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6. Environment > A New Pint for the US market In 2007 we completed the transition to a new pint container, replacing the unbleached Eco-Pint that we had used for several years. The market for unbleached packaging never grew much beyond Ben & Jerry’s, so we ran into increasing supply, quality, and cost challenges. Our new container is made out of a bleached paperboard that has superior forming characteristics. The transition will also allow us to eliminate approximately 1,000 tons of waste annually from our packaging supply chain. Also, the technology for bleaching paper has improved significantly in the last ten years, reducing the associated environmental impacts. In addition, our new supplier has an excellent track record of sustainable forestry practices. We feel the transition away from the Eco-Pint is a necessary step sideways so we can keep moving forward on our journey to reduce the environmental impacts of the packaging we use for our pints. We did not reach one of our goals for 2007, which was to achieve Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification for this new pint container in the United States. (FSC certification is a rigorous, third-party guarantee that wood and paper products are sourced from forests that are sustainably managed.) This project was delayed several times as some of our sister businesses within North American Ice Cream faced difficult financial situations in 2007, and funding for Ben & Jerry’s to pursue FSC certification was not approved at the NAIC level until late 2007. This project was delayed several times due to funding constraints in 2007, but we remain committed to this goal and the transition to FSC certified paperboard should be completed in 2008. |
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