Sustainable, Ethical and Eco-Friendly?

Sustainable

The concept of sustainability has a host of interpretations, and will mean different things to different people. Here at Candle Shack, we work to a sustainability model that has been around for some time. The concept of sustainability is often used to describe an economy that is:

"in equilibrium with basic ecological support systems"

In other words, a sustainable economy is one that permits us to run our business without having a negative impact on eco-systems. For plant waxes, one of the most serious negative impacts is the destruction of rainforests, so we make sure that all our plant waxes are sourced responsibly to avoid deforestation.

Our RCX wax is a great example of this type of sustainability. RCX is made from rapeseed and coconut oils. The rapeseed oil is harvested in Europe whilst most of the coconut used in our waxes comes from small-hold farmers in the Philippines or Indonesia.  There is no forest removal in order to plant new coconut trees and all farming contacts are closely monitored in that regard. Our soy wax is also made from sustainable soy.

Ethical

You also ask if our products are ethical. We say yes, our products are ethical, but what exactly do we mean by that? Well, just like sustainability, ethical can mean different things to different people, We consider Candle Shack to be an ethical company because we:

"have high moral standards and we care about our planet"

Eco Friendly

And finally, is Candle Shack an eco-friendly company? The term "eco-friendly", or environmentally friendly, refers to products or polices that are:

"good for the planet and not harmful to the environment"

So yes, we are an eco-friendly company. We know that we have only borrowed the planet from our children, so we're playing our part in taking care of it for them.

We are continuously introducing new product lines such as wood wicks that can be recycled. We stock metal candle containers that can be re-purposed or recycled. Not only are our plant waxes sourced in a way that ensures that no deforestation occurs, but many of our waxes are also formally described by our suppliers as being biodegradable.

Our fragrance bottles are now made from aluminium, which is an infinitely recyclable material.  Our NPD department conducts trials to find the cleanest burning wicks for different wax and fragrance combinations, and we use recyclable packaging wherever possible.

Being on the banks of the River Carron, our site provides regular reports to SEPA (the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency) to reassure them that no harmful waste is being released into the environment. We are also performing more and more manufacturing processes in-house, which in turn reduces our carbon footprint.