When you buy a pint of Ben & Jerry’s, you’re getting so much more than just a delicious ice cream dessert. The seemingly endless variations of creative toppings and flavors are also served up with a generous side of social and environmental activism.
The ice cream brand was first started by two friends from school — Ben and Jerry — out of a renovated gas station in Burlington in 1978. Ever since, the brand has been guided by a belief in “peace, love, and ice cream.”
While so many brands are often found to be fence-sitting for so many social and environmental issues, Ben & Jerry’s is consistently out there lending its voice, platform, and brand to deserving causes. Whether it’s dedicating new ice cream flavors to raise funds for a cause, leading protests, or just simply speaking out, Ben & Jerry’s always finds a creative way to drum up some attention where it’s most needed.
By the way, Ben & Jerry’s is a wholly-owned autonomous subsidiary of Unilever, the Anglo-Dutch Multinational, owner of brands such as Lipton, Knorr, Dove, Axe, Hellmann’s and Omo.
Here are just some of the most memorable moments of activism from the world-leading dessert brand.
1. Black Lives Matter activism
In 2020, when George Floyd’s murder by police prompted Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests, Ben & Jerry’s shared one of the strongest corporate statements, titled We Must Dismantle White Supremacy.
It wasn’t their first time speaking out in support of the BLM movement, as they’d released a similarly powerful statement four years prior.
They’re consistent in their anti-racist activism, sharing educational information on the issue of systemic racism, how slavery evolved to mass incarceration, and most recently, encouraging their community to put pressure on the government to create a Federal Reparations Commission.
2. LGBTQ+ activism
Ben & Jerry’s is no stranger to the fight for LGBTQ+ rights.
Throughout the years, they’ve changed the names of several pints in support of marriage equality. When their home state Vermont recognized same-sex marriages, they celebrated by changing the name of the flavor “Chubby Hubby” to “Hubby Hubby.”
They also supported marriage equality in the UK with “Apple-y Ever After,” Australia with “I Dough, I Dough,” and Ireland with “Engage-Mint Party.”
Ben & Jerry’s regularly publishes educational content surrounding LGBTQ+ pride and rights, encouraging customers to support the Equality Act, as well as the Human Rights Campaign’s initiatives for equality.
3. When Ben and Jerry got arrested
It’s not unusual for arrests to happen during protests. As co-founder Ben himself said, “The history of our country is that nothing happens until people start putting their bodies on the line and risk getting arrested.”
In 2016, both of the founders Ben and Jerry — along with hundreds of other activists — were put under arrest during the Democracy Awakening protests at the US Capitol.
They were protesting how funding for political campaigns and elections is unregulated, as well as the attacks on citizens’ right to vote that were happening throughout the country at the time.
4. The Save Our Swirled pint
In 2015, Ben & Jerry’s launched a new ice cream flavor called “Save Our Swirled” — a play on the words “save our world.”
This flavor, which was made up of raspberry ice cream, marshmallows, raspberry swirls, and dark and white chocolatey ice cream cones, was created to bring attention to the issue of climate change.
But how exactly does an ice cream do that, you ask?
Well, the components of the ice cream were no accident. As you ate the ice cream, you’d notice that the cones would melt, not unlike the Earth’s glaciers. As Ben & Jerry’s put it, “if it’s melted, it’s ruined.”
They also directed customers to sign a petition for 100% clean energy by 2050 and complete phase-out of carbon pollution in the wake of the Paris Climate Summit of December 2015.
5. The CyClone Dairy prank
In 2009, a website from a company called CyClone Dairy launched that claimed to be “the first dairy brand to offer great-tasting products made exclusively from cloned cows.”
It caused quite a stir, with many people taking issue with this new company for unethically cloning animals to manufacture ice cream.
Come April 1st — AKA April Fool’s Day — Ben & Jerry’s owned up to creating the site as a hoax to raise “awareness of the government’s recent approval of cloned milk and meat within the human food supply chain.”
Nowadays, April Fool’s pranks from brands are rife on the internet, but this was quite a bold move back in the noughties. It prompted many to start thinking about how the ingredients in their food are sourced, while subtly shining a light on their own ethical methods.
6. The non-renewable Fossil Fuels flavor
From 2005-2010, Ben & Jerry’s had a flavor called “Fossil Fuels.” It featured a sweet cream ice cream with fudge dinosaurs and a fudge swirl.
It’s now been discontinued and buried in their flavor graveyard. The decision to strike the flavor from their offering was intentional, as it helps to bring awareness to the finite nature of fossil fuels themselves.
On the “Fossil Fuel” headstone, they’ve left a poem to reinforce this climate-related message:
“Fudgy dinosaurs galore
Got all dug up til there were no more.
A flavor re-design might be do-able
But Fossil Fuel is non-renewable”
7. The World's Largest Baked Alaska fights Alaskan drilling
In 2005, Ben & Jerry’s used their “Fossil Fuels” flavor to draw attention to yet another climate cause.
That year, the US Congress was going to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska up for oil drilling, which sort of defeats the point of a Wildlife refuge.
So, in true Ben & Jerry’s style, they used their “Fossil Fuel” ice cream to make the world’s largest Baked Alaska dessert. They took it to the front of the US Capitol and served it up to activists who were protesting this move
8. Scoop ice cream, not the reef!
In 2014, Australia approved plans to expand the Abbot Point Coal Terminal, which would have led to 3 million cubic meters of dredge spoil being dumped in the Great Barrier Reef marine park.
Ben & Jerry’s launched the Fight For The Reef Scoop Tour, where they gave out free ice cream, educated Australians on the issue at hand, and encouraged them to take action.
Are you convinced? Or just hungry? Are Ben & Jerry’s the ice cream heroes we need or deserve? Please post your replies as I can barely hear you over this mammoth scoop of Chunky Monkey…
