“When ice cream is 2 degrees warmer than it should be , for ben and jerry’s it’s a mess but for the planet its a metaphor because a 2 degrees warming of our planet’s climate would be equally dramatic but much more significant impact.”
Ben and Jerry’s has been fighting for climate change and finding ways to reduce the environmental impact of our business. In 2002, they launched a carbon offset program for Vermont manufacturing facilities and in 2007, they ran their first global warming advocacy campaign. Ben and Jerry invested in efficiencies through manufacturing facilities, supply chain, and Scoop Shops to increase energy efficiency and reduce carbon footprint.
Most of the business have greenhouse emissions associated with their operations and Ben & Jerry, being one of them. Ben & Jerry, “depend on agriculture for their ingredients, especially diary, as well as manufacturing to make products, trucks to transport finished products and freezers to keep the ice cream cold” (Ben&Jerry, 2017). As a environment conscious company, they are aware of the carbon footprint they are producing and are taking steps reduce carbon footprint and follow their plan to get to 100% clean energy at all of U.S. sites by 2020.
When the Paris Climate summit emerged in 2015, Ben and Jerry met the issue of climate change with a global campaign to activate fans and citizens around the world. They came up with a new flavour called “Save Our Swirled” , with a bed of raspberry ice cream, swirled with rivers of marshmallow and raspberry, and white & dark fudge cone-shaped chunks. The new flavour was kicked off on the company’s Free Cone Day in April to inspire citizens for climate change. The flavour comes with a message : “when you dig out a spoonful , you can’t help but notice that those cones appear to be melting”.
Therefore, Ben & Jerry’s approach for climate change helped them gain a positive PR and advertised themselves as a sustainable conscious company. In my opinion, most of the companies should focus on how their products are affecting the environment and what steps should be taken in order to resolve environment /social issues. Ben & Jerry set an example of other companies and changed consumers perspectives and reactions about how the company tackles social issues.
A melted ice cream, even after putting it back in the freezer, is never quite the same. A melted world would be even worse — and as Ben & Jerry recognizes, it is not necessarily those who have left the ice cream out who will pay the price but everyone will.
To read more,
http://www.benjerry.com/values/issues-we-care-about/climate-justice
http://adage.com/article/special-report-ecomarketing/ben-jerry-s-a-green-pioneer/117135/
Shang Yu (Angela) Liu
November 5, 2017 — 4:43 pm
Hi Pavani,
Thanks for sharing Ben and Jerry’s new initiatives, it is truly amazing to see well-known brands recognizing and acknowledging the impact that its operations have on the environment. As you mentioned in the post, Ben and Jerry’s rely heavily on agriculture for their ingredients such as dairy. With animal agriculture being the world’s second largest greenhouse gases contributor, I wonder if their recent launch of a new line of non-dairy ice-cream flavours is their way to increase their dependence on animal agriculture?
kimdomil
November 6, 2017 — 5:26 pm
Hey Pavani,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Ben & Jerry’s. From class we know that they are a progressive company, but it’s good to know what they’re actually up to. I agree with your final metaphor when you say that putting melted ice cream back in the freezer is not quite the same, and it’s the same for our warming globe. When you think about it, climate change is a large opportunity for Ben & Jerry’s business since the globe’s temperature is increasing and demand for a cold treat like ice cream rises with it. However, Ben & Jerry’s are not intending to capitalize off of it, but rather trying to rectify the problems. I believe their intentions to be honest because of their transparency and leadership in sustainability. I also like how they have multiple pages on their website vouching for saving the planet and sharing ways that we can help. It’s nice to know that large corporations have a plan to combat this global issue, and appreciate Ben & Jerry’s much for this reason.
Thanks again for sharing!
Kim
Dina Kasiri
November 9, 2017 — 11:37 pm
Hi Pavani,
I really enjoyed reading your blog, but more importantly I found the video extremely powerful. I think seeing what happens to ice cream with just a 2 degree change really helps put things into perspective. When I hear 2 degrees, that simply doesn’t sound like a lot, in fact I barely notice a 2 degree change in weather temperature for instance. It’s great to see companies such as Ben and Jerries doing their part by taking action and using their voice to raise awareness about global warming issues. I sure hope that more companies become inspired and do the same. Your post made me curious to look at their website, and one of the first things I noticed was that they had their business, economic, and most importantly social goals very clearly outlined on there which is absolutely fantastic to see.