Category: 3. Business

Ben & Jerry’s will be destroyed as a brand if it remains with parent company Magnum, the company’s co-founder Ben Cohen has told the BBC.

His remarks are the latest in a long-running spat between the ice cream brand and its parent company over its ability to express its social activism and the continued independence of its board.

It comes on the day that the Magnum Ice Cream Company (TMICC) started trading on the European stock market – spinning off from owner Unilever.

A spokesperson for Magnum said the firm wanted to build and strengthen Ben & Jerry’s “powerful, non-partisan values-based position in the world”.

Ben & Jerry’s was sold to Unilever in 2000 in a deal which allowed it to retain an independent board and the right to make decisions about its social mission.

Since the sale there have been deepening clashes between the Vermont-based brand and Unilever, with this conflict now inherited by Magnum.

In 2021, Ben & Jerry’s refused to sell its products in areas occupied by Israel, resulting in its Israeli operation being sold by Unilever to a local licensee, and in October, Ben Cohen said it was prevented from launching an ice cream which expressed “solidarity with Palestine”.

Last month, ahead of its spin off from Unilever, Magnum said the chair of Ben & Jerry’s board Anuradha Mittal, who has held the position since 2018, “no longer meets the criteria to serve” – saying this was the result of an internal audit.

A spokesperson for Magnum said it had found “a series of material deficiencies in financial controls, governance and other compliance policies, including conflicts of interest”.

“So far, the trustees have not fully addressed the deficiencies identified,” they said.

In a statement to Reuters, Ms Mittal said: “The so-called audit of the foundation was a manufactured inquiry – engineered to attempt to discredit me.

“It is important to understand that this is not simply an attack on me as chair. It is Unilever’s attempt to undermine the authority of the Board itself.”

The BBC has contacted Ben & Jerry’s to request this statement.

Mr Cohen said Magnum “has no standing to determine who the chair of the independent board should be”.

“Therefore, by trying to [change the chair of the board], I would say that Magnum is not fit to own Ben & Jerry’s,” he added.

Mr Cohen called for either the business to be “owned by a group of investors that support the brand and want to encourage the values” or for Magnum to make a “180 degree turn around and say they support the chairman of the independent board”.

Ahead of the spin off on Monday, news agency Reuters reported that Ms Mittal said she had no plans to step down from the board.

Ben Cohen remains an employee of Ben & Jerry’s and the brand’s most high-profile spokesperson.

He told the BBC he feared under the current ownership the ice cream maker’s “loyal” followers would be lost for good.

“If the company continues to be owned by Magnum, not only will the values be lost, but the essence of the brand will be lost,” he said.

On Sunday, Magnum’s chief executive Peter ter Kulve told the Financial Times the Ben & Jerry’s founders were in their seventies and “at a certain moment they need to hand over to a new generation”.

Jerry Greenfield, Mr Cohen’s co-founder, left the ice cream maker in September after almost half a century at the firm – citing concerns about the stifling of its social mission.

“It’s absurd,” said Mr Cohen.

“This is about values and abiding by a legally binding agreement.”

Mr Cohen added investors in Magnum were being asked to pay a premium for the Ben & Jerry’s brand “because it has such a loyal following”.

“As they destroy Ben and Jerry’s values, they will destroy that following and they will destroy that brand,” he said.

“It’ll become just another piece of frozen mush that just going to lose a lot of market share.”

A spokesperson for Magnum said Ben & Jerry’s was “not for sale” and it had “always respected” the brand’s commitment to continue its “social mission”.

The demerger of Unilever’s ice cream business saw primary shares in Magnum open at €12.20 (£10.66) – down on the expected €12.80 (£11.18) reference price set by the EuroNext exchange in Amsterdam. But it bounced back up by 1.3% at close of trading.

The spin off means Magnum is now the world’s biggest standalone ice cream business.

