to send the message that Lipton – Australia's top-selling tea brand – had not compromised on quality.

Lipton has a 26 per cent share of the $290 million Australian tea market and it grew by 4.2 per cent since the marketing campaign began a year ago, more than twice the market rate.

"They [consumers] are interested in the story of their tea but it's really about quality and value for money," said Mr McNeil, who believed in a "strong correlation" between happier workers, better conditions on plantations and a "superior end result".

But, given that consumers are not being asked to pay any more for Lipton, which guarantees at least half the tea in every bag will be from sustainable plantations, it is hard to pin the motivation to buy the brand on its ethical credentials.

"Ever since we made it the core of our messaging, we've seen Lipton become more popular than other brands at a time when people have been more choosy and selective about how they part with their money." He was convinced Lipton's growth in popularity would have "a large part to do with doing good – how much, I can't say for certain".

Even Rainforest Alliance's co-ordinator, Petra Tanos, said the organisation did not have any data on what made people buy. "I think this market is very motivated to buy sustainable but we don't have any studies or data that speaks specifically to that ... But we have seen growth in companies that work with us."

The number of Australian companies wanting Rainforest Alliance-certified goods – which carry the Green Frog label – had risen 43 per cent in a year, Ms Tanos said, though most were small businesses, such as individual coffee roasters.

The decision by McDonald's and Gloria Jean's to enter the market had helped educate Australians about the label, Mr McNeil and Ms Tanos said.

Unilever said it was on track to get all its tea from Rainforest Alliance-certified farms by 2015. SUSTAINABILITY