Known for their rich and flavorful ice cream, Ben & Jerry's is actually a very active participant in world problems, whether local or global. Since establishment, the company has had strong opinions and beliefs and acted on those said beliefs. Based in Burlington, Vermont, this ice cream has values that they felt strongly about and when shown success in the ice cream business they used that to help others.
Some ideas and actions that they fund and participate in are very important and impact the world we live in today. Besides contributing to their local community through their foundation, they have a lot of other wider spread contributions. They use their company to help better the world in fighting or promoting different issues and causes, such as,
1. Racial injustice.
They acknowledge and point out that in our country we have a serious problem of racial injustice. They strive to educate others on the injustices happening against people of a different race in the United States and aim to push others to be the change, while also teaming up with many different corporations that help the cause, such as Color of Change, North Carolina NAACP, Demos, and The Dream Corps.
2. Fair trade.
Instead of paying workers in other countries lower wages because they can, Ben & Jerry's has gone fair trade so their workers all around the world actually get paid what they deserve.
3. Peace building.
Their slogan says it all, "Peace, Love, and Ice Cream". They strive to make a healthy community filled with justice for all, while building bridges and showing similarities between different populations to show understanding and promote peace.
4. GMO labeling.
To them, the public deserves to know what they are eating, therefore making it necessary to label when ingredients are modified. This may seem trivial, but many do not believe that the public needs to know. Ben and Jerry's wants that transparency so the public can make conscious decisions on what they put in their body. They are also proud to say that their ice cream also contains all non-GMO ingredients.
5. LGBT equality.
They say that everyone deserves to love, no matter who it is they love. They have advocated for LGBTQ and marriage equality over the years. They even say "when love wins, we all win".
6. Anti rBGH.
They want the best ingredients and that includes giving the best to the animals that provide those ingredients. That's why they don't use rBGH, also known as recombination bovine growth hormone. This hormone is commonly given to cows to help them produce more milk and make more of a profit.
7. Climate justice.
"IF it's melted, it's ruined" is a common saying they have now, even on some of their tee shirts. They point out the problem of global warming and bring in a simple yet serious issue and tie it together with ice cream.
