The straw that broke the cow’s back: Ben & Jerry’s to eliminate single-use plastic in Scoop Shops worldwide

29 Jan 2019 --- Ben & Jerry's is to eliminate plastic straws and spoons from its more than 600 Scoop Shops worldwide in early 2019. As part of the company’s commitment to eradicating single-use plastic, it also “plans to address” plastic cups and lids used to serve ice cream by the end of 2020.

Leading the transition, Jenna Evans, Ben & Jerry's Global Sustainability Manager, notes that 2.5 million plastic straws and 30 million plastic spoons per year are handed out at Scoop Shops across the globe. If all the plastic spoons used by Ben & Jerry's in the US were placed end to end, they would stretch from Burlington, Vermont to Jacksonville, Florida.

"We're not going to recycle our way out of this problem," she says. "We and the rest of the world need to get out of single-use plastic."

“Single-use plastics are a pollution threat unlike anything we've seen before," says Paul Burns, Executive Director of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group. “Across the globe, discarded plastics are choking our environment and threatening wildlife. The only solution is to stop using them. That's why Ben & Jerry's plan to move away from single-use plastics is exactly the kind of leadership we need. We urge other businesses to follow Ben & Jerry's example and kick the plastics habit.”

Ben & Jerry's action on single-use plastics to date:

• August 2018: Scoop Shops made plastic straws available by request only. Many Scoop Shops had already transitioned to plastic alternatives by this time.
• By April 9, 2019 (Free Cone Day): Scoop Shops will complete the transition to wooden spoons. Paper straws will be available by request only.
• By the end of 2020: Ben & Jerry's will find an alternative to clear plastic cups, plastic-lined 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. However, because they are coated with polyethylene to create a moisture barrier, they are difficult to recycle. Evans says Ben & Jerry's is looking at options to address this. 

“Over the past year, we have begun an intensive effort to find a biodegradable and compostable coating that meets our product quality requirements,” she says.

“In the short term, eliminating plastic straws and spoons is not going to save the world," Evans says. "But it's a good start toward changing expectations. We're committed to exploring additional options to further reduce the use of disposable items. This transition is the first step for us on a more comprehensive journey to eliminate single-use, petroleum-based plastic in our supply chain, and we look forward to reporting on our progress.”

"Thankfully, Ben & Jerry's has a baked-in solution to plastic waste: it's called our Waffle Cone," she concludes. "They're yummy, convenient and waste-free."