Enila: A Microcosm of Solutions
Opened in May 2022, “enila” represents more than a business—it’s a manifestation of Ms. Jung’s ethical commitments, which evolved from personal health and animal rights concerns to a broader understanding of veganism’s benefits11. By offering exclusively vegan ice cream, enila directly addresses dairy’s high environmental impact, a significant component of conventional ice cream and the WPD. Dairy production generates substantial methane emissions and requires extensive resources for feed production, making plant-based alternatives significantly more environmentally friendly12.
Enila is Switzerland’s first 100% vegan ice cream shop and was inspired by a visit to a vegan ice cream shop while Ms. Jung was on holiday in Greece. Encouraged by her mother, who is also an entrepreneur, Ms. Jung bought an ice cream machine and started experimenting with recipes for the ice cream base as well as vegan mix-ins, sauces, and toppings. Since Ms. Jung already enjoyed cooking and baking, this new venture combined several interests successfully. Enila’s ice cream is handmade in small batches of 10 liters each. She is able to produce a maximum of 140 liters of ice cream per day. However, since she also has to make the ice cream bases, prepare the mix-ins and keep up with the administrative work of running a business, she isn’t able to produce at maximum capacity every day she is in the shop. She has eight permanent flavors and four seasonal flavors that change monthly13.
Enila’s operational choices amplify its positive climate impact. Jung crafts her own cashew milk base and uses store-bought coconut milk14, aligning with findings that plant-based milks generally have lower environmental impacts than dairy, particularly regarding GGEs and land use15. Her decision to source fair-trade cashews introduces social justice into her supply chain, ensuring better prices and working conditions for farmers in developing countries16—regions often most vulnerable to climate change, as illustrated by the image below17.
Furthermore, enila’s commitment to in-house production of mix-ins and emphasis on local and seasonal ingredients demonstrates efforts to minimize its footprint. Using local Swiss berries in summer and sourcing coffee from Basel’s Kaffeemacher:innen reduces reliance on energy-intensive, pre-packaged foods and supports local economy resilience. While production emissions and dietary choices remain dominant factors in overall environmental impact, local sourcing can reduce transportation emissions and foster community strength.
Waste reduction represents another area where enila demonstrates responsible practices. The shop uses biodegradable paper products for takeaways and ceramic and glass dishes for in-house consumption, including reusable glass drinking straws. Non-coffee beverages come in glass bottles or aluminum cans, which have higher recycling rates than plastic.
Opened in May 2022, “enila” represents more than a business—it’s a manifestation of Ms. Jung’s ethical commitments, which evolved from personal health and animal rights concerns to a broader understanding of veganism’s benefits11. By offering exclusively vegan ice cream, enila directly addresses dairy’s high environmental impact, a significant component of conventional ice cream and the WPD. Dairy production generates substantial methane emissions and requires extensive resources for feed production, making plant-based alternatives significantly more environmentally friendly12.
Enila is Switzerland’s first 100% vegan ice cream shop and was inspired by a visit to a vegan ice cream shop while Ms. Jung was on holiday in Greece. Encouraged by her mother, who is also an entrepreneur, Ms. Jung bought an ice cream machine and started experimenting with recipes for the ice cream base as well as vegan mix-ins, sauces, and toppings. Since Ms. Jung already enjoyed cooking and baking, this new venture combined several interests successfully. Enila’s ice cream is handmade in small batches of 10 liters each. She is able to produce a maximum of 140 liters of ice cream per day. However, since she also has to make the ice cream bases, prepare the mix-ins and keep up with the administrative work of running a business, she isn’t able to produce at maximum capacity every day she is in the shop. She has eight permanent flavors and four seasonal flavors that change monthly13.
Enila’s operational choices amplify its positive climate impact. Jung crafts her own cashew milk base and uses store-bought coconut milk14, aligning with findings that plant-based milks generally have lower environmental impacts than dairy, particularly regarding GGEs and land use15. Her decision to source fair-trade cashews introduces social justice into her supply chain, ensuring better prices and working conditions for farmers in developing countries16—regions often most vulnerable to climate change, as illustrated by the image below17.
Furthermore, enila’s commitment to in-house production of mix-ins and emphasis on local and seasonal ingredients demonstrates efforts to minimize its footprint. Using local Swiss berries in summer and sourcing coffee from Basel’s Kaffeemacher:innen reduces reliance on energy-intensive, pre-packaged foods and supports local economy resilience. While production emissions and dietary choices remain dominant factors in overall environmental impact, local sourcing can reduce transportation emissions and foster community strength.
Waste reduction represents another area where enila demonstrates responsible practices. The shop uses biodegradable paper products for takeaways and ceramic and glass dishes for in-house consumption, including reusable glass drinking straws. Non-coffee beverages come in glass bottles or aluminum cans, which have higher recycling rates than plastic.
Climate Justice: Basel in the World is a colloquium at the University of Basel, co-organized in the spring semester 2025 by students from the AG Nachhaltigkeit and Prof. Dr. Janina Grabs. It is supported through funding by Impuls.