If a competitor country does not have any such laws, their firms will still be compliant with the rules even if workers get a worse deal.
The new industry standard is being developed with Sri Lanka's state run Tea Board and the Tea Research Institute, industry officials said.
"The rationale to develop an industry standard is to establish a distinct identity for Ceylon Tea and seek international recognition for it," de Silva told an annual meeting of the CTTA, an umbrella body representing the tea industry.
"It is intended to launch and showcase this at the international tea convention (in Colombo) so as to attract wider international exposure.
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The tea convention is to be held on February 03 and 04 next year.
The standard would be compliant with regimes such as the 'rainforest protocol' and ethical tea partnership (ETP), de Silva said.
The standard would also be audited for compliance by an independent international agency.
Some in the industry have complained t