Bigelow Tea Receives 2026 Aquarion Environmental Champion Award for Zero-Waste-to-Landfill Operations and Renewable Energy

The award, Bigelow Tea’s second from Aquarion Water Company following its first in 2018, recognizes Zero-Waste-to-Landfill facilities maintained since 2012 and Green-e® certified renewable energy

Fairfield, Connecticut, Oct. 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bigelow Tea, a 100% third generation family and WBENC-certified woman-owned business and Certified B Corporation, received a 2026 Aquarion Environmental Champion Award in the Large Business category, recognizing its Zero-Waste-to-Landfill operations and its Green-e® certification for renewable energy. Aquarion Water Company presented the award on June 6, 2026, at its 16th annual Environmental Champion Awards ceremony at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo. The honor is Bigelow Tea’s second Aquarion Environmental Champion Award, following its first in 2018.

Key Facts

• Bigelow Tea received a 2026 Aquarion Environmental Champion Award in the Large Business category on June 6, 2026, at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo.
• The award recognized Bigelow Tea’s Zero-Waste-to-Landfill operations, maintained since 2012, and its Green-e® certification for renewable energy.
• It is Bigelow Tea’s second Aquarion Environmental Champion Award, following its first in 2018. Bigelow Tea donated the $5,000 grant that accompanied the award to the Bigelow Tea Community Challenge.

Why Bigelow Tea Received the 2026 Aquarion Environmental Champion Award

Each year, Aquarion Water Company selects a large business, a small business, a non-profit and an adult to each receive a $5,000 grant, and a student to receive a $1,000 award. Winners also receive a plaque and statewide recognition for their conservation and sustainability work. In its announcement of the 2026 winners, Aquarion cited Bigelow Tea’s Zero-Waste-to-Landfill operations since 2012 through recycling, composting and material reuse programs, its Green-e® certification in 2020, its Certified B Corporation status in 2019, 2022 and 2025 with a B Impact Score of 103.1, and its community clean-up events and educational sessions on protecting pollinators.

Members of the Bigelow Green Team, Culture Club and Building Maintenance Team, along with their family members, attended the ceremony, and members of the Green Team and Building Maintenance Team accepted the award on behalf of the company. Bigelow Tea Corporate Social Responsibility Manager Rachael Ristau was among the company representatives at the ceremony.

Bigelow Tea donated the $5,000 grant that accompanied the award to the Bigelow Tea Community Challenge, the company’s annual road race benefiting Connecticut charities.

“I am incredibly proud of our Green Team, our Culture Club, our Building Maintenance Team and every one of our employees who make sustainability part of how we work each day,” said Cindi Bigelow, third-generation president and CEO of Bigelow Tea. “Being recognized by Aquarion for a second time is a wonderful acknowledgment of our shared commitment to sustainability, from our Zero-Waste-to-Landfill facilities to our investments in renewable energy. What makes this recognition even more special is the opportunity to direct Aquarion’s $5,000 grant to the Bigelow Tea Community Challenge, helping support 21 nonprofits making a difference right here in our Connecticut communities.”

Bigelow Tea’s Sustainability Record

Bigelow Tea, a 100% third generation family and WBENC-certified woman-owned business, is a Certified B Corporation powered by 100% renewable energy which is Green-e® certified, with Zero-Waste-to-Landfill facilities since 2012 and a B Impact Score of 103.1 as of 2025. Sustainability has been part of the company's DNA since Ruth Campbell Bigelow founded the business more than 80 years ago, and today that commitment is carried forward by three generations of the Bigelow family and the employees of the Bigelow Green Team.

A Commitment Ingrained in Bigelow Tea's Culture

At Bigelow Tea, honoring and executing sustainability practices is not just a daily or month-long event, it's a commitment ingrained in the company's culture. Under the leadership of Cindi Bigelow, third-generation president and CEO, Bigelow Tea has developed ecologically sound practices that are carried throughout the organization, from maintaining Zero-Waste-to-Landfill operations since 2012 and earning the designation of being a Green-e® certified company in 2020 to being a Certified B Corporation since 2019.

Bigelow Tea first earned B Corp certification in 2019 and has since recertified in 2022 and again in 2025, achieving a B Impact Score of 103.1, well above the minimum score of 80 required to gain certification and the median score of 50.9 for businesses that complete the B Impact Assessment.

What Sustainability Certifications Does Bigelow Tea Hold?

Bigelow Tea holds the following third-party verified sustainability certifications:

• Certified B Corporation, first certified in 2019, recertified in 2022 and 2025, B Impact Score 103.1
• Green-e® certified, 100% renewable energy across all facilities
• Zero-Waste-to-Landfill, maintained across all manufacturing facilities since 2012

Why Did Bigelow Tea Become a Certified B Corporation?

