Operations at five Darjeeling tea gardens owned by Goodricke Group Ltd have achieved carbon-negative status, the company announced on Tuesday.

An independent verification carried out found 11,026 tonnes of CO2 was absorbed by the agroforestry system and biomass of Goodricke’s gardens against 1,732 tonne of CO2 emitted. This translates to sequestration of 13 kilogram of carbon for every 1 kg of tea produced in 2022.

The Darjeeling gardens of Goodricke, including the famed Castleton, produce about 7 lakh kg annually. On a consolidated basis, these gardens have not been profitable for five-six years. The company is hoping the ecological benchmark will endear tea to the climate-conscious in Europe and in the US.

Reminding the benchmark underscores Goodricke’s commitment to environmental stewardship, Atul Asthana, MD of the company, hoped it could also help the gardens commercially. “This may open up the possibility of exporting branded single-estate packet teas. There are consumers out there who value such products and are ready to pay a premium,” Asthana said.