Rapeseed wax, a sustainable alternative to paraffin candles.

In this post we would like to give you an overview of the different types of wax and explain why rapeseed wax is the only option for us.

About 75 percent of all candles in Germany are paraffin candles. But what exactly is paraffin ? Paraffin is a waste product of the oil industry and therefore a billion dollar business that is linked to the oil price. Due to ever-optimizing manufacturing risks, the waste product is becoming scarce in this country and more and more must be imported from abroad. Although the paraffin goes through countless tests and cleanings, the raw material is not harmless to health and also problematic for the environment (Utopia 2018). The bottom line is that the carbon footprint of petroleum products is always negative; this also applies to candles made from paraffin.

The second most important raw material for the candle industry is stearin , which is obtained from vegetable and animal fats / oils. Most of the raw material consists of palm oil, the "green oil". The use of palm oil has come under heavy criticism as the extraction for the Destruction of the rainforest responsible for. The reason for this is that the oil can be grown inexpensively on a small area. The yield is almost three times higher than that of rapeseed. Indonesia and Malaysia. cover almost 90% of the world market for palm oil. With a paraffin content of 10%, a candle can be sold as a stearin candle.

Offer another alternative Soy and rapeseed wax . These candles are the first choice for environmentally conscious vegans. Candles made from soy or rapeseed wax are generally of higher quality and burn more slowly than comparable paraffin candles. Another advantage of soy and ras wax is that they burn almost soot-free. Most of it comes, however Soy wax so far from the USA. The raw material soybean oil is only really sustainable if it is GMO-free. Of course, this also applies to wax made from rapeseed oil. However, rapeseed has the advantage that it is mostly grown in Europe. This is why the shorter transport routes speak in favor of rapeseed wax.

Beeswax as another alternative is a rare and therefore expensive raw material. In its traditional and original form, the wax is a waste product of honeybees and has the typical honey smell. In terms of color, the candles are usually limited to the typical yellow. However, the partly unnatural mass beekeeping for honey and wax production is to be viewed critically. If you buy a beeswax candle, make sure to pay attention to whether it is organic or industrial beeswax.