Green for Profit or Green for the Environment > Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) As a New Englander my entire life, the first company that comes to mind is Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream. The two principles Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield wanted to start a business and considered bagels but because of the high start-up costs, they decided on ice cream. In a converted gas station in Burlington, Vermont and an ice cream making correspondence course through Penn State, their dream was realized. The company always had the environment in mind with their support of local farming and their continued support of Farm Aid In reviewing their website, I came across their Mission Statement which reads “To make, distribute, and sell the finest quality all natural ice cream and euphoric concoctions with a continued commitment to incorporating wholesome, natural ingredients and promoting business practices that respect the earth and the environment”. Ben and Jerry’s have a number of business activities that solidifies their Mission Statement that I’ll outline below. USE OF FAIR TRADE INGREDIENTS, meaning that any ingredients purchased in support of their products are from companies that regulate factory and workplace conditions. And in all cases, those foreign companies ensure that the employees are safe and have good working conditions, have reasonable working hours and paid fairly for those hours worked. Another area they are engaged in is COMMINITY BASED PROJECTS. It is here where they involve the local communities in their supply chain strategy and are active in safeguarding watersheds and water quality related to farming run off. Of course, CORPORATE PHILANTROPY is employee led where they donate a portion of their pre-tax profits to socially responsible organizations as well as grants. Some of those grants support social injustice, environment justice and sustainable food systems. In regards to Ben and Jerry’s ethical and social past, I couldn’t find any incidents of any legal issues where they weren’t good corporate stewards. There were articles which highlighted Ben and Jerry’s being acquired by a very large multi-national company Unilever that was often described as a “forced marriage”. With the new ownership, Unilever hasn’t eliminated any of the programs listed above though they have decreased some of the dollar values involved. As for whether they are green for profit or green for the environment, I firmly believe that they fall into both sides of that equation. I feel that Ben and Jerry’s involvement with their community initiatives on sustainability creates a local customer segment that supports their profits and of course is beneficial to the local public and environment at large. REFERENCES: March 17, 2015 What is Corporate Social Responsibility? Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiIv5u59qPs September 12, 2013 Marketing Strategy_ Ethical Behavior In Marketing- What Are Marketing Ethics Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX5Wz9fElJk Ben & Jerry’s Corporate Social Responsibility Retrieved from: https://bjsocialresponsibility.weebly.com/ Olsen, Kevin One Smooth Stone Corporate Social Responsibility Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/gvlk/one-smooth-stone-corporate-social-responsibility-2907719