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You’ve probably seen the headlines. Ben & Jerry’s is often in the news for things that have nothing to do with Cookie Dough or Phish Food. They take stands on heavy stuff—international conflicts, racial justice, and the climate crisis. But if you actually sit down and open the ben & jerry's global impact report 2023 pdf, which they officially call their Social & Environmental Assessment Report (SEAR), you find a story that is way more complicated than a simple "activist brand" narrative.
Honestly, the 2023 report is a bit of a reality check.
While most corporate reports are just glossy brochures designed to make shareholders feel warm and fuzzy, Ben & Jerry’s tends to air their dirty laundry. They’ve admitted that hitting their big climate goals is proving to be a massive uphill battle. It’s a weirdly refreshing bit of honesty in a world of greenwashing.
The Carbon Intensity Problem (It's Going Up)
Here is the kicker: Ben & Jerry's is 14% of the way to their 2025 science-based targets. That sounds okay until you realize we are basically at the deadline. Even more surprising? Their carbon intensity—the amount of greenhouse gas emitted per pint of ice cream—actually increased in 2023. It went from 1.17 kg CO2e per pint in 2022 to 1.20 kg CO2e in 2023.
Why?
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It turns out your favorite chunks might be part of the problem. A big chunk of their emissions comes from "Scope 3," which is basically everything in the supply chain they don't own directly. In 2023, sales for their non-dairy pints and cookie dough chunks—which have a much lower carbon footprint than dairy—took a dip. When people buy more dairy-heavy pints and fewer almond-milk versions, the "average" carbon footprint of a pint goes up.
Dairy is the elephant in the room. Or the cow.
About 53% of their total carbon footprint comes from dairy. Cow burps and manure are the primary culprits. They’ve been testing something called "Project Mootopia" to tackle this. It involves feeding cows additives to make them burp less methane and using fancy manure digesters. But 2023 showed that changing the biology of a farm is a lot slower than changing a marketing slogan.
Beyond the Pint: The 2023 Social Mission
The ben & jerry's global impact report 2023 pdf doesn't just talk about CO2. It’s also deep into "Linked Prosperity." This is the idea that if the company makes money, everyone from the vanilla farmer in Madagascar to the person putting the lid on the pint should also thrive.
They put a huge focus on the Fairtrade Living Income Accelerator. In 2023, they worked with cocoa cooperatives in Côte d'Ivoire. The goal is to pay a "Living Income Reference Price." Basically, it’s a price that actually allows a farmer to live a decent life, not just survive.
- 21% of farmer households in their project reached a living income in the first year.
- That number dropped to 18% in 2023 because of severe droughts and government-set prices.
- Despite the drop, farmers in the program earned about 15% more than the standard government-regulated price.
It’s a bit of a "two steps forward, one step back" situation. The report acknowledges that systemic poverty in the cocoa belt isn't something one ice cream company can fix overnight, even with a fancy PDF and a lot of heart.
Activism on the Ground
While the corporate office in Burlington, Vermont, handles the numbers, the brand’s global teams were busy with some pretty spicy campaigns in 2023. In Australia, they were calling for the disbanding of a police unit that they claimed was infringing on Indigenous rights. In France and Germany, they focused heavily on refugee rights and access to education.
They also spent a lot of time on Racial Equity & Inclusion. In 2023, they developed a new strategy to specifically onboard more BIPOC-owned businesses (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) into their supply chain for things like the "chunks and swirls" that make the ice cream famous.
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What Most People Miss About the PDF
People love to argue about whether Ben & Jerry’s should "stay in their lane," but the 2023 report shows that their "lane" is actually built on a foundation of B Corp certification and a very specific legal structure.
Since the Unilever buyout in 2000, they've had an independent Board of Directors. This board is legally responsible for protecting the social mission. The 2023 report is essentially their report card to that board. They currently hold a B Impact Score of 96.0. To put that in perspective, the average business scores around 50.9. They are doing well, but they aren't perfect.
The Plastic Packaging Headache
Packaging is another area where the 2023 data shows the struggle. Most of their pints are still plastic-lined. While they’ve moved toward FSC-certified (Forest Stewardship Council) fiber to ensure they aren't causing deforestation, they haven't yet found a "home compostable" solution that doesn't turn your ice cream into a soggy mess in the freezer. They are "laser-focused" on it, but the tech just isn't quite there yet for a global supply chain.
Actionable Insights for the Rest of Us
So, what can you actually do with all this info? If you’re a business owner or just a conscious consumer, there are a few takeaways that aren't just corporate fluff:
- Demand Data, Not Just Stories: The 2023 report shifted toward quantitative data. If a brand says they are "sustainable," ask for the specific kg of CO2 per unit.
- Look for Living Income, Not Just Fair Trade: Fair Trade is a great start, but "Living Income" is the actual goal. Look for brands that are transparent about the "Living Income Reference Price."
- Support Non-Dairy Options: If you care about the climate impact of your snacks, the 2023 report makes it clear: shifting to non-dairy is the single biggest thing a consumer can do to lower the footprint of their freezer.
- Acknowledge the Complexity: Being a "good" company is hard. Ben & Jerry’s has more resources than almost anyone, and they are still struggling with their targets. It’s okay to support brands that are trying, even if they aren't 100% there yet.
The ben & jerry's global impact report 2023 pdf is a reminder that even the biggest "activist" brands are still working within a global system that makes being "green" really difficult. It's a messy, honest look at what happens when values hit the reality of the global market.
If you want to dig into the raw data yourself, the full 2023 SEAR is available on their website—it's about 80 pages of charts, maps, and some very blunt admissions of where they've missed the mark.
To stay updated on their progress, you can track their Science Based Targets (SBTi) dashboard or look for their next annual update which usually drops in the second half of the year.