Interview: Ben & Jerry's co-founder Jerry Greenfield

Jerry Greenfield discusses benefit corporations, corporate responsibility, and Ben & Jerry's progressive activism under Unilever ownership.

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Key Takeaways

Benefit corporations enable businesses to balance profit with social good.
Ben & Jerry's maintains progressive activism despite being owned by a large corporation.
Unilever supports sustainability and allows Ben & Jerry's public advocacy on social issues.
The traditional view of business as only profit-driven is too narrow.
Corporate power can be challenged from within large multinational companies.

What the video covers

Jerry Greenfield supports benefit corporations as a way for businesses to prioritize community interests beyond shareholder profits.
He looks forward to benefit corporations being legal in all 50 US states.
Greenfield critiques the narrow definition of business value as solely financial returns.
He acknowledges the challenge of being anti-corporate while owned by a multinational like Unilever.
Unilever has allowed Ben & Jerry's to publicly support progressive causes like Occupy Wall Street and marriage equality.
Unilever has an aggressive sustainability plan to double sales without increasing environmental footprint.
Ben & Jerry's uses its platform to advocate for social issues such as reducing nuclear weapons expenditures.
Greenfield expresses surprise and appreciation for the freedom Ben & Jerry's has under Unilever ownership.
He highlights the growing social and economic inequality protested by movements like Occupy Wall Street.
The interview emphasizes the evolving role of business in addressing social and environmental challenges.

Chapters

What is Jerry Greenfield's view on benefit corporations?

Jerry Greenfield strongly supports benefit corporations because they allow businesses to prioritize community benefits alongside financial returns, offering a broader definition of value.

How does Ben & Jerry's operate under Unilever ownership?

Despite being owned by Unilever, a large multinational, Ben & Jerry's retains the freedom to publicly support progressive causes such as Occupy Wall Street, marriage equality, and sustainability initiatives.

What social issues does Ben & Jerry's publicly support?

Ben & Jerry's has publicly supported social and economic equality protests like Occupy Wall Street, marriage equality, and reducing expenditures on nuclear weapons, reflecting its progressive activism.