A fair price for Ben & Jerry’s

October 25, 2010 at 11:44 am lucumadesigns Leave a comment

I was reading through my emails this morning and caught this link from the Fair Trade Federation site. Turns out that this novelty ice cream maker has its sights on using all fair trade ingredients by 2011 in Europe and 2013 in the US. Not shabby! Ben & Jerry’s has always had a social mission in mind, so although the announcement surprised some, it fits their bill, so to speak. In the article, the founders relate that organic is not always sustainable (socially, we presume) and that donations only “go so far”, and so, they’ve decided to focus on another area where it counts…. farmers and workers.

“Buying cheap materials abroad to sell products at home for a high profit margin is unethical and unfair. What may just be a few pennies to us makes huge differences abroad. We want people to understand that you can make a decent profit and still pay decent prices to your suppliers at the same time. So you make a little less profit, but you are not making obscene profits on the backs of the world’s poorest people: that is the essence of fair trade. – Ben Cohen, Founder of Ben & Jerry’s” (cited from the article).

See an interview here.

With over 350 ingredients, this transition won’t be easy. But next time you’re in the grocery in that oh-so-dangerous frozen novelty section, reach for B&J brand and send them the message that you too support sustainability!