How Ben & Jerry’s ice cream is powering Vermont’s clean energy future

Key takeaways

• Food production waste can be converted into renewable energy, reducing emissions and supporting energy resilience.
• PurposeEnergy’s SAINT facility showcases how local manufacturers can collaborate to close the loop on waste.
• Anaerobic digestion offers a scalable solution for managing organic waste in the food and beverage sector.
• Integrated systems like SAINT reduce landfill loads and deliver both electricity and thermal energy to the grid.

I’m a firm believer in the phrase “there’s always room for dessert.” No matter how rich or decadent the meal, when the waiter leans in with that time-honored question—“Would you like to see the dessert menu?”—my answer is almost always yes. And more often than not, I’m ordering ice cream. Whether I’m celebrating a milestone with an over-the-top sundae, cooling down with a multi-scoop waffle cone, or unwinding after a long day with a chocolate-dipped bar, ice cream just makes everything better. What I didn’t realize, though, is that ice cream doesn’t just lift your spirits—it can actually help power a cleaner, greener world.

Turning ice cream waste into renewable power: Inside the SAINT facility

PurposeEnergy just flipped the switch on its latest creation: a cutting-edge anaerobic digestion facility in St. Albans, Vermont, that transforms food factory leftovers—yes, including melted ice cream—into clean, renewable energy. The Saint Albans Industrial Treatment Center—affectionately dubbed “SAINT”—will serve producers throughout Northern Vermont and Upstate New York, including a direct pipeline connection to Ben & Jerry’s ice cream plant just down the road.

Construction on the project kicked off in May 2023, and by December 2024, the facility was already exporting electricity to Vermont’s grid. This isn’t just any facility, either—it’s PurposeEnergy’s first project backed entirely by Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners, which acquired the company in April 2023.

The St. Albans site was built in partnership with Ben & Jerry’s (because of course it was), and turns high-strength organic waste and out-of-spec food into two things Vermont can never have enough of: renewable energy and clean water. Thanks to a long-term feedstock agreement signed back in 2021, waste from Ben & Jerry’s production line flows directly to the facility through a dedicated pipeline.

A community effort: How local partnerships drive Vermont’s clean energy future

SAINT won’t just be processing ice cream leftovers. Other regional players are in the mix too—including Casella Waste Systems, which will deliver de-packaged organics; Wind River Environmental, which handles grease trap and septic waste; and Richard I. Green Trucking, known for hauling chocolate for Barry Callebaut. It’s a full-circle moment in waste recovery, bringing together local businesses to power a cleaner future.

In a recent quote, Ben & Jerry's Global Sustainability Manager Jenna Evans said, “This project strengthens Ben & Jerry's commitment to environmental sustainability by providing a long-term solution for organic waste. It will reduce Vermont's road traffic, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and decrease Phosphorous pollution.”

Built on land purchased from the Franklin County Industrial Development Corporation, the facility is expected to churn out about 8.75 million kilowatt-hours of renewable electricity every year under Vermont’s Standard Offer program. And that’s not all—it also recovers up to 45,000 million BTUs of renewable thermal energy annually, which helps heat the digester and power day-to-day operations.

Erik Lallum, Chief Development Officer of PurposeEnergy, added, “This facility represents a major step forward in sustainable infrastructure for food manufacturing in Vermont. It's a model of industrial symbiosis—turning food production waste into clean energy, reducing emissions, and supporting local economies.”

So the next time you dig into a pint of Cherry Garcia, just know: the ice cream that didn’t make it to store shelves might be keeping the lights on somewhere nearby.