Guide · Tea
Are Clipper tea bags plastic-free? The facts from Clipper UK
What Clipper says its tea bags are made of, why it stopped calling them plastic-free, and how to dispose of them in the UK, checked 3 Oct 2026.
Are Clipper tea bags plastic-free? The short answer is that it depends on what you count as plastic. Clipper says its bags contain no polypropylene, the oil-based plastic many tea bags have used to seal the paper. But they’re sealed with PLA, a plant-based material that Clipper itself calls a bio-plastic. That’s why Clipper no longer describes them as “plastic-free”.
Everything below comes from Clipper’s own UK website and the other sources we link, read on 3 October 2026. We haven’t tested this in person. That includes how the bags break down.
Are Clipper tea bags plastic-free? What Clipper says
Clipper explains its tea bags on its Find out about our tea bags page. The page doesn’t show a publication date. These are the key points, in Clipper’s words:
- What seals them: “Clipper’s tea bags are sealed with non-GM bio-material made from plant cellulose, known as PLA.”
- What they don’t contain: Clipper says they’re “completely free of polypropylene”.
- When it switched: Clipper says it “switched all production over to the new paper in 2018”. It also says it was the first tea company in the world to make all its heat-sealed tea bags “unbleached, non-GM plant-based & fully biodegradable” that year.
- Why the wording changed: “Since 2020, the regulations about how we talk about PLA have changed and all tea companies should talk about PLA as plant-based and biodegradable, rather than plastic-free.”
Clipper is clear that the bags themselves “haven’t changed since 2018”. Only the label has. It says that when it called them plastic-free, it meant they had no polypropylene. It also says it’s updating its packs to describe the bags as “unbleached, biodegradable & plant-based” instead.
So the fair answer is that Clipper’s bags are free of oil-based plastic, but they aren’t free of plastic in the strict sense, because PLA is a bio-plastic. Clipper’s statement covers its heat-sealed bags. If you buy a different format, check the box.
Why are Clipper tea bags brown?
Because the paper is unbleached. Clipper says it dropped bleaching as an unnecessary chemical step.
How to dispose of Clipper tea bags in the UK
Clipper’s advice is the same on its tea bag page and in its FAQ:
- Food waste bin first. Put used bags in your council food waste caddy. Clipper says the paper and tea can be composted commercially.
- Home compost with care. Clipper warns that “the British weather might not get warm enough to fully break the tea bags down”. Its FAQ suggests snipping the bag open, composting the tea and binning the paper separately. You can also sift out any bits left in your compost later.
- No food waste collection? Clipper suggests asking your council to start one.
Council guidance backs up the food waste route. South Kesteven District Council says any tea bag can go in its food waste caddy, because plastic is sifted out before processing. Liverpool City Council also lists tea bags as food waste. Rules vary by area, so check your own council’s page.
The same “check where it goes” question comes up with coffee. Our guides to whether coffee pods are recyclable in the UK and whether Nespresso pods are recyclable cover it.
What other UK tea brands say
Clipper isn’t the only brand to have moved away from oil-based plastic. Here’s what other brands say, in their own words:
- Yorkshire Tea: Taylors says every UK supermarket box of Yorkshire Tea now has plant-based bags sealed with PLA, for kerbside food or garden waste bins.
- Twinings: its FAQ says its bags are biodegradable and plant-based and break down within six months in a council compost caddy, but more slowly in a garden heap.
- Tick Tock: its Morrisons listing says the bags are plant-based, free of polypropylene and can go in your food waste bin.
We haven’t checked these claims independently. As with Clipper, “plant-based” doesn’t automatically mean plastic-free. Our Twinings vs Yorkshire Tea and PG Tips vs Tetley comparisons cover those brands in more detail.
What Clipper tea costs
If you want to buy Clipper, these are the prices we found:
- Clipper Fairtrade Everyday, 80 bags: £4.09 at the Clipper shop, checked 3 Oct 2026.
- Clipper Organic Everyday, 80 bags: £4.89 at the Clipper shop, checked 3 Oct 2026.
- Clipper Organic Fairtrade, 80 bags: Check price at Morrisons.
Clipper also makes a redbush tea, which we cover in our guide to the best rooibos tea. Our tea hub has more.
FAQs
Do Clipper tea bags contain plastic?
They contain no polypropylene, Clipper says, but they’re sealed with PLA, a plant-based bio-plastic. That’s why Clipper now says “plant-based and biodegradable” rather than “plastic-free”.
Can Clipper tea bags go in home compost?
You can, but Clipper says UK weather may not be warm enough to break them down fully. It recommends your council food waste bin instead.
When did Clipper change its tea bags?
Clipper says it switched all its production to the new PLA-sealed, unbleached paper in 2018.