Badger Balm

Badger Balm has made ingredient commitments to lower its environmental impact, including by avoiding parabens, phthalates, microplastics, harmful suncare ingredients, and select other petrochemical-based ingredients, though it's slightly unclear if all of these commitments apply to all of its products, as some messaging is only located on product pages. It succeeds in these commitments and Commons didn't find evidence of any of these ingredients in Badger Balm's products, which is a significant achievement for a small brand. Its products incorporate bio-based, biodegradable, USDA organic, and NSF/ANSI 305-compliant ingredients. It carries products that have certifications from Leaping Bunny, and Protect Land and Sea. Badger Balm is a B Corp and an FDA registered manufacturer.

Badger Balm has made efforts to minimize the amount of material used in its product containers, including by offering some concentrated and solid formats. It has made efforts to reduce virgin plastic in its product containers by incorporating 50% PCR into its squeeze tubes and prioritizing alternative materials like recyclable steel and glass. It also uses some FSC-certified materials and has a partnership with ReSea.

Badger Balm shares information on its energy strategy. It uses 100% renewable solar energy to power its production sites and offices. Badger Balm has general targets for expanding its use of renewable energy, and implements energy efficiency measures in its production and corporate office. It also implements general water conservation measures, including minimizing water use in production and cleaning. Badger Balm has a global production span, which is standard for the industry, but the majority of its production is localized to New Hampshire, which helps reduce some transport emissions.

Badger Balm utilizes alternative models for some products to avert waste, including by offering waterless formats with ephemeral packaging. It doesn't offer any refills, bulk sizes, or take back programs for its product containers, though it has reached almost 100% waste aversion at its primary facility.

Badger Balm doesn't frequently release seasonal or limited edition products, which helps prevent production of excess inventory. It also offers a few multipurpose products, which can help prevent overconsumption.

Commons is still evaluating this brand's marketing emails.

Badger Balm has a prominent sustainability page with comprehensive details on its climate strategy. Like many small brands, it doesn't release an annual sustainability report. Badger Balm shares a complete list of ingredients used in its products, overall and on a per product basis.

Commons couldn't find information on this brand's emissions tracking.

Badger Balm has a general target to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2030. However, it doesn't share its carbon data and hasn't reported on its progress within the past year. This information is often difficult for small brands to collect and report. Commons couldn't find evidence that this brand offsets any emissions.

Badger Balm publishes information about some of its supply chain partners, disclosing their names and locations. It doesn't publicly share a supplier code of conduct and doesn't have a stated policy of regularly auditing any supply chain partners, though it appears the majority of Badger Balm's manufacturing occurs in-house. It has labor certifications within its supply chain, including Fair Trade and Fair Trade USA.

Commons wasn't able to find evidence of any trade association memberships or any relevant policy for this brand. Badger Balm isn't a member of any key advocacy organizations that are blocking climate policy. It doesn't employ any state lobbyists and didn't donate more than $100k to climate-obstructive candidates or PACs from 2018-2024. Badger Balm has partnered with multiple organizations working to advance climate policy, including Ceres and Protect Our Winters, and it publicly shares its environmental advocacy actions.