Cindi Bigelow pursued B Corp certification for one reason: to provide a blueprint for being the most sustainable company possible.

“Being certified, and now recertified, as a B Corp officially recognizes a commitment that has been part of the company's DNA since it was founded by my grandmother, Ruth Campbell Bigelow,” said Cindi Bigelow.

What Is a Certified B Corporation?

The nonprofit B Lab certifies for-profit companies by measuring how they treat their communities, the environment, their workers and their suppliers. Certified companies earn the recertification every three years by completing a rigorous assessment that evaluates accountability, environmental and social performance and transparency. More than 10,800 companies in 102 countries hold Certified B Corporation status, according to B Lab.

The B Impact Assessment measured performance across five impact areas:

• Governance, including mission, ethics and transparency
• Workers, including employee wellbeing and development
• Community, including local impact and stakeholder relationships
• Environment, including environmental management
• Customers, including product quality and data protection

As part of its B Corp commitment, Bigelow Tea maps its global carbon footprint annually and has been a member of B Local Connecticut since 2021, a collective of Connecticut-based B Corps. More on what the certification means for the company is available in This Is Why It Matters Bigelow Tea Is B Corp Recertified.

What Is the Bigelow Green Team?

Every day is Earth Day at Bigelow Tea, thanks to the Bigelow Green Team. Made up of passionate employees from every department who are committed to driving real change, the Green Team represents a culture of environmental consciousness throughout the organization and spearheads sustainability efforts year-round. Bi-monthly meetings across all facilities serve as a platform for brainstorming, implementing and tracking strategies that reduce Bigelow Tea's ecological footprint. The result is a greener workplace that encourages employees to adopt sustainable lifestyles and ensures Bigelow Tea as a whole minimizes its environmental impact.

How Does Bigelow Tea Engage With Nature and Local Communities?

From nurturing pollinator pathways at Bigelow Tea's headquarters in Fairfield, CT to organizing community clean-up events with River Discovery and Idaho Rivers United, the Green Team is at the forefront of helping employees engage with nature. Each spring, the team kicks off the season by greening up Bigelow Tea's locations and hosting educational sessions on the importance of protecting pollinators such as bees. The community garden at the Connecticut headquarters donates fresh grown produce to local charity Bridgeport Rescue Mission.

Through initiatives like the annual Bigelow Tea Community Challenge, the company has raised more than $3 million for local charities since 1988.

How Does Bigelow Tea Support Land Preservation?

Bigelow Tea is committed to land preservation by sustainably preserving the Charleston Tea Garden, supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 15. Located on Wadmalaw Island in South Carolina, the 127-acre garden is home to over 320 varieties of the Camellia sinensis tea plant and is the largest producer of tea grown 100% in America.

Preserving the natural heritage of the land is central to how the garden operates. Waste from tea processing is reused as mulch in the tea fields, promoting a circular approach to land management. The Charleston Tea Garden is also Green-e® certified.

How Does Bigelow Tea Reduce and Manage Waste?

Maintaining Zero-Waste-to-Landfill facilities since 2012 means at least 95% of Bigelow Tea's waste has been diverted from landfills through methods like composting food scraps in the cafeteria, recycling excess materials and donating reusable shipping boxes to food pantries.

The Green Team leads by example, upcycling supply chain materials into winter decorations and collecting old holiday cards for creative art projects for the St. Jude's Ranch for Children art program. Going forward, the team will be working with Revive Art & Craft Supply Shop of Middletown, CT, a store that supports the arts, reduces landfill waste and celebrates community-driven creativity, which will upcycle these cards into creative projects.

How Does Bigelow Tea Manage Energy Use?

Bigelow Tea is powered by 100% renewable energy. As a Green-e® certified company, its facilities in Idaho, Kentucky and Connecticut are powered by natural energy sources, and 870 solar panels on the roof of the Connecticut headquarters convert sunlight into electrical energy.

Within the workplace, the Green Team collaborates with the IT department to educate employees on energy-saving practices like dark mode and energy vampire awareness. Vampire energy comes from devices such as phone chargers, computer cords and coffee pots that continue to drain power even when turned off. The Green Team audits corporate offices quarterly to track usage, and data from each audit shows an increase in the number of employees turning off these devices, saving considerable electricity for the company overall. Seasonal office audits, departmental competitions and lunch and learns with local utility companies on reducing energy consumption and cost at home round out the program.

Bigelow Tea's Green Team Best Practices

• Schedule monthly meetings. Structure is important.
• Build a flexible and diverse team so every department is represented. All voices matter and provide valuable insights.
• Include interns by educating them on all sustainability programs and engaging them in hosting sustainability-focused activities, including weekly harvests of produce for donation from the community garden.
• Divide and conquer all tasks. Every Green Team member brings strengths, and each department has ideas on how to execute the greening ideas that have been accepted. This is not a one-person effort.

