ABC’s Foreign Correspondent goes deep into the tea fields of Sri Lanka to investigate the “ethical” promises made by the most famous brands of tea. Reporter Naomi Selvaratnam visits the estates to investigate the living and working conditions that are covered by independent certification schemes and reveals how the system is failing both Sri Lankan tea workers and consumers. For big tea brands, certification from major schemes such as Rainforest Alliance and Fair Trade offer consumer reassurance. Yet at the plantations, workers are routinely prevented from speaking to them. "There are no toilets in the field. We have to bring drinking water from home", says worker Maheswari. Tea pickers are trapped in cycles of debt, unable to feed their families, and the fields have many underage workers. "We are a high cost, high value producer, but the margin is wafer thin", says tea broker Anil Cooke. Estate owner Suranga says the only solution is consumers accepting a higher price. "It's traded down by the brands, not by the consumers. Now it's got into a vicious cycle."