Section 8:

Emissions & Wastes

ELECTRICITY AND FUEL USE
All electricity used in Ben & Jerry’s production facilities is purchased (vs. co-generated and self-generated). Our Water-bury plant uses fuel oil, Springfield uses fuel oil and liquid propane, and St. Albans uses natural gas. At the bottom of this page is a table measuring and comparing our electricity and fuel use in our manufacturing processes for all three plants.

Air Pollutants
Ben & Jerry’s realizes the detrimental environmental effects of the ozone-depleting chemicals that are associated with our manufacturing processes. The company is continuously looking into ways to reduce and eliminate its use.

During 1999 we began to research new and emerging alternative refrigeration technologies. The company uses anhydrous ammonia and propylene glycol freezing systems in the manufacturing plants and the Distribution Center. These systems contain no CFCs or other ozone-depleting chemicals. The plants are also phasing in the use of propylene glycol in air conditioning systems. This process is complete at the St. Albans plant.

The freezer “dip-cases” used in scoop shops do contain CFCs. Some older models still contain R-12, which is being phased out. These models are being replaced with R-22 units. Some of the freezers that Vermont’s Finest in convenience stores still contain R-12, but they are being replaced with 134-A units that contain an HCFC with lesser ozone-depleting qualities.

Except for a few of our Vermont’s Finest trucks which have diesel cooling systems using freon R-502, most contain the newer cold plate technology which is charged electrically, cutting down on diesel emissions. The cold plates also contain the newer freon, R-404A, which has lesser ozone-depleting qualities.

Ben & Jerry’s produces no significant amounts of TRI-type pollutants, or other criteria air pollutants in our manufacturing processes. Greenhouse gas sources are associated with the fuels we use to either operate the facilities or on the trucks that move our product. We have not measured these total emissions. The St. Albans and Waterbury plants do not have the pollution potential to require air permits. Our Springfield plant is required by the Clean Air Act to have a permit because it is a retrofitted facility capable of producing more than 10 tons of air pollutants. Since our operations will never produce that many pollutants, we have an opt-out permit for Springfield, stating that the site will not emit pollutants to its design potential.