Being Environmentally Friendly With Soy Candles

Many people are doing more and more in their lives to be a little more environmentally friendly. From recycling to looking for ways to use less fuel by combining errands into one trip, there are plenty of things you can do to try and lessen your environmental impact. Believe it or not, the candles you purchase and light in your home can be a part of this as well.

When you make a candle purchase you have two options – regular candles (paraffin) or soy candles. If you want to be more green and eco-friendly, you need to look for the ’soy’ labels. Here’s a look at the reasons why.

Candle Materials

Do you know what those paraffin candles are made out of? Paraffin is a petroleum product and as you know there is a limited amount of petroleum available on the planet. That’s why gas prices keep going so high. On the other side of the coin are soy candles, which are made from soy beans that are a completely renewable crop. They can be picked one season and a whole new crop is ready to be harvested the next.

Transport

If you purchase paraffin candles, the petroleum for those candles has likely come from another country and travelled all over the world to get here, using even more resources to run those ships, trains and transport trucks. Meanwhile, the US is filled with soy fields, meaning there were fewer resources used to get the materials to the factory as the factories were nearby.

Waste

Another thing to think about is the waste from the candles. Eventually, you have to throw away what is left of the candles, right? Well if you are throwing out part of a paraffin candle, you are adding a petroleum product to the landfill. Petroleum products do not break down like soy candles do meaning they will spend many more years in the landfill, instead of degrading and going back into the soil.

Smoke

When you light a paraffin candle, black soot is let off during the burning process. This black soot is carcinogenic and you are releasing it into the air in your home and into the environment. Soy candles, on the other hand, are clean burning candles. While they do give off white soot, it is not a sticky or dangerous material as is released from petroleum candles.

Duration of Burn

Soy candles burn more slowly than paraffin candles. This means a few things for you. First, this means you are getting up to 50% more candle for your purchase price when you are using soy candles. Secondly, this means you are not using as much initial candle material to get the same candle burn. You are saving resources.

Once you have taken a look at the differences between the two candles, it is not hard to decide which would be best for you, your family, and the environment. So, buy your soy candles with confidence knowing you are making the best choice for all involved.