If someone came up to you and asked you if you sell “green candles” could easily answer them and point them in the right direction?
What exactly does “green candles” mean? The question was asked on my Live Blog session and we couldn’t come up with an adequate answer. I heard that “green candles” are popular in California and everyone out there asks for them, but what kind of wax candles fall under this category.
My understanding of “green products” and “going green” is
Green products and services, also referred to as environmentally preferable products (EPP), are products or services that have a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared with competing products or services that serve the same purpose. Green products or services may include, but are not limited to, those which contain recycled content, reduce waste, conserve energy or water, use less packaging, and reduce the amount of toxics disposed or consumed.
I think hands down we all agree that parafin wax candles and tarts would not be considered a “green candle”.
What about soy wax? I still would not consider soy wax to be a “green candle” because of the process that soy goes through to get soy wax. And this is why.
Soy wax comes from soybean oil which is chemically extracted from GMO soybeans with hexane, a petroleum-derived solvent. Then it is super hydrogenated to make it hard enough to use as a wax. There is absolutely nothing natural about that process.
After reseaching the definition of a “green candle” I came up with this conclusion.
Beeswax Candles
Beeswax may be a major product or a minor byproduct. The management technique that yields the highest amount of wax per hive is the top-bar hive. During the harvest of the honey from top-bar hives the whole honey comb is removed and crushed to extract the honey.
bees
The commercial honey producers use Langstroth hive frames. The honey extraction process yields beeswax from the uncapping process. The highest quality beeswax is almost white. Lower quality beeswax from older cappings or comb is yellow or brown. Beeswax should be rendered and filtered before it is sold.
The ability and tendency to build wax comb differs between the honeybee races. It also differs between colonies. A newly hived swarm produces wax and builds comb very quickly.~ Wikipedia
Beeswax is all natural thanks to our little bee buddies. The beeswax is not extracted from the honey through any chemical process. Beeswax doesn’t need to be hydrogenated be made into a wax. Beeswax is not genetically modified or sprayed with pesticides.
I love using soy and palm waxes and I also use parafin. I won’t be switching to beeswax anytime soon. There are many benefits to using soy and palm waxes that are just as beneficial as beeswax.
There is much on going debate about the subject. Because there is so much talk about “green” this and “green” that I wanted to do some research on “green candles”.
I hope this sheds some light on the potential definition of “green candles”. Anyone here going “green”?
I am thinking about it for fun.
