notes from Marisa
Making the Botero Vase
Companies are greenwashing your candles. Here’s why that’s bad.
Greenwashing is the act of a brand creating misleading claims or marketing tactics that portray a product as environmentally friendly or natural when they’re not. This practice often exaggerates or misrepresents a company’s sustainability or eco-friendliness, deceiving consumers into believing they made the best choice for their well-being and the environment. In the context of candles, greenwashing occurs when manufacturers label their products as “vegan," “natural" or "eco-friendly" without substantiating these claims. For instance, greenwashed candles might contain synthetic fragrances, paraffin wax, or other non-sustainable and potentially harmful materials.
Australia is famous for greenwashed soy and palm wax candles
Laden with synthetic fragrance and Forever Chemicals that leave a lasting negative impact on the earth and our bodies.
Australia is also famous for beeswax.
Within Australia exists huge expanses of untouched wilderness. We get our wax from keepers in Queensland. Our beekeepers ethically-harvest beeswax from hives that are strategically situated within Queensland’s expansive landscape. The vastness of forest ensures that each honeybee travels well within the diameter of untouched land, eating pollen that is free from pesticides, sprays and man’s manipulation.
The precious wax is filtered by steam and sun, and meticulously purified through linen so that each drop is pristine. In the world of candle making, beeswax is a symbol of purity, luxury, and tradition. Beeswax carries a rich history in elegance and refinement, stemming all the way back from ancient Rome, and even further back to Egypt. Beeswax candles embody a skilled artisanal approach to candlelight, honouring the artistry and wisdom of a past era.
In contrast, alternatives like soy and palm wax exist simply because they are driven by commercial interests. Masking their true environmental impact, misleading claims of eco-friendliness hide the synthetic fragrances and harmful chemicals that reside within these cheap, manufactured candles. They starkly oppose the natural allure of pure beeswax.
There is nothing Vegan about deforestation.
Your favourite coconut-lime candle is not actually Vegan.
As a beeswax candle maker I often hear, “I can’t use them, they’re not vegan,” and I think it's important to shed light on the impacts of soy agriculture so that we can understand the greenwashing that has shaped the “vegan” soy candle industry.
Soy wax is marketed as a sustainable and eco-friendly material, but a little bit of research reveals how eco-unfriendly the wax really is. This is important because people who usually opt for soy candles over their cheaper, paraffin counterparts are investing their energy and money into products they hope are greener than the alternatives.
One of the biggest issues with soy candles being touted as “vegan” and “eco” is the harmful effects of deforestation prevalent soy agriculture. In order to grow soybeans on a large scale, forests are cleared and converted to monoculture soy fields. Deforestation is not vegan. When mass amounts of land are clear-cut to make way for soy fields, animal populations suffer greatly.
There have been regulations in place to make soy agriculture sound sustainable, but a little digging reveals that there is very little that can be done to ensure corporations uphold these standards.
More than 400 sq miles (1,000 sq km) of Amazon rainforest has been felled to expand farms growing soya in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso in a 10-year period, despite an agreement to protect it, according to a new investigation.
In 2006, the landmark Amazon soy moratorium was introduced banning the sale of soya grown on land deforested after 2008. From 2004 to 2012, the clearing of trees in the Amazon fell by 84%. But in recent years deforestation has climbed steeply, reaching a 15-year high last year – encouraged, campaigners say, by President Jair Bolsonaro’s anti-conservationist rhetoric and policies.With the moratorium applying only to soya, farmers have been able to sell the crop as deforestation-free, while still clearing land for cattle, maize or other commodities.
Here are just a view detrimental effects that large-scale cultivation of soybean crops in a single area has on the environment:
Leftover Wax? Make Furniture Polish.
Beeswax furniture polish is a natural and effective way to protect and preserve your wood furniture.
The Palm Wax Problem.
In recent years, palm wax candles have become increasingly popular as a 'green' alternative to traditional paraffin candles. However, the production of palm wax comes at a great cost to both the environment and human rights.
