Why Choosing Better Candles Makes a Real Difference
As the days grow shorter and we light more candles at home, it’s the perfect moment to pause and think about what we’re actually burning. This week is National Climate Week in the Netherlands, a reminder that small daily choices can add up to a meaningful impact. And yes, even the candles you choose can help create a healthier home and a healthier planet.
The Hidden Problem with Paraffin Candles
Most mainstream candles are made from paraffin, a by-product of the petroleum industry. When paraffin burns, it can release substances that contribute to indoor air pollution, not ideal for the air you breathe or for the planet.
Choosing paraffin means indirectly supporting the fossil fuel chain. Choosing alternatives means supporting cleaner production and lower-impact ingredients.
A Cleaner Choice: Natural Waxes
Luckily, there are beautiful, high-quality alternatives. At Het Faire Oosten, we curate candles made only from natural waxes, each with its own benefits:
Soy Wax
Soy wax candles are sustainable, vegan, and biodegradable.
They burn twice as long as paraffin candles and produce up to 90% less black smoke.
Rapeseed Wax
Rapeseed wax candles are locally grown in Europe, fully plant-based and biodegradable. They burn slowly, creating a warm, steady glow, and no natural environment is destroyed to produce this wax.
RSPO-Certified Palm Wax
Our palm wax candles are made from RSPO-certified palm oil.
This certification ensures that employees enjoy humane working conditions, receive fair wages, and have access to healthcare.
In addition, the candles are produced sustainably, under the strict condition that no valuable forest may be cut down for palm oil.
Small Choices, Big Impact
Switching to natural wax candles may seem like a small act, but together these choices matter. You create a cleaner indoor environment for yourself and reduce reliance on fossil-fuel-based products, all while enjoying a softer, cleaner burn.
Conscious living doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes it starts with something as simple as the candle you light at the end of the day.
Find Your Climate-Friendly Candle
At Het Faire Oosten, we’ve curated a wide selection of climate-friendly candles, available in our department store in Amsterdam Oost and online in our Home section. Only clean-burning, responsibly sourced, feel-good options make the cut.
