Ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s joins Canopy’s Pack4Good initiative, to ensure its paper packaging does not come at the expense of the world’s vital forests. Instead, the company would focus on reducing waste and using next-generation packaging solutions.
The world’s forests are still being logged at an alarming rate, and the necessary shift from single-use plastic puts more trees in danger. Canopy’s initiative aims to encourage more food companies to replace high-carbon, single-use fibre with more circular feedstocks like agricultural residues or recycled paper for packaging.
As part of the agreement, the ice-cream company will reduce packaging material use by design, maximise recycled and alternative fibres (such as agricultural residues), use FCS-certified wood and continue to be free of forest fibre.
“Our environmental standards and commitments are very important to us as a company, and to the legacy Ben & Jerry’s wants to have in the world,” said Jenna Evans, head of global sustainability for Ben & Jerry’s. “Protecting forests and doing everything we can to stabilise the climate is an integral part of our work, and we look forward to collaborating with Canopy.”
Ben & Jerry’s is the first major food brand in Pack4Good’s initiative, which currently has 341 brands on its roster. Canopy also created the Ecopaper Database, the world’s largest database for recycled and next-gen paper.
