Eco-Ethos

Burning brighter, treading lighter

When you treat yourself with a Piha Candle Co. candle, you can be sure the planet is being treated too! That’s because we are 100% committed to caring for our environment; crafting beautiful sustainable products, following earth-friendly principles, and taking the ‘green’ approach every step of the way.

100% pure coconut wax

This is our key ingredient, forming the base for all our fragrant blends. We chose coconut wax (over common options, such as paraffin*) as it comes from coconuts – and coconuts are an incredible natural resource, considered one of the world’s most sustainable crops, due to their high yield and crop renewal per acre!

The coconut wax is created through an easy method; taking cold pressed coconut meat, hydrating this to extract the oil, then putting the oil through a hydrogenation process to transform it into a creamy white wax. Soft, delightful to work with, naturally-derived, eco-friendly and beautifully plant-based. Other benefits include:

• Coconut wax is a non-toxic carrier that burns cleanly without soot particles, with no smoke or black residue.
  
  
• Coconut wax burns at a lower temperature than most other waxes, so volume-wise it tends to last longer (around 10-15% longer than most other waxes).
  
  
• Coconut wax burns evenly, right to the end of the wick without ‘tunnelling’, so you get to enjoy every last bit of wax from your candle – without wastage.
  
  
• Coconut wax has a high scent throw, so the aroma is amazing.
  
  

All-natural wicks and fragrances

Continuing on our earth-friendly beat, the wicks we use at the centre of our scented candles are lead-free and made from all-natural cotton (fully biodegradable). Our fragrance blends are created using ONLY highly purified fragrance oils that are 100% phthalate-free.** This means you can totally relax, and breathe in the goodness, knowing there are no nasties in the air (chemicals, toxins etc) while you are soaking up the joy of your Piha Candle Co. candle.

Recyclable / upcyclable packaging

The jars and cloche lids we use for our candles are made from glass, so they are fully recyclable. They are also pretty and precious! So you might want to use them for other purposes, once the candle wax is depleted (holding bath salts, potting a houseplant, or displaying a treasured item under the cloche lid, for example). The simple black box your candle comes in features minimal branding, and is modest and no-fuss for a reason. We have chosen to pour our design energies into the label on the candle itself,*** rather than on the outer packaging – that way you can enjoy it every day. This outer box is made from cardboard, so you can recycle (or up cycle, and re-gift).

Perfectly imperfect

Due to the handcrafted nature of our candles and the hand-poured process, the tops may appear slightly uneven and the wax may not always adhere to the glass jar as it would with a commercially-produced product. This does not affect how the candle burns – it’s a celebration of individuality, and a sign that says ‘I have been made, just for you, with love and care.’

SUSTAINABLE  •  RECYCLABLE  •  PLANT-BASED  •  VEGAN  •  NO CHEMICALS  •  NO SYNTHETICS

 

Footnote

*Paraffin wax is used in a lot of commercially produced scented candles. It’s derived from petroleum, coal or oil shale, and is often blended with palm wax (which comes from palm oil, and we know how bad that is!) and other wax sources that are potentially carcinogenic, and no good for the planet or our loved ones.

**Phthalates - known as DEP (Diethyl Phthalate) - are solvents that are commonly used in fragrance oils to boost aromatic strength. Research has shown DEP to be toxic if not used at safe levels. We don’t use them at all, as we think health is important! So the scent throw from Piha Candle Co. candles is natural and subtle, just like in nature, when you catch a scent on the wind.

***Our candle labels have been thoughtfully designed to reflect the inspiration behind the two scent ranges. Botanicals: drawing on illustrations of old, and the botanical art of NZ plant species. Nature / landscapes: using aged black & white photos of Piha and its surrounds, personally taken by Sue.