Ben & Jerry’s, a renowned ice cream brand, has embarked on an innovative journey to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of its dairy supply chain. Supported by Unilever’s Climate & Nature Fund, which boasts a commitment of €1 billion to combat climate change and nurture nature, Ben & Jerry’s has launched a pilot initiative aimed at slashing the greenhouse gas emissions from its dairy suppliers. Dairy ingredients, which constitute over half of the brand’s total emissions, are the focal point of this endeavor.

The initiative plans to employ a blend of cutting-edge technology and regenerative farming techniques to achieve its goal. By the conclusion of 2024, it aims to reduce the emissions from 15 dairy farm suppliers to 50% below the industry norm. This ambitious target underscores the company’s dedication to environmental sustainability and its strategy to leverage regenerative agriculture. This approach not only aims to reduce emissions but also to bolster soil health, water conservation, and biodiversity.

At the heart of Ben & Jerry’s project are three pivotal strategies:

Innovative Feed Additives for Cows: Recognizing that a significant portion of emissions comes from cow belches, the pilot includes the introduction of feed additives like seaweed. These additives are designed to reduce methane emissions by up to 82% by limiting the activity of methane-producing microorganisms in the cow’s stomach.

Advanced Manure Management: Manure significantly affects the environment by generating algal blooms, which deplete oxygen in rivers, streams, and lakes, leading to dead zones, and by emitting methane during its decomposition process. Given the substantial greenhouse gas emissions from manure, the initiative utilizes manure digesters. These systems decompose cow manure through a bacterial process, transforming it into renewable energy and fertilizer, while mitigating methane emissions.

Promotion of Regenerative Agriculture: To combat soil degradation and promote carbon sequestration, the project encourages the cultivation of grass and other crops using regenerative farming practices. This not only enriches soil health and biodiversity but also enhances carbon capture and storage.

The trial program will assist Ben & Jerry’s in identifying effective strategies from a technological viewpoint and understanding their influence on various farm aspects, such as operational costs or milk yield.

Jenna Evans, the Global Sustainability Manager at Ben & Jerry’s, mentioned, “This method of dairy farming could significantly change the industry,” She believes it can considerably lower emissions on dairy farms and combat the severe effects of climate change. “Everyone, particularly corporations, needs to act now to prevent a future where the climate emergency renders our planet uninhabitable.”

The program will involve 15 farms, distributed among members of the Dairy Farmers of America cooperative in the US and CONO Kaasmakers in the Netherlands. Once the project’s methods and technologies are validated, there is a plan to expand these successful practices across the dairy supply chain of the brand, and possibly, across Unilever’s dairy operations. Additionally, the practices will be shared publicly to benefit the entire dairy sector.

“Corporations frequently resort to purchasing carbon offsets from external sources to proclaim their ‘carbon neutrality,'” observed Taylor Ricketts from the Gund Institute for Environment at the University of Vermont. “However, Ben & Jerry’s is adopting a genuinely impactful and straightforward strategy by addressing the root causes of climate change within its own supply chain to achieve concrete, scientifically grounded goals.”

This initiative, coupled with Ben & Jerry’s dedication to the rights of dairy farm workers, is anticipated to enable the company to fulfill the growing consumer demand for ice cream that is both environmentally sustainable and socially equitable.