A Purpose Far Beyond Making Profits

Three generations of the Bigelow family and 450 employees, including the Bigelow Green Team, are deeply committed to a purpose far beyond making profits, where the aim is to always do better through good citizenship, ethical business practices, accountability and transparency, protecting the environment, sustainability and supporting communities local to all Bigelow Tea facilities.

A Message From President and CEO Cindi Bigelow

“Our progress with our sustainability efforts proves how intentional we remain behind our commitment to a purpose far beyond making profits,” says Cindi Bigelow. “From maintaining our Zero-Waste-to-Landfill facilities to our sustainable packaging and product design, we are constantly looking for ways to reduce waste while minimizing our impact on the environment. This commitment that has been part of Bigelow Tea's DNA since it was founded by my grandmother, Ruth Campbell Bigelow, eighty years ago.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Has Bigelow Tea received awards for its sustainability work?

Yes. Bigelow Tea received a 2026 Aquarion Environmental Champion Award in the Large Business category, recognizing its Zero-Waste-to-Landfill operations and its Green-e® certification for renewable energy. It is the company’s second Aquarion Environmental Champion Award, following its first in 2018.

Is Bigelow Tea a Certified B Corporation?

Yes. Bigelow Tea has been a Certified B Corporation since 2019 and recertified in 2022 and 2025, achieving a B Impact Score of 103.1, well above the minimum score of 80 required for certification.

Why did Bigelow Tea become a Certified B Corporation?

Cindi Bigelow pursued B Corp certification for one reason: to provide a blueprint for being the most sustainable company possible.

What does B Corp certification mean?

The nonprofit B Lab certifies for-profit companies that complete a rigorous assessment of accountability, environmental and social performance and transparency. Companies earn the certification every three years. Bigelow Tea has held the certification since 2019.

What sustainability certifications does Bigelow Tea have?

Bigelow Tea is a Certified B Corporation, first certified in 2019 and recertified in 2022 and 2025 with a B Impact Score of 103.1. It is also Green-e® certified for 100% renewable energy and has maintained Zero-Waste-to-Landfill facilities since 2012.

Does Bigelow Tea use renewable energy?

Yes. Bigelow Tea is Green-e® certified and powered by 100% renewable energy across its facilities in Idaho, Kentucky and Connecticut, including 870 solar panels on the roof of its Connecticut headquarters.

Does Bigelow Tea measure its carbon footprint?

Yes. Bigelow Tea maps its global carbon footprint annually as part of its B Corp commitment.

What does Zero-Waste-to-Landfill mean at Bigelow Tea?

Since 2012, at least 95% of Bigelow Tea's waste has been diverted from landfills through composting, recycling and donating reusable shipping boxes to food pantries.

What is the Bigelow Green Team?

The Bigelow Green Team is a group of employees from every department who lead Bigelow Tea's sustainability efforts year-round, from waste reduction and energy conservation to pollinator programs, the community garden and community clean-ups.

How long has sustainability been part of Bigelow Tea?

Sustainability has been part of the company's DNA since Ruth Campbell Bigelow founded the business more than 80 years ago. Today it is led by her granddaughter, Cindi Bigelow.

Does Bigelow Tea own a tea garden?

Yes. Bigelow Tea preserves the Charleston Tea Garden, a 127-acre garden on Wadmalaw Island, South Carolina, home to over 320 varieties of the Camellia sinensis tea plant. It is the largest producer of tea grown 100% in America and uses no pesticides or herbicides.

About Bigelow Tea

Based in Fairfield, CT and 100% family and woman-owned, the Bigelow Tea Company pioneered the specialty tea category over 80 years ago. The third-generation company takes pride in its heritage and successful growth from a one-product, entrepreneurial venture into America's #1 leading tea company brand. A Certified B Corporation since 2019, Bigelow Tea is powered by 100% renewable energy that is Green-e® certified, has maintained Zero-Waste-to-Landfill facilities since 2012, maps its global carbon footprint annually and has raised more than $3 million for local charities through the Bigelow Tea Community Challenge since 1988.

Producing over 2.3 billion tea bags annually in the company's three blending and packaging facilities in the U.S., the Bigelow Tea line includes more than 150 varieties of Flavored, Traditional, Green, Herbal, Decaffeinated, steep by Bigelow Organic, Bigelow Benefits Wellness teas and Bigelow Botanicals Cold Water Infusion including its flagship specialty tea flavor, “Constant Comment”®, an all-time American favorite. Bigelow Tea products are available nationwide and internationally as well as on www.BigelowTea.com

For more information, please contact: media@bigelowtea.com

Media Availability

Cindi Bigelow is available for interviews. High-resolution photos and additional information available upon request.

Geographic Coverage: Fairfield County, Connecticut | Idaho | Kentucky | Charleston, South Carolina | National

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