Ben & Jerry’s is moving away from single use plastic. As a first step, the company will no longer offer plastic straws and spoons in any of its more than 600 Scoop Shops worldwide in early 2019. The company also announced a plan to address plastic cups and lids used to serve ice cream by the end of 2020.
In 2018 Scoop Shops made plastic straws available by request only. This year Scoop Shops will complete the transition to wooden spoons. By the end of 2020 Ben & Jerry’s will find an alternative to plastic cups, and plastic lids.
The company has a history of striving for more sustainable packaging solutions. Pints and “tubs” (as Ben & Jerry’s container is known in the UK and Europe) have been made with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certified paperboard since 2009. But because they are coated with polyethylene to create a moisture barrier, they are difficult to recycle. Evans said Ben & Jerry’s is looking at options. “Over the past year, we have begun an intensive effort to find a biodegradable and compostable coating that meets our product quality requirements,” she said.
Published in the March 2019 Edition