Unilever will get up to $20.9M from US government to lower carbon footprint at ice cream factories

Unilever will receive up to $20.9 million from the U.S. Energy Department to fund a project to lower the carbon footprint of some of its ice cream facilities. The government will negotiate with the company to provide funding for plant upgrades in Vermont, Missouri and Tennessee.

The project, which will impact factories producing brands such as Ben & Jerry’s, Breyers and Magnum, will include replacing natural gas boilers with electric boilers and heat pumps. This plan would cut 14,000 metric tons of emissions per year, the company said. 

The changes will further the company’s mission to switch its locations to fully renewable energy. The project will be a part of the Energy Department’s Industrial Demonstrations Program, which aims to help decarbonize the food and beverage sector through projects that lower carbon emissions, according to the press release.

The ice cream factories project will help Unilever reach its goal of zero emissions from its operations by 2030 and net zero emissions across its entire supply chain by 2039.

The announcement comes a week after Unilever announced last week its plans to restructure its company by spinning off its ice cream segment. CEO Hein Schumacher said the division, which also includes Talenti and Klondike, will likely be listed as a separate entity.