Fair Trade, Free Cone Day at Ben and Jerry's

Apr 11, 2013 10:00 AM ET
Campaign: CSR Blogs

JULIE FAHNESTOCK

Today is going to be a good day. I promise. Because today is BEN AND JERRY's annual, FREE CONE DAY! And it's gets better. Today, your free cone is comprised of 100% fairly traded ingredients.

By the end of  2013, Ben and Jerry's will source 100% fair trade ingredients.

This is the big, hairy and audacious goal that Ben and Jerry's made in 2010. And they have almost reached it. Fifty-eight flavors and hundreds of ingredients. Yet they are determined to certify every flavor, every small ingredient. For a company who is now owned by the billion-dollar conglomerate, the small economy that is Unilever, this decision equates to huge, global impact. And lots of fairly trade, Cherry Garcia bliss.*

According to Vice President of Public Relations, Sean Greenwood, it's the biggest sourcing transition Ben and Jerry's has ever made. "We've committed to change our sourcing to 100% fair trade by the end of the year and when you count the hundreds of ingredients that we have that make up composite products that makes it a huge challenge."

Click here to continue reading and comment 

Julie lives in Cambridge, MA and is currently pursuing her MBA in Managing for Sustainability at Marlboro Graduate School in Vermont. She has a background in international development and grassroots organizing and is passionate about equitable wages, labor rights and the global income disparity. Julie is also a new blogger for Just Means and Socialearth. If you can't find Julie in Cambridge, she's probably on the beaches somewhere in South Florida.