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1. A Letter from our CEO It’s clear to me that in the hyper-paced world we live in we don’t allow ourselves enough time for reflection. That’s why I believe it’s so important that, for 18 years now, Ben & Jerry’s has written an annual report on our social and environmental performance. This process creates time and space to look back at the path we’ve traveled each year and determine how to stay on course as a values-led business. 
This year’s report leads me to several observations. First of all, I’m proud of what we accomplished in 2006, including:
In addition, American consumers rated Ben & Jerry’s the most socially responsible company in the United States in 2006, according to Golin Harris’ fourth national survey of corporate citizenship. While all of this is great news, I am also conscious of the fact that two of our highest-profile initiatives in the social and environmental arena last year came in response to external forces. Specifically, Unilever supply chain challenges forced us to rethink our pint packaging material, and consumer pressure expedited our decision to source our eggs from Certified Humane cage-free suppliers. It’s a testament to the folks who work at Ben & Jerry’s and the spirit of our brand that, in each case, we found solutions that responded to our immediate needs and also returned social and environmental benefits. But as much as possible, we want to be a company that is led by our values, not by circumstances. And our Social Mission calls us to “initiate innovative ways to improve the quality of life” where we do business, not merely to maintain and expand the successful projects of the past. We are called to do more with our business to make the world a better place. In this spirit, all of us at Ben & Jerry’s are committed to making 2007 a year focused more than ever on values-led innovation. At the top of our list of goals is the completion of our pint packaging conversion that will source Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paperboard from sustainably managed forests and put us on the threshold of a package that comes from totally renewable resources. Employees will also play a vital role in 2007 by participating in Social Mission work groups, which are designed to bring innovative thinking to all aspects of our business. This process will help bring us even closer to being the transformative business we aspire to be. We had our challenges in 2006, as you will read in this report. Despite our commitment to lead with our progressive values, we do inevitably make mistakes and we do sometimes fall short of our goals. But it’s the character of our company that we will work with passion and resolve to acknowledge our shortcomings, fix them, and learn from them. I am proud of the contributions we’ve made in 2006 and the efforts of people throughout Ben & Jerry’s who live out our three-part Mission Statement each and every day. For me, participating in this conversation within Unilever reinforces the fact that Ben & Jerry’s Social Mission is not a destination, but a journey. We’ll never be able to say we’ve arrived as a perfect company. Rather, we must keep examining our own practices, assessing our impacts, and pursuing honest dialogue to find new ways to make Ben & Jerry’s a better company — and the world a better place. Thanks for taking the time to read our report. Peace, Love & Ice Cream Walt Freese |
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