Today, Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) announced the launch of the Circular Fashion Partnership: Türkiye, a new initiative that aims to support the development of a circular textile system in the country by capturing and recycling post-industrial textile waste. Announced during Sustainability Talks Istanbul, the partnership is led by GFA in collaboration with national lead Rematters, supported by implementation partners Reverse Resources, Closed Loop Fashion, and Circle Economy Foundation and funded by H&M Foundation.

 

Set to commence in early 2026, the Circular Fashion Partnership: Türkiye aims to establish textile waste management systems within factories, enhance traceability through digital tools, and connect manufacturers with recyclers to ensure higher-value recovery of post-industrial textile waste. The programme will also provide supplier support on compliance with evolving policy frameworks and foster national collaboration to drive systemic change. GFA is now calling on brands producing in Türkiye to participate in the programme.

 

As one of the world’s leading apparel manufacturing hubs, Türkiye is uniquely positioned to scale textile-to-textile recycling due to its vertically integrated industry, proximity to the EU, and increasing regulatory pressure to reduce waste and emissions. The Circular Fashion Partnership: Türkiye will build on these strengths by developing scalable models for improved waste segregation, fibre-to-fibre recycling, and domestic recovery routes that reduce dependency on virgin materials and landfill.

 

The programme is part of the Global Circular Fashion Forum (GCFF), a wider initiative led by Global Fashion Agenda to advance post-industrial textile recycling through local partnerships in manufacturing regions. Building on successful implementation in Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Indonesia, the Circular Fashion Partnership: Türkiye becomes the fourth national programme to deploy this model — which has already digitally traced over 21,000 tonnes of textile waste and connected more than 100 factories and 20 global brands to recycling partners across its programmes. The locally owned and led partnership in Türkiye will be customised to the regional context, while drawing on best practices from other countries. Throughout 2026, the Circular Fashion Partnership: Türkiye will engage stakeholders across the value chain via targeted activities including on-site waste management assessments, training and capacity building through a Train-the-Trainer model, recycling pitch sessions and matchmaking events, as well as roundtables and policy dialogues with key national actors. In doing so, the partnership aims to support Türkiye in futureproofing its textile ecosystem, unlock economic value from waste, and contribute to a just, circular transition in one of the industry’s most influential sourcing regions.

December 9, 2025

TDK Corporation (TSE: 6762) announced today that it expanded the BCL3520FT series of small power inductors for automotive power circuits (3.3 x 3.5 x 2.0 mm – L x W x T). Mass production of the product series began in December 2025.

Inductors like the BCL3520FT series are used in efficient power supply circuits of ECUs. High efficiency is necessary to reduce power losses because ever more ECUs for ADAS applications are being deployed in cars. This drives the development of low-loss, high-functional power inductors. These components must be compact, as they need to be mounted in the limited space of the ECU. High reliability is also crucial, as they must operate in harsh, high-temperature environments.

Thanks to TDK’s proprietary metallic magnetic materials and structural designs, the BCL3520FT series achieves industry-leading* electrical properties for 0.47-μH inductors with such small dimensions. Regarding DC resistance, a low 5 mΩ (typ.) resistance has been achieved, approximately 15% lower than equivalent products available on the market. Using a flat wire instead of a standard round wire reduces heat generation and power loss. Therefore, the components achieve a rated current (Isat) of 10 A, approximately 28% higher than other products, facilitating these products’ uses for a range of applications. These high-reliability inductors can be used in high-temperature environments up to +155 °C, the upper guaranteed temperature limit.

TDK will continue to contribute to society with its broad lineup of low-loss, high-efficiency power inductors for many different high-function applications aimed at achieving autonomous driving through the development of products that meet market needs.

