Clipper Teas
Clipper markets itself hard on plastic-free bags, and this is where the claim gets contested. In 2018 it replaced the oil-based polypropylene heat-seal in its standard "pillow" bags with PLA - a plant-derived bioplastic it described as "the world's first plastic-free, unbleached, non-GM tea bag." But PLA is a plastic: industrially compostable, not home-compostable, and still a synthetic polymer in the steeped bag. Independent commentators pushed back on the wording, and UK guidance since ~2020 has nudged the industry to describe PLA as "plant-based / biodegradable" rather than "plastic-free."
Clipper's separate string-and-tag line reportedly uses a wood-cellulose binder without PLA and an organic cotton string, which could rate higher - but that needs per-SKU confirmation, and the mainstream heat-seal bags are the PLA ones.
How clear are their specs?
Discloses the PLA composition of its heat-seal bags, but has marketed those same bags as "plastic free" - the exact bioplastic-as-plastic-free tension this category exists to flag.
Products to avoid
Documented so you know what to skip — each still has a full breakdown and sources.