Ben & Jerry's
Ben & Jerry’s is a purpose-driven American ice cream brand known for their creative and unique flavour combinations. They have been sourcing Fairtrade ingredients since 2005 and help support the resettlement of refugees around the world.
About
Created by two guys with a deep love for ice cream, Ben & Jerry’s have been trailblazers in the world of ethical and socially conscious business from the get-go. Since the 80s, the company has committed to using their profits to fund community and social justice projects.
“We love making ice cream—but using our business to make the world a better place gives our work its meaning.”
Guided by their progressive values, Ben & Jerry’s seek to advance human rights and dignity at every level of their business and support social and economic justice for historically marginalised communities. One of Ben & Jerry’s founding principles is what they call “linked prosperity”, the idea that those who are successful should work to improve the world around them. The brand is also B-Corp certified, scoring a 96 on their B Impact assessment.
In 2005, Ben and Jerry’s were the first ice cream maker in the world to use Fairtrade Certified ingredients. This includes their sugar, cocoa, vanilla, coffee and bananas.
Sugar - Ben & Jerry’s source Fairtrade sugar from a variety of small-scale farmers, including those in the Belize Sugar Farmers’ Association. In Belize, up to 85% of the population in some rural parts depend on the sugar industry, making Fairtrade Premium investment projects so important.
Cocoa - For their cocoa, they work with growers in Côte d’Ivoire, which produces about 40% of the world’s cocoa. Côte d’Ivoire is unfortunately renowned for child labour and unfair labour in the chocolate industry. However, with the $1.5 million in Fairtrade Premiums, these cocoa growers have installed solar panels, built a new medical clinic, and invested in rural schools and scholarships for children.
Vanilla - Though most of the world’s vanilla is grown in Madagascar, many farmers there are struggling to make a living. After being given $22,000 in Fairtrade Premiums, co-ops working with Ben&Jerry’s have been able to rehabilitate a health centre, repair a school and build an office.
Coffee - Since 2010, Ben & Jerry’s has sourced over 300,000 pounds of coffee from Mexico. Coffee Fairtrade Premium funds have benefitted more than 1,400 farmers and their families through the construction of a medical centre, libraries, schools and the production of 400 tons of compost!
Bananas - Similar to our friends at AllGood Bananas, Ben & Jerry’s sources their bananas from the El Guabo Cooperative in Ecuador's El Oro province. So far, they have helped the co-op's 154 farmers complete various crucial projects, like providing scholarships to local children, helping children in need with language and physical therapy, and making healthcare more readily available to farmers, workers, and their families.
In 2017 alone Ben & Jerry’s paid $3.4 million in Fairtrade Premium to small-scale farmers around the world.
The ice cream brand is also doing their part of the planet. Ben & Jerry's sends waste back to regional anaerobic digesters to generate renewable energy through a methane digester. They also obtained approval from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the commercial use of hydrocarbon (HC) freezers in 2011, which are more energy-efficient and use a natural hydrocarbon refrigerant with a lower global warming potential.
In line with their commitment to addressing climate change, Ben & Jerry's had their climate targets approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) in 2018. These targets include achieving 100% renewable energy by 2025, reducing greenhouse gas intensity by 40% by 2025, and reducing it by 80% by 2050. These efforts align with keeping global warming below 1.5ºC.
Regarding packaging, Ben & Jerry's has used Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paperboard packaging for their pints since 2009. In addition, on World Rainforest Day in 2022, Ben & Jerry’s became the first food brand to partner with Canopy's Pack4Good Initiative, ensuring responsible sourcing of packaging materials.
Ben & Jerry’s passion for social justice and climate action is reflective of their foundation. To them, “nothing’s sweeter in the world than fairness” and we wholeheartedly agree.
Products
Ice cream
Certifications and Accreditation
Fairtrade Certified, B-Corp Certified
Website
