10. Global >
10.3 Global Values-Led Sourcing
Global Values-Led Sourcing
As in the U.S., our Global Values-Led Sourcing efforts seek to source raw materials and ingredients in a way that uses the brand’s buying power to drive positive social and environmental change. (Check out our U.S. Values-Led Sourcing initiatives). Going the extra mile for Values-Led Sourcing is not always an option. At times, we’re unable to find the quality we need, supplies aren’t up to our specifications, or costs exceed what we can sustainably afford. But we have found some good opportunities to make our European supply chain into a force for change.
Fairtrade Certified
In July 2006, we introduced Europe’s first ice cream made with Fairtrade Certified ingredients: Ben & Jerry’s Fairtrade Vanilla. All of the vanilla extract — and sugar — used in this ice cream is produced by cooperatives of farmers who are guaranteed to earn a fair price for their crops; have access to reasonable credit; use environmentally sound 
methods of cultivation; and meet several other standards of the Fairtrade Labelling Organizations Internatioinal (FLO). We’re proud to be a part of the growing Fairtrade movement around the world that is helping small farmers in the developing world to earn a decent living, stay on their land, and send their children to school.
Learn more about the farmers in India and Paraguay who grow the vanilla and sugar we use in our Fairtrade Vanilla ice cream.
We are committed to the ideals of Fairtrade, and hope to introduce more Fairtrade flavors in 2007 and beyond.
Free-Range Eggs
People familiar with our brand know we believe that food production works best for people, animals and the environment when it occurs on family farms at a reasonable scale. As a result, we’ve tried wherever possible to source ingredients that reflect our commitment to animal welfare and the environment.
In Europe, Ben & Jerry’s sources only free-range eggs (‘vrije uitloop’) for use in our ice cream, believing it’s best for the chickens and the farmers involved. We pay a significant premium for these eggs above the cost of barn eggs or battery cage eggs.
Caring Dairy
Although legal in the United States, the use of recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) to treat dairy cows is prohibited in Europe. That gives us one less thing to worry about when selecting ingredients for our ice cream produced abroad. So, in Europe, we’ve dedicated energy and resources to supporting and promoting the most progressive practices we could find in the field of sustainable dairy practices. Read more about our Caring Dairy initiative.