Corporate Activism – Cup, Cone & Campaign
Calls for an end to fossil fuels from companies captured by activists are often hollow, hypocritical and opportunistic. By Tim James
“Is that ice-cream in a cup or cone? Which flavour would you like? How many scoops? And by the way it comes with a serve of politics and corporate activism.”
Buying ice cream isn’t what it used to be. Certainly that’s the case at the big American ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s.
It’s just one example of corporate activism going overboard these days. It’s hollow, hypocritical and opportunistic. But highly illustrative.
Ben & Jerry’s say they have “teamed up” with activist organisation 350.org to “unfudge our future”. Another activist organisation, the Climate Council, is also involved. Their joint mission, as seen online and on store fronts, is to “make fossil fuels history”. They have launched a campaign of activism, including calling for Australians to email the Prime Minister, Treasurer and Energy Minister, as well as a new ice cream flavour called “unfudge our future” which is a vegan, non-dairy ice-cream.
It’s a lot to digest if you’re just looking for a nice ice cream on a warm day.
So what are they actually campaigning for?
To end fossil fuels is to stop all use of and any exporting of coal, oil and gas.
Coal and gas make up 79% of Australia’s energy generation today. A great transition is underway as renewable energy sources grow their share. Australia is leading the world on a per capita basis in investment in renewables.
But can Australia today with all of our available resources, tools and technology switch to 100% renewable energy? Can we make fossil fuels history? It may be possible in the future, but armed with the available technology, the answer is a resounding no in each case.
There are economic obstacles too. Coal is Australia’s second largest export at $70bn in 2018-19 and gas our third largest export at $50bn.
We simply don’t have the resources, tools and technology to replace $120bn a year in exports.
It sounds like basic terms such as “transition” and “time” are not used, or understood, by this ice cream company and their activist partners.
Ben & Jerry’s is donating $20,000 to 350.org in Australia to support its “community organising work”.
So where will that go and who really are 350.org?
No mistaking its determination: “to disrupt, de-legitimise, de-sponsor, divest and defund the fossil fuel industry.”
Set up by environmentalist Bill McKibben in 2007, it is now a leading organiser of the Global Climate Strike. One of its directors is author Naomi Klein. As has been well reported, Klein makes it clear that climate activism means challenging capitalism. She has previously said that to “save the planet” we must “smash capitalism”. Do Ben & Jerry’s agree? Would their business thrive if indeed capitalism was smashed?
Moreover, do Ben & Jerry’s practise what they preach?
They say that “we understand that as a for-profit ice cream company, we’re part of the problem” and have “a commitment to 100% clean energy by 2025”.
As for progress, they cite “at our manufacturing sites we’ve invested in a solar array that generates about 20% of the electricity we use at our Waterbury, VT factory”.
So one factory generates 20% of its power from renewable energy. That’s it? Really? Where’s the other 80% coming from at that factory? What about all its other plants, vehicles and shop fronts? What is Ben & Jerry’s doing about cows (they are kind of important for ice-cream production aren’t they?) and their impact on climate change? How will Ben & Jerry’s get to 100% renewables in five years and meet its own commitment to “make fossil fuels history”?
It’s all no surprise given the history of Ben & Jerry’s corporate activism. It recently supported the Black Lives Matter movement as it has many other activist causes.
Likewise it’s no surprise that at the “flagship” Manly Ben & Jerry’s store there’s support from Warringah MP Zali Steggall.
I’ll have a scoop of truth and reality please with my ice cream and a little less politics and activism.