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5. VALUES-LED SOURCING
The information on this page has been examined by an independent auditor. Statements marked with an asterisk were not supported with sufficient evidence for the independent auditor to be able to form an opinion.
In order to make ice cream that’s a force for positive change, Ben & Jerry’s continues to search for ingredient suppliers who are aligned with our Company’s mission and core values. These are suppliers who, through their business practices or through their products, are expanding economic opportunities for the disadvantaged, leading the way to more sustainable environmental or agricultural practices, or serving the cause of peace and justice. We call this project “Values-Led Sourcing” (VLS). Ben & Jerry’s took several steps forward in our Values-Led Sourcing program in 2009:
We also made several commitments to grow existing VLS programs over the next several years, including a plan to move to Fair Trade sourcing for all eligible ingredients across our global portfolio by 2013; and a plan to expand our Caring Dairy program in Vermont. By the numbers, 40 percent of the raw material spend (i.e., ingredients, dairy, packaging) for our North American production went to Values-Led Sourcing initiatives, up from 38 percent in 2008. In Europe, 53 percent of our total ingredient spend went to VLS initiatives, up from 42 percent in 2008.* The large jump in Europe came about because we completed the full scale-up of our Caring Dairy program in 2009. We anticipate that our VLS spend percentage will continue to rise in the next several years as we embark on an ambitious scale-up of several VLS initiatives. Some of the Values-Led Sourcing companies, organizations and ingredients that are a part of our supply chain include: Milk & Cream The St. Albans Cooperative has been our partner and primary supplier of cream and condensed milk ingredients in the United States for many years. The Co-op is a Vermont organization made up of some 500 family farmers. As we have since 1993, Ben & Jerry’s requires the farmers of the Co-op to pledge not to treat the cows that produce our milk and cream with rBGH, a synthetic growth hormone. All of our other U.S. suppliers of milk and cream have also confirmed to us that their farmers do not treat cows with rBGH. We buy milk and cream for our European production from Dutch family farmers. In 2009, all of our dairy ingredients came from farmers in the CONO Cooperative, our partner in Ben & Jerry’s Caring Dairy program. All of these dairy ingredients are supplied without the use of rBGH, since this hormone has not been approved for use on dairy cows in the European Union. Taking the lead on sustainable dairy is one of our Social Mission priorities. Read more about how we’re working to accomplish our goals here. Brownies The brownies in several of our flavors, including Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Half Baked®, Magic Brownies®, Neopolitan Dynamite® and Bohemian Raspberry® come from the Greyston Bakery in Yonkers, NY, our partner since 1988. The bakery is owned by the Greyston Foundation, a nonprofit organization with a mission to support low-income people and families on the path to self-sufficiency. Greyston’s programs reach over 2,000 people a year through child care, housing, health care, and other services! Buying brownies from Greyston Bakery is one way we’re addressing our Social Mission priorities. You can read more here. Fair Trade Ingredients The Fair Trade movement (called Fairtrade outside North America) is an effort to help small-scale farmers in developing countries compete and thrive in the global marketplace. We believe that the idea of Fair Trade aligns nicely with Ben & Jerry’s core value to promote social and economic justice. The Fair Trade/Fairtrade logo is an assurance that farmers who grow key ingredients used in our ice cream are paid a fair price for their harvest, are members of democratically organized cooperatives, and are pursuing sustainable farming practices. Ben & Jerry’s is committed to increasing the number and volume of ingredients that it sources on Fair Trade/Fairtrade terms in the coming years. By 2013, we plan to make every flavor of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream with Fair Trade/Fairtrade ingredients. Since only imported ingredients are available on Fair Trade terms, not every ingredient we use will be available on Fair Trade terms, but we’ll use all the Fair Trade ingredients we can as a part of this commitment. Here are some of the highlights of our current Fair Trade sourcing:
Eggs We are on the path to achieving our goal of using only Certified Humane Cage-Free eggs in the U.S. by 2010. We are already sourcing all of our eggs used in our European ice cream from third-party certified ‘free-range’ suppliers. These standards ensure that laying hens have wholesome, nutritious food, access to clean water, and adequate space to engage in normal behaviors, among other criteria crafted by veterinary professionals. Using cage-free and free-range egg suppliers is one of the ways we’re addressing our Social Mission priorities. You can get the details here. Sustainable Packaging In 2009, we made a transition to using Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certified paperboard for Ben & Jerry’s pint containers and lids. It’s a plan we’ve been hatching for several years. FSC certification means that the paper pulp comes from forests that are sustainably managed, including the protection of biodiversity, wildlife habitat, indigenous people’s rights, and workers’ rights. Sourcing FSC certified paperboard is one way we’re addressing our Social Mission priorities. Read more about it here. Peanuts Some of the nut products we use in our ice cream in the U.S. are supplied by the Superior Nut Company of Cambridge, Massachusetts. This company has a strong environmental commitment, and has been recognized with an Environmental Merit Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its tropical forest plantation in Central America. The plantation sequesters as much carbon dioxide every year as the company emits in its manufacturing operations.
Outside of our Values-Led Sourcing initiatives... All of the suppliers for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream are expected to follow practices consistent with the Code of Business Principles of our parent company, Unilever. This code includes: continuous improvement in managing environmental impacts, safe and healthy standards for workers, and a firm commitment to human rights, among other things. Unilever is also a signatory to the U.N. Secretary General’s Global Compact of 1999, which commits the company to support and respect human rights within our sphere of influence. |
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