Juniper Ridge

Packaging

The company uses SFI-certified paper for product boxes and packaging, printed with eco-friendly inks. Liquid products are housed in minimal packaging (e.g. simple recyclable bottles) and durable containers are favored where possible. Overall, Juniper Ridge’s packaging is largely plastic-free (though some plastic components remain) and designed for recyclability or reuse.

Ingredient Sustainability

All core ingredients are 100% plant-based. The brand handcrafts products using wild and upcycled botanicals native to the American West. Critically, they avoid overharvesting sensitive species: for example, instead of wild-sourcing white sage (a plant at risk of overharvest), they partner with a family-run farm in Mexico to cultivate it ethically. Many base ingredients are certified organic (e.g. organic coconut and sunflower oils in their soap), and even the candle wax is a renewable (domestically sourced soy wax rather than petroleum-based paraffin).

Energy Use and Footprint

All products are formulated, distilled, and packaged in-house at the company’s Oakland, CA workshop, which is located on a “sustainable eco-industrial lot” (the O2 Artists Aggregate). Ingredients are largely native to the western US or domestically sourced (for instance, their candles use domestic soy wax and their fragrances are from regional plants).

Juniper Ridge has not publicly detailed the energy sources for its distillation and manufacturing; however, the scale is artisanal and they leverage low-impact traditional techniques like steam distillation.

Waste Management

The company actively upcycles waste plant materials into new products, exemplified by their decade-long project turning unsold holiday trees into a limited-edition line of seasonal products. Similarly, Juniper Ridge works with partners like the U.S. Forest Service and Caltrans to obtain trees removed for fire safety or road clearing, ensuring that this wood is “not felled in vain” but instead converted into incense and essential oils.

Formulations are biodegradable (e.g. natural soap and oils), and packaging is compostable or recyclable, meaning little persistent waste is generated from their use. Even the incense sticks are made purely of plant resins and a bamboo stick with no charcoal or synthetic filler.

Business Model

Sustainability is woven into Juniper Ridge’s business model and mission. As a small, independent company (family-owned, ~13 employees) that started with the founder wildcrafting goods for farmers’ markets, Juniper Ridge has maintained an anti-mass-production ethos focused on quality, local craftsmanship, and ecological respect. This mission-driven model is backed by concrete action: the company hard-codes philanthropy into its finances via the Western Wilderness Defense Fund, donating 10% of profits (or 1% of sales, whichever is greater) every year to organizations working to protect wildlands.

The company prohibits all synthetic chemicals of concern: no parabens, phthalates, petroleum derivatives, preservatives, or artificial dyes are used in any formulation. Instead, products are scented only with the brand’s own steam-distilled essential oils and contain simple bases like plant oils, waxes, and herbs. Because of this ingredient purity, Juniper Ridge products tend to score well on external safety assessments (their body care items have low hazard ratings in databases like EWG Skin Deep). he brand also provides Safety Data Sheets for its essential oils and colognes, evidencing transparency about any potential risks.

Juniper Ridge is a small-scale operation with indications of fair labor practices, though formal audits or extensive disclosures are not public. The company’s products are formulated and made in California by their own team, which suggests workers operate under U.S. labor standards and direct oversight. In the supply chain, Juniper Ridge favors partnerships that implicitly support fair livelihoods: sourcing from a family-operated sage farm in Mexico rather than large industrial suppliers.

The company is Leaping Bunny certified, meaning no animal testing is performed at any stage of product development.

Juniper Ridge shows a deep level of community and environmental engagement, leveraging its business to give back to both people and the planet. Central to this is the Western Wilderness Defense Fund, through which the company donates 10% of its profits (or 1% of revenue) annually to environmental nonprofits. Moreover, Juniper Ridge demonstrates cultural and social awareness in how it sources and sells certain products: since 2019, they have committed 10% of the sales from their white sage and sweetgrass lines to Indigenous and First Nations groups.