Calls to Boycott Unilever Surge After Ben & Jerry's Sues Parent Company

Ben & Jerry's has sued its parent company, Unilever, accusing it of firing the ice cream company's chief executive because he was trying to advance Ben & Jerry's social activism.

The lawsuit has sparked conversations online, with some urging a boycott of Unilever and its brands.

Why It Matters

Ben & Jerry's is known for taking public stances on social issues.

The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan, accuses Unilever of undermining the brand's autonomy by restricting its ability to make decisions aligned with its "social mission." The Vermont-based company claims that this breaches the terms agreed upon when Unilever acquired it in 2000.

Ben & Jerry's Lawsuit: What To Know

According to the breach of contract lawsuit, Unilever is accused of attempting to exert control over Ben & Jerry's decision-making, particularly regarding its corporate values and brand messaging, which includes statements seen as progressive, pro-Palestinian or anti-President Donald Trump.

On March 18, Ben & Jerry's lawyers filed a proposed second amended complaint, which claims that the company's chief executive, David Stever, was fired in March because he was pushing forward on those progressive values.

"Unilever has repeatedly threatened Ben & Jerry's personnel, including CEO David Stever, should they fail to comply with Unilever's efforts to silence the Social Mission," the lawsuit states.

"This month, [Peter ter Kelve, Unilever's President of Ice Cream] and Unilever followed through with their threats. On March 3, 2025, Unilever informed the Independent Board that they were removing and replacing Mr. Stever as Ben & Jerry's CEO."

Ben & Jerry's was launched by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield in the late 1970s. The ice cream company has consistently displayed a progressive stance to the public. At the time of its creation, the company had a rule that the top-earning executives could only earn five times the lowest-earning worker.

Why Are People Boycotting Unilever?

The legal dispute has triggered online activism, with some consumers expressing support for Ben & Jerry's and calling for a boycott of Unilever and its many subsidiaries.

Instagram influencer Mercedes Chandler joined the conversation. In a video posted March 19, Chandler stated: "I'm sorry, but the company will go under if they become 'silent' on these issues considering all of us are used to Ben & Jerry's being a great company who speaks out against things like the Trump administration or human rights violations." With the post, the user wrote: "BOYCOTT UNILEVER NOW!!!"

On TikTok, user @hilmurr1981 posted a video explaining the complaint and then said: "You know what to do. Unilever, I'm sure, owns a [expletive] ton of companies," she said. "So, time to boycott."

Not all reactions have been in support of Ben & Jerry's. On X, formerly Twitter, user @WallStreetApes responded to a post about Stever's firing. The user wrote: "Ben & Jerry's political activism is the sole reason I completely stopped buying any of their products. The minute a company becomes woke, they're dead to me. Ben & Jerry's has been particularly embarrassingly unbearable."

List of Brands Operated by Unilever

Unilever owns a wide range of brands across multiple industries, including but not limited to:

• Dove
• Comfort
• Lux
• Knorr
• Liquid I.V.
• Nutrafol
• Magnum
• Pond's
• Hellmann's
• Vaseline
• Axe
• Magnum
• TRESemmé
• Clear
• Cornetto
• Ben & Jerry's

Who's the CEO of Unilever?

Unilever is a multinational corporation. According to its website, over 3.4 billion
people use Unilever products every day.

Fernando Fernandez was appointed chief executive officer of the company this month after serving as its chief financial officer.

Per his biography, he is an economist from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. He first joined Unilever in 1988. He is married and has two daughters.

What's Next

The legal battle between Ben & Jerry's and Unilever is ongoing. Pretrial hearings are continuing before New York federal Judge Kevin P. Castel, who will have to decide whether to accept Ben & Jerry's second amended complaint.

He will also have to determine if the case should be tried by jury, as Ben & Jerry's requested. The push to boycott Unilever continues to gain momentum online.