How about a cup of ethical tea?

A Sri Lankan company on Tuesday introduced two new 'ethical' tea varieties to promote responsible corporate citizenship around the world.

The launch -- these are the first products ever to be jointly branded with the United Nations Global Compact -- coincides with the start of the 'A Home for Every Plantation Worker' project, in which the company Mabroc Teas will work to improve the lives of 10,000 families involved in the production of the tea in Sri Lanka's Kelani Valley.

"For every pack of Mabroc Single Garden and Valley teas sold, we pledge a minimum of 1.5 US cents to this programme," the company's Chairman Bandula Jayasekera told a press briefing at the UN Headquarters in New York.

"We make a difference to better the lives of our workers by improving their living conditions, their environment, supporting health and nutrition, creating capacity-building initiatives and empowering communities," he added.

Every box of tea will include a leaflet explaining the principles of the Global Compact, an initiative bringing together businesses, governments, UN agencies, labour and civil society organisations to promote universal principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption.

The information is provided in five languages and the teas are shipped to some 40 countries each year.

"We believe that this story is of great importance and we hope that it will inspire many others," Georg Kell, Executive Director of the Global Compact, said.