* As of December 2025, according to TDK

Glossary

• ADAS: Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems assist drivers in driving and parking functions
• ECU: Electronic Control Unit, electrical circuits that control vehicle systems

Main applications

• Power supply circuits for automotive applications (e.g., ADAS, xEV, automotive camera modules)

Main features and benefits

• Industry-leading DC resistance of 5 mΩ and rated current of 10 A
• Usable in high-temperature environments with an upper guaranteed temperature limit of +155 °C
• Compliant with AEC-Q200 (automotive products)

About TDK Corporation

TDK Corporation (TSE:6762) is a global technology company and innovation leader in the electronics industry, based in Tokyo, Japan. With the tagline “In Everything, Better” TDK aims to realize a better future across all aspects of life, industry, and society. For over 90 years, TDK has shaped the world from within; from the pioneering ferrite cores to cassette tapes that defined an era, to powering the digital age with advanced components, sensors, and batteries, leading the way towards a more sustainable future. United by TDK Venture Spirit, a start-up mentality built on visions, courage and mutual trust, TDK’s passionate team members around the globe pursue better—for ourselves, customers, partners, and the world. Today, the state-of-the-art technologies of TDK are in everything, from industrial applications, energy systems, electric vehicles, to smartphones and gaming, at the core of modern life. TDK’s comprehensive, innovative-driven portfolio includes cutting-edge passive components, sensors and sensor systems, power supplies, lithium-ion and solid-state batteries, magnetic heads, AI and enterprise software solutions, and more—featuring numerous market-leading products. These are marketed under the product brands TDK, EPCOS, InvenSense, Micronas, Tronics, TDK-Lambda, TDK SensEI, and ATL. Positioning the AI ecosystem as a key strategic area, TDK leverages its global network across the automotive, information and communication technology, and industrial equipment sectors to expand its business in a wide range of fields. In fiscal 2025, TDK posted total sales of USD 14.4 billion and employed about 105,000 people worldwide.

Toulouse, France, 09 December 2025 – Airbus Defence and Space supports global chocolate and cocoa manufacturer Barry Callebaut, with satellite-based deforestation monitoring across Barry Callebaut`s entire cocoa supply chain using the space imagery-enabled Starling solution. This collaboration supports Barry Callebaut’s efforts to develop a deforestation-free supply chain and includes a comprehensive risk assessment throughout the chocolate manufacturer`s global operations.

“Beyond being a trusted, data-driven solution provider, Airbus is a strategic partner for Barry Callebaut in monitoring deforestation risks,” said Juliette Cody, Director for Global Sustainability Programs at Barry Callebaut. “The insights provided by Starling have become a cornerstone of our strategy to advance our forest positive commitments.”

Eric Even, Head of Space Digital at Airbus Defence and Space, said: “We are pleased to support Barry Callebaut through the Starling solution, providing optical satellite imagery at various resolutions ranging from 10m to Pléiades Neo’s 30cm resolution. With real eyes in the sky, satellite imagery empowers organisations to make informed decisions and maintain transparency across global supply chains.”

As part of its ‘Forever Chocolate’ programme, Barry Callebaut has made a strong commitment to sustainable sourcing. By integrating Starling, the cocoa and chocolate trader proactively monitors and seeks to mitigate environmental risks within and around cocoa farms, supporting both internal controls and compliance.

Starling automatically analyses Barry Callebaut’s supply chain to provide information about all cocoa plots. It produces global detailed land-cover maps that differentiate between natural forest, plantation, agroforestry, and other land types, reducing the number of false positive alerts. AI-powered algorithms continuously monitor changes in forest cover to spot any deforestation and conversion alerts that would be in breach with the company’s forest policy or regulations. In addition, Starling provides evidence verification based on high-resolution satellite imagery at the plot level, thus limiting the burden of field investigation along with fostering discussions with buyers and suppliers. Finally, the solution conducts risk assessments to identify areas at risk of future deforestation based on historical land use and practices. 

By using Starling, Barry Callebaut gains reliable, up-to-date insights to engage its suppliers with the aim of meeting its sustainability commitments effectively.

Starling, launched in 2016 as a joint initiative between Airbus and Earthworm Foundation, is a geospatial solution designed to measure environmental impact across entire supply chains, supporting deforestation and conversion-free commitments. The initiative combines high-resolution satellite data with open-source Sentinel imagery and Airbus constellations, tracking vegetation-cover changes worldwide.

