NORTH CAROLINA — North Carolina is halting investment in and restricting contracting with Unilever. The move means tens of millions of dollars will be divested.
State treasurer Dale Folwell says he is taking the action because he believes the ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s is boycotting Israel.
The state treasurer’s office said a total of $40 million in Unilever assets will be impacted.
Folwell said he is also instructing local governments and state agencies that they are prohibited from contracting with either company. In a news release, Folwell cited state statute which bans “the North Carolina Retirement Systems or the Department of State Treasurer from investing in any company engaged in a boycott of Israel.”
“This is particularly important in this case as we have witnessed the atrocities perpetrated against the Israeli people,” Folwell said. “There is no place for antisemitism in this state or this country.”
Channel 9 has reached out to Unilever for comment.
The North Carolina Retirement Systems has more than a million members. The agency provides retirement benefits and savings for teachers, firefighters, police officers, state and local government employees and other public workers.
The Department of State Treasurer manages the investment of the pension plans.
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