Impact

Sustainability

A tea garden that went chemical-free before the market asked for it, and a group that now holds every other division to the same standard.

Our commitment

Responsible business is profitable business

Sustainability at Gemcon started as a commercial decision on a tea estate in Panchagarh, and it is still measured commercially today.

In 2000 the group planted a garden with no synthetic fertiliser and no pesticide, on the argument that soil which is fed rather than forced produces a better leaf for longer. Twenty-five years on, that estate is certified organic, its herd supplies its own compost, and it is the most valuable agricultural asset the group owns.

The commitments on this page are the same argument applied to the rest of the portfolio: emissions we can prove, energy we generate ourselves, waste we do not create, and households around our sites that are measurably better off for our being there. Each is on a published deadline, each is audited, and each is reported against whether or not the year went well.

Read the reports

What we are measured on

Three commitments, each on a number

Not positions — positions are easy. These are the three figures the group reports against every year.

of the tea estate certified organic

Zero chemical tea

Every acre of the Kazi & Kazi estate is certified organic and re-audited annually. Nutrition comes from vermicompost and the estate’s own cattle herd; pest control comes from planting, not spraying.

of our 68,000-household target reached

Community impact

Interest-free cattle lending, seed and training programmes now reach more than 50,000 farming households around Tetulia — against a target of 68,000 by the end of the decade.

of the 2030 carbon-reduction target met

Renewable energy

Solar arrays at the estate, the Charka Steel plant and four Meena Bazar sites carry load that used to come from the grid and from diesel. The 2030 goal is a 30% cut against our 2024 baseline.

On the clock

What we have committed to, and by when

Four dated targets. Progress against each is published in the annual report whether or not the year went well.

  1. 2026

    One measured baseline

    A Scope 1 and 2 emissions inventory for all thirteen operating companies, verified externally and published in full.

  2. 2028

    Half the load renewable

    The Panchagarh estate and the Charka Steel plant running at 50% renewable load, with diesel generation retired at both sites.

  3. 2030

    30% less carbon

    Group manufacturing emissions cut by 30% against the 2024 baseline, with every division reporting quarterly against it.

  4. 2035

    Zero process waste

    No process waste to landfill anywhere in the group, and consumer packaging that is fully recyclable or compostable.

2400

Acres organic

Certified, under cultivation

50000+

Households supported

Across the Tetulia programmes

4.2 MW

Solar installed

Estate, plant and retail sites

250000

Trees planted

Shade and boundary, since 2000

Disclosure

Read the working

Every figure on this page comes from one of these documents. They are published in full, including the years we missed a target.

Sustainability Report

The full annual disclosure — emissions, energy, water, waste and community spend, division by division.

2025 PDF · 4.8 MB

Organic Certification Summary

Current certificates and audit findings for the Kazi & Kazi estate and its processing facility.

2025 PDF · 1.2 MB

Community Impact Review

Where the Tetulia programmes reached, what they cost, and what changed for the households in them.

2024 PDF · 3.1 MB

Impact

We rise by lifting others

The other half of this work sits outside the businesses entirely — a university and a foundation, both funded by the group.