Evolution of cocoa plantations in Ecuador (March 2023 / May 2023 / August 2023) using Pléiades Neo 30cm resolution satellite imagery. @Pléiades Neo Airbus DS 2023

@BarryCallebaut @EarthwormFoundation 

#Sustainability #Starling #PleiadesNeo #EarthObservation

New York, December 9, 2025 – lithium-ion battery pack prices have dropped 8% since 2024 to a record low of $108 per kilowatt-hour, according to latest analysis by research provider BloombergNEF (BNEF). Continued cell manufacturing overcapacity, intense competition and the ongoing shift to lower-cost lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries helped drive down pack prices despite an increase in battery metal costs according to BNEF’s 2025 Lithium-Ion Battery Price Survey.  

Battery metal prices increased in 2025, in part due to supply risks at certain Chinese lithium assets and new cobalt export quotas in the Democratic Republic of Congo. However, metal price increases did not translate to higher annual prices for cells or packs. The industry ultimately absorbed these shocks through greater LFP adoption, long-term contracts, and broader hedging strategies. 

China has consistently produced more cells than are needed for domestic electric vehicle and stationary storage demand, creating intense competition among manufacturers. The effect has been most pronounced in the stationary storage sector, where many suppliers can serve the same projects. China’s dominance in LFP production has allowed its producers to meet nearly all global demand.

BNEF’s industry-leading battery price survey covers multiple battery end-uses, including different types of electric vehicles and stationary storage projects. Each sector typically requires different cells and packs to meet distinct performance metrics, leading to varied pricing dynamics across these use cases. Battery pack prices for stationary storage dropped to $70/kWh in 2025, 45% lower than in 2024. This is the sharpest drop across all segments, making stationary storage the lowest-priced segment for the first time. Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) packs were the cheapest in the transport segment at $99/kWh – the second year that they were below the $100/kWh threshold.  

Average LFP battery pack prices across all segments came in at $81/kWh while nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) packs were at $128/kWh. BNEF clients can find the full breakdown by chemistry, application and country here. 

Evelina Stoikou, the head of BNEF’s battery technology team and lead author of the report, said: “Cut-throat competition is making batteries cheaper every year. This is an important moment for the industry, as record-low battery prices create an opportunity to lower EV costs and accelerate the deployment of grid-scale storage to support renewables integration around the world. ” 

The report also covers regional differences in pricing. Average battery pack prices were lowest in China, at $84/kWh. Pack prices in the North America and Europe were 44% and 56% higher, reflecting higher local production costs and greater dependence on imported batteries, which typically have a premium compared to prices in China.  The largest drop in pack prices was in China, down 13% in real terms from 2024, while North America and Europe saw declines of 4% and 8%, respectively. The drop in prices was higher in Europe than in North America due to the changing policy and tariff environment in the US. Many Chinese companies redirected their exports to European markets, where they adopted more aggressive pricing strategies to maintain global sales volumes and meet annual targets. This shift intensified price competition in Europe. 

BNEF expects pack prices to decrease again in 2026, based on its near-term outlook, as raw material prices face upward pressure but adoption of low-cost LFP continues to spread. Over the longer term, ongoing investment in R&D, manufacturing efficiency and supply chain expansion is expected to support further technology improvements and cost reductions. Emerging technologies, including silicon and lithium metal anodes, solid-state electrolytes, new cathode materials and new cell manufacturing processes, are also set to play a key role in driving the next wave of price declines. 

The full report provides insights on:  

• Battery prices across chemistries, regions and segments 

• Raw material and battery component price dynamics 

• BNEF’s view of global prices in 2026 and beyond   

• Key drivers behind price trends this decade 

• Public statements and roadmaps from leading industry players 

• Impact of tariffs and transport costs on battery prices 

BloombergNEF clients can access the full report here. 

