It's true. At the end of the day, candles are a luxury product, and by definition anything we don't really need, especially consumables for the home that smell nice, aren't going to save the world. But at little green candle we also really believe that life is about simple pleasures, living in the moment, allowing ourselves little luxuries. As a consumer it isn't about giving up everything we don't need, but making considered choices. As a candle maker it's about offering luxury products in as responsible a way as possible.
Every decision we have made has its roots in its environmental impact - every product devoped, our packaging, even our delivery charges. Of course we select our ingredients with care - UK made where possible, always cruelty free, palm oil free, sustainable wherever possible. And our packaging is always, as a minimum, recyclable and plastic free. We also make local deliveries on foot as much as possible - and if we can't we'll use our electric car.
But a key aspect of our eco-friendly philosophy is about reducing waste - from cutting out pointless packaging, selecting not just recyclable but reusable containers, and offering refill services - because if all businesses and individuals actively reduce their waste, this in turn reduces their carbon footprint and the impact on the environment would be huge.
For me it's a no brainer - start by cutting out the pointless presentation packaging. Yes, those materials might be recyclable, but the amount of energy gone into manufacturing, printing and shipping, for them to end up straight in the recycling, is so wasteful. Of course, we make premium, luxury products and want them to look like it – which is why our candles come with lids, which protect and prolong the life of the candle, and our little hessian bags, which not only look great, but help protect the candle.
So while we avoid unnecessary waste, we always ensure our products look their best (and we won’t charge you extra for this either). Afterwards, you can either reuse your little bag or you can return it and we will reuse it.
The same goes for our vessels, which we select first and foremost for their reusability, not just recyclability. And our main candle range is our copper tin collection for good reason - because these little tins can be safely refilled and reused again and again, allowing us to offer a candle refill service. Meanwhile our reed diffuser refills come in recycled aluminium bottles.
And for those who are sceptical about the possibilities of repurposing our containers, below are just a few of our favourite ideas!