For decades, Ben & Jerry’s has been more than just an ice cream company. It has been a bold voice for social, economic, and environmental justice, values that align deeply with VPIRG’s mission and the work we do together here in Vermont.
Right now, that legacy is facing a serious challenge.1
You may have seen recent updates from Ben & Jerry’s founders and allies outlining growing concerns about the company’s direction under its new corporate parent, the Magnum Ice Cream Company in the Netherlands. These concerns focus on whether the brand’s independent social mission, including its ability to speak out on critical issues, is being constrained at a moment when that voice matters most.2
This is not just an internal business dispute. It is about whether one of the most iconic values-driven companies in the world can continue to live up to the principles it was built on.
VPIRG has a long history of collaboration with Ben & Jerry’s. Together, we have worked to protect Vermont’s environment, strengthen our democracy, and advance justice. Their leadership has never been about staying quiet. It has been about stepping up. That is exactly why this moment matters.
Now, there is a growing movement to support the independence of Ben & Jerry’s social mission, and we are asking you to be part of it.3
Take action: Please sign the “Free the Cone” petition to help ensure Ben & Jerry’s can continue speaking out and standing up for the values we all share: freebenandjerrys.com/sign-the-letter/
To be clear, neither Ben nor VPIRG is calling for a boycott of Ben & Jerry’s. We want the company and its employees to thrive AND Ben & Jerry’s to continue its vital social mission.
This issue isn’t just about Ben & Jerry’s social mission. The brand is a major component of Vermont’s economy, with facilities in Waterbury, St. Albans and South Burlington that directly employ hundreds of Vermonters. Many more supply the company with milk and other ingredients. If Ben & Jerry’s loses what makes it special, many of those jobs will be put at risk, which is all the more reason to act today.
At VPIRG, we believe that businesses can and should be a force for good. Ben & Jerry’s helped prove that. Let’s make sure that spirit does not melt away.
Thanks for taking action, and for everything you do to make Vermont a better place.
1. sevendaysvt.com/news/business-news/the-rocky-road-that-led-to-the-free-ben-jerrys-campaign/
2. substack.com/@benjerry1
3. freebenandjerrys.com/