Honest Tea Tops List of Most Eco-Friendly Beverages

The most eco-friendly beverages widely available to Americans are varieties bottled by Honest Tea of Bethesda, MD, according to the updated beverage rating report released by Greenopia.

Honest Tea was the only mass-distributed, retail beverage to earn the coveted Greenopia 4-Leaf Rating. This year, Santa Cruz Organic Soda also received a 4 leaf score, making it only the second company to reach this level. Rounding out the top 4 were Steaz and Odwalla, who both received scores of 3 Greenopia leafs.

"It’s difficult for consumers to evaluate which beverage companies are making the most concentrated efforts," said Gay Browne, Founder of Greenopia. "There are so many claims about the drinks being carbon neutral, sustainable, or packaged in eco-friendly materials that the average person cannot possibly make sense of it all."

The beverage guide used Greenopia’s 4-Leaf rating system to disclose the environmental impact and health-effect characteristics of over 20 of America’s most popular mass-market beverages. This was an independent study conducted by Greenopia’s Research Staff using an extensive list of test criteria including beverage container, ingredient analysis including product toxicity, supply chain, sustainability reporting, green building design initiatives, and history of environmental violations. The criteria data were gathered, calculated, and analyzed using Greenopia’s proprietary research methodology.

Sales leaders Coca Cola scored a 2-Leaf Rating while competitor Pepsi earned a Greenopia 1-Leaf Rating. What is interesting are the distinct ways each major beverage has approached sustainability. Coke seems to be focusing on its supply chain and packaging, whereas Pepsi is strongest in its logistics. Dr. Pepper showed the biggest improvement of the major brands, earning its first Greenopia leaf for this year’s update.

"We were surprised by the amount of environmental change that occurred in the past year within the beverage industry," said Doug Mazeffa, Research Director of Greenopia. "The beverage industry has, in most cases, shown consistent and rapid improvement. There were only a couple of companies who pulled back on their sustainability efforts."