• Collaboration leverages Stellantis’ AV-Ready Platforms™ for scalable Level 4 (driverless) deployment
• Partnership marks next step in Bolt’s ambition to have 100,000 autonomous vehicles available on its shared mobility platform by 2035
• Both companies share commitment to the highest safety, reliability, and cybersecurity standards in Europe
• Trials to begin in European countries from 2026

AMSTERDAM and TALLINN, Estonia – Stellantis and Bolt, Europe’s leading mobility platform, today announced they have entered a partnership to jointly explore the development and deployment of Level 4 (driverless) autonomous vehicles for commercial operations across Europe.

The collaboration will combine Stellantis’ AV-Ready Platforms™ – specifically the eK0 medium size van and STLA Small platforms – with Bolt’s extensive mobility network. Bolt currently provides ride-hailing services in more than 50 countries including 23 EU Member States and aims to integrate Stellantis’ autonomous vehicles into its shared mobility platform to provide fully autonomous, driverless ride-hailing services.

Stellantis’ AV-Ready Platforms™ are engineered for flexibility and scalability, integrating advanced sensor suites, high-performance computing and system redundancies to meet the highest safety and reliability standards while optimizing total cost of ownership for service operators, making them one of the most competitive solutions in the industry.

The companies plan to begin deploying test vehicles for trials in European countries starting in 2026, with a strong focus on building a service that provides the highest safety and performance standards in Europe. Deployment will follow a phased approach, from prototypes and pilot fleets to progressive industrial scale-up, with an initial production target in 2029.

Both companies will work closely with European regulators to support a responsible approach to testing, certification and scalable deployment, in full alignment with applicable safety, data protection and cybersecurity standards.

Strategic Significance

For Stellantis, this collaboration expands its growing partner ecosystem in Europe and advances its global driverless mobility strategy, leveraging AV-Ready Platforms™ designed for safe and reliable Level 4 deployment at scale.

For Bolt, the partnership marks the next step towards its ambition of having 100,000 autonomous vehicles available on its shared mobility platform by 2035.

Executive Quotes

Antonio Filosa, CEO – Stellantis, said: “Our AV-Ready Platforms™ are designed for maximum flexibility, so we can deliver the best possible experience for European customers. Autonomous fleets can also contribute to a lower carbon footprint by enabling a shared and optimized mobility, reducing congestion and emissions. Partnering with Bolt is intended to bring this vision closer to reality, combining our engineering expertise with their operational reach in the hopes of making driverless mobility a trusted part of everyday life in Europe.”

Markus Villig, Founder and CEO – Bolt, said: “This partnership brings together two companies who understand the specific dynamics of operating in Europe. By combining Stellantis’ AV-Ready Platforms™ and our operational expertise, we plan to create the best autonomous vehicle offering that is tailored for European needs, in line with European standards, that millions of people will be able to use. The partnership marks the next step in our ambition to have 100,000 autonomous vehicles on the Bolt platform by 2035.”

Legal Disclaimer

This Memorandum of Understanding is non-binding and reflects the current intent of the parties. Any future development, deployment, commercial terms, roles and responsibilities will be subject to the execution of separate definitive agreements, regulatory approvals and agreed technical and operational conditions.

 

 

About Stellantis

Stellantis N.V. (NYSE: STLA / Euronext Milan: STLAM / Euronext Paris: STLAP) is a leading global automaker, dedicated to giving its customers the freedom to choose the way they move, embracing the latest technologies and creating value for all its stakeholders. Its unique portfolio of iconic and innovative brands includes Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroën, Dodge, DS Automobiles, FIAT, Jeep_®, Lancia, Maserati, Opel, Peugeot, Ram, Vauxhall, Free2move and Leasys. For more information, visit www.stellantis.com.

 

About Bolt

Bolt is a European shared mobility platform that has operations in over 50 countries and 600 cities and provides shared mobility services including ride-hailing, scooter and e-bike rental and car rental to over 200 million customers. More than 4.5 million drivers use the Bolt platform around the world. The company seeks to accelerate the transition from owned cars to shared mobility, offering better alternatives for every use case.

Contact: press@bolt.eu

 

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