Ben & Jerry’s Plans to go 100% Fair Trade

By | February 24th, 2010 7 Comments

Fair labor conditions never tasted so good.

Ben & Jerry’s announced last week that they will be 100% fair trade by 2013.  That means that all of their “global flavor portfolio” will be composed of Fair Trade Certified™ ingredients, such as cocoa, vanilla, fruits, nuts, etc.

The successful ice cream company was the first to introduce fair trade ingredients to the market back in 2005, but co-founder Jerry Greenfield decided that only some wasn’t enough.

“Fair Trade is about making sure people get their fair share of the pie,” said company co-founder Jerry Greenfield. Always with the dessert metaphors, Jerry?

Paul Rice, President and CEO of TransFair USA, says, “Ben & Jerry’s has been a model for socially responsible business for 32 years, proving that being responsible and sustainable are good for business. By converting their ingredients to Fair Trade, Ben & Jerry’s will help galvanize its suppliers to join the Fair Trade movement.”

This is another heartening sign that ethically made products can prevail. Even after its acquisition by the Unilever Corporation in 2000, the once tiny, independent company is staying true to its activist routes.

“Nobody wants to buy something that was made by exploiting somebody else,” explains Jerry. Ah, if only everyone kept that in mind every time we went to the store. But now at least I can feel good about that pint of Phish Phood that I downed the other night straight out of the carton. Right? These love handles are 100% Fair Trade Certified™, baby!

Check out the Ben & Jerry’s Fair Trade map for more info.


▼▼▼      7 Comments     ▼▼▼

Categorized: Agriculture & Food, Eco Products|


  • adriennef04

    Great initiative.

  • shelhorowitz

    I've been continually impressed that B&J's maintains and even expands its numerous social and environmental commitments since the takeover. Many other brands have not been so fortunate. In fact, I used B&J's as one of the case study in a speech I gave in Davos, Switzerland recently: “Communicate the Value in Your Values.”
    -Shel Horowitz, primary author (with Jay Conrad Levinson) of Guerrilla Marketing Goes Green: Winning Strategies to Improve Your Profits and Your Planet, http://www.guerrillamarketinggoesgreen.com

  • James

    Now only if they would take high fructose corn syrup out of Cherry Garcia!

  • http://www.transferpod.com/features.php ipod transfer to computer

    I love ice cream.. Hmmm.. The successful ice cream company was the first to introduce fair trade ingredients to the market back in 2005, but co-founder Jerry Greenfield decided that only some wasn’t enough.

  • http://www.transferpod.com/features.php ipod transfer to computer

    I love ice cream.. Hmmm.. The successful ice cream company was the first to introduce fair trade ingredients to the market back in 2005, but co-founder Jerry Greenfield decided that only some wasn’t enough.

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  • Drew Warner

    Great Post – we’ve been long time supporters of Ben & Jerry’s and Fair Trade so this is an amazing announcement, so much so that we also blogged about it!
    http://www.fairtrademarketplace.com/blog.php?post=39

  • Christina Stimson

    Proof is in the ice cream bucket, Fair Trade can be a win-win for businesses and consumers alike, Fantastic! Thank you Ben and Jerry!

    https://fairworldpartners.com

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