Oy! There is nothing more timeless than a candle...but there is also something sadly wasteful and extraordinarily unsustainable about them no matter how you work the pros & cons....
Paraffin - This is a petroleum product, AKA derived from fossil fuels - AKA horrific for the planet with smoke you do NOT want to breathe in. So that's a Hell No. "When paraffin candles burn, they emit black soot and toxic fumes—similar in chemistry to diesel exhaust—containing poisonous chemicals such as benzene, toluene, naphthalene, tri-decane, tetra-decane, penta-decane, and hexadecane. According to one study from the University of South Carolina, those chemicals are associated with asthma, the exacerbation of respiratory conditions, and allergy-like reactions."
Soy - These candles, most which are primarily blended with paraffin, even when pure soy-based, are made with pesticide-laden non-organic soy with few organic alternatives.. In addition, FTC regs allow manufacturers to market candles with hexane (also, a petrol byproduct) as “all natural”…i.e., legalized greenwashing.
Beeswax - having been a beekeeper, and knowing the wax is supposed to be left in the hive for overwintering, it always felt wrong. Learning how horrific the industrial beekeeping process is, and knowing how we cried when we inadvertently lost hives to CCD and weather and mites and the like over the years, I could never deliberately take something like this from them.
Coconut - proclaimed a sustainable substitute to soy or beeswax, non-organic coconut is simply an unacceptable substitute because of both overfarming and underplanting. The Sierra Club reports that "Coconuts reach peak productivity at 15 to 20 years of age, becoming gradually less productive after 30 years...Some estimate that as many as 90% of all coconut trees in Asia are nearing the end of their productive life cycles. That could mean that coconut production has plateaued globally and could begin to fall. Aging trees are putting the entire coconut supply chain–and the products consumers are increasingly demanding–at risk." To use it for a decorative candle, instead of for food is, quite frankly, irresponsible.
So what to do? Currently we have two solid options: tallow and LED.
While we've not made tallow candles before, we have a reliable, sustainable, local source if we want to have the flickering of a flame, using something that far too often is discarded.
But for now, we've got flameless LED-powered votives we've been literally using for YEARS. They provide a peaceful light source, awesome backup in case of power outages, and a soft glow when taking a dip in the tub.
I'm researching some larger pillar-style ones for our retired fireplace, but in the meantime, I'm feeling a whole lot better that we're keeping our air cleaner and no longer falling for the greenwashing scam that is sadly the majority of the candle industry.
“Buy less, choose well, make it last.” ~ Vivienne Westwood
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