Social responsibility - packaging examples

I had my 'wagamama moment' in the back of my mind when I was at home and looking at some christmas presents my family had brought for other people. One of which was some teabags from 'Naturisimo' which claimed to be super eco friendly and good for the planet. I noted down in my sketchbook some of the things that the packaging claimed. 

What struck me was that these tea bags had been delivered to our house in a cardboard box bigger than a standard shoe box. The amount of packaging was overwhelmingly unnecessary yet this company portrayed themselves as 'caring for all that is green'. 

I wondered how many other products did the same so I chose one cupboard in the kitchen (the tea and coffee cupboard) and found the following examples. 

So apparently pukka is all about helping people, plants and the planet. No mention of tea in this little write up, other than that they make you 'come alive' which seems pretty vague. 

PG want to get across that by buying their product, your conscious will be cleared as you drink your tea. I'm noticing some buzzwords cropping up, sustainable being a key one. I am also noticing links to actual organisations such as the Rainforest Alliance which suggests their actions might match up to their image. 

Proud, happy, ambition, successful! All so positive and non-coffee related. Their mention of 'Coffee Made Happy' suggests that this product must meet certain ethical standards for this to be featured. 

The same goes for Kenco Millicano, they have links to Coffee Made Happy as well. One thing I noticed with this packaging is that it mentions a specific issue that Kenco are trying to tackle which gives me more faith that what they have written is not an empty gesture. However, I am still torn by the cynicism that at the end of the day, they are using this issue as a way to sell their product and make money. 

Buzzwords again, they give the idea of community, care and a bigger picture beyond a cup of coffee. 

This exercise has proved to me that there is no black and white answer to whether a corporation is acting socially responsibly or not. I had already figured this idea out through academic research but I have gained a greater understanding by being this through examples. There is a scale of trust but also a scale of deception... are the brands we trust more the best deceivers or ware they genuinely acting on their claims of social responsibility?