BOH: Sustaining nature's gift to us for future generations

There is a distinct charm to Cameron Highlands in Pahang. A strong sense of ‘nature’ abounds. The air is fresh and the earth is rich and fertile.

It is here on virgin jungle terrain, way back in 1929, that J.A. Russell started the country’s first highlands tea garden, the now BOH Plantations.

BOH is a tea business of over 90 years, nurtured by generations of tea experts devoted to producing teas of exceptional quality, character, aroma and freshness.

Shaped by the strong values and passion inspired by its founder, BOH has a deep appreciation for Mother Nature for its gift of exquisite teas, attributed to the fertile soil and the right temperature in the hills.

As Malaysia’s largest tea producer and one of the world’s few fully-integrated tea companies, BOH grows, processes, packs and markets its own brand of authentic, homegrown Malaysian teas for the domestic market as well as tea lovers around the world.

Visitors to Cameron Highlands have relished their sensorial experience at the BOH Estate as well as the award winning BOH Sungei Palas Tea Centre where spectacular panoramic views of the plantations are enjoyed with the Ummph from a great tasting cup of BOH tea.

With BOH owing much of its business success to nature’s gift and fertility of the land, how has the company set its sights to safeguard and sustain its brand and tea growing legacy in the years to come?

Sharing its goal as a responsible tea grower, Executive Chairman of BOH, Caroline Russell said, “BOH is committed to be a fully sustainable tea grower in the near future. To achieve this, we have intentionally made sustainability a key consideration in every aspect of our operations. So, in as much as we prioritise efforts to continually perfect our tea craftsmanship, we are equally passionate to find ways to operate and grow our teas without harming the environment.”

BOH has about 1,200 hectares of agricultural land across four plantations with three (BOH Estate, Fairlie and Sungei Palas) in Cameron Highlands and one in Bukit Cheeding, Selangor. Indeed, BOH’s four plantations stand at the core of its sustainability plan. Each plantation has tea gardens producing exceptional teas known for their distinctive characteristics - robust, flavourful and aromatic.

Added Russell, “With technological advancements, becoming a sustainable tea producer is certainly plausible as well as manageable. We recognise that adopting sustainable practices does incur additional cost. However, the cost of not adopting sustainable measures has an even larger adverse impact. As a company that owes much of our success and legacy to the environment, sustainability is non-negotiable. BOH will do all we can to ensure that we preserve the conditions that allow us to continue growing teas for many years to come.”

BOH’s deep concern for the environment has resulted in a proactive measures in various aspects of their operations, from tea growing to tea production and management of its tea centres. Ongoing reviews are conducted to ensure the environment is safeguarded, wastage minimised and its carbon footprint lowered.

Some of BOH’s responsible agricultural practices include selecting only the best teas from its clonal and seed banks for planting. It also employs integrated pest management strategies which includes propagating anti-pest plants to reduce dependence on pesticides and planting grass to improve soil strength against soil erosion. Organic fertilisers and waste from tea production are used in different areas of its planting process to sustain soil fertility and ensure a bountiful tea harvest.

BOH also ensures a balanced ecosystem for its surrounding forest lands. At the Bukit Cheeding plantation which borders the Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve, a protected peat swamp and home to endangered flora and fauna, BOH maintains a buffer zone between its planted area. Although some forest zones do fall within its border, BOH does not intend to develop the area to preserve the biodiversity and soil integrity. BOH also supports Global Environment Centre, an NGO which preserves and protects this natural forest reserve.

Commenting on the BOH’s key initiatives, Chief Executive Officer of BOH, Jason Foo, said, “We recently installed solar panels at our Bukit Cheeding packing factory to tap into solar energy for our electricity needs, lower our dependence on fossil fuel and reduce carbon dioxide emission. Installation of solar panels at our Cameron Highland estates are also ongoing. Our adoption of clean energy solutions complements our long-term commitment to environmental initiatives.

“BOH has also adopted a holistic 3R approach of reducing, reusing and recycling our product packaging. Many of our products now come in a tear box structure which eliminates the single use of plastic shrink wraps. The tear boxes use Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper sourced from responsibly managed forests that promote environment, social and economic benefits.

“Our different tea bags are also biodegradable. In fact, our pyramid teabags are made from corn starch and packaged in reusable canisters while BOH products in pouches and sachets are packed using recyclable polypropylene (PP) material which can be easily recyclable,” explained Foo.

Consumer education initiatives continue to be prioritised. Through its ‘Mesra Alam’ product descriptor on its packaging, BOH keeps consumers informed on packaging elements that are recyclable or biodegradable.

Environmentally friendly initiatives continue to be introduced at its tea centres at the BOH Estate as well as at BOH Sungei Palas, both popular tourist destinations. To reduce wastage and minimise non-recyclable material usage, the tea centres have switched from using plastic straws and plastic bags to biodegradable paper straws and oxo-degradable bags respectively. In the pipeline are plans to avail water dispensers with eco-friendly cups instead of having plastic water bottles for sale. Here, food waste is also composted into fertiliser for gardens around the tea centres.

Foo said, “We acknowledge that there is much that needs to be done to preserve Mother Nature for generations to come. As a brand, we remain committed to walk the distance in our green agenda.”

BOH’s ongoing Corporate Responsibility programmes also include supporting environmental and animal conservation. The brand has collaborated with several environmental NGOs and advocates such as the Tropical Rainforest Conservation and Research Centre (TRCRC), Global Environment Centre (GEC), WWF-Malaysia and Malaysia Nature Society (MNS) to support sustainability initiatives and encourage the public to increase conservation efforts within their own communities.

This content is provided by BOH Plantations Sdn Bhd.