4. Values-Led Sourcing
Values-Led Sourcing
Values-Led Sourcing has been a hallmark of Ben & Jerry’s purchasing practices since our earliest days. We think business can work to make the world a better place, and we like to buy from suppliers who feel the same way. Some of the Values-Led Sourcing initiatives we’ve included in our purchasing decisions include suppliers with…
- Environmental commitments, such as carbon dioxide balancing from Superior Nut.
- Social vision, such as job training and community support from Greyston Bakery.
- Third party certifications, such as Fair Trade.
Values-Led Sourcing integrates our Social Mission goals into our business decisions. It supports our conviction that business can positively impact our communities and environment.
In 2005, 54.7% of our raw material spend (i.e., ingredients, dairy, packaging) went to initiatives that we see as aligned with our values, compared to 59% in 2004 and 48% in 2003. The fluctuating percentage over the last three years is accountable in large part to the volatile price of milk.
This data begs the question of whether a simple dollar percentage can effectively measure the success and impact of Values-Led Sourcing initiatives. We’ve had lively debate on that topic and continue to deliberate alternative metrics and targets that might address the needs of our business while still reflecting the commitment of our mission. At this point, we’ve not yet reached consensus.
In the big picture, though, we’d say that our Values-Led Sourcing program has held the course in recent years, no more, no less. While we’re proud that we were able to transition our coffee extract to Fair Trade Certified in 2004, we didn’t break new ground or add new values-led suppliers in 2005. Now that Ben & Jerry’s supply chain has been fully integrated into Unilever’s North American Ice Cream, we no longer make sourcing decisions autonomously, and that has added a layer of complexity to our Values-Led Sourcing efforts. At the same time, it has allowed us to broaden the dialogue about responsible sourcing within our parent company.
We had one change to our list of values-led suppliers in 2005. Our longtime banana supplier suspended the community-based services associated with his business that had originally caught our interest. While we continue to purchase bananas from his facility, we now list this business as a conventional supplier.
In addition to the Values-Led Sourcing initiatives we’ve developed for the ingredients in Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, we’ve dedicated lots of time and resources to our Eco-Pint and other packaging materials.
Click on each values-led supplier in the table below to visit their site.