This paper presents a life cycle assessment of beeswax candles in the effort to confirm that beeswax candles are more sustainable and environmentally friendly than other comparable variations. Various types of candles are burned every year by millions of consumers; the United States Environmental Protection Agency reports that candle and incense sales exceeded a million dollars in 1999 (Knight, Levin, & Mendenhall, 2001). Beeswax candles, however, are one of the few sustainable and environmentally friendly types of candles available to consumers. Through the exploration of how the collection beeswax affects bees, the energy used and pollution created through candle production and transportation, and the effects burning candles and their disposal have on the environment, a thorough life cycle assessment will support the claim that beeswax candles are the most sustainable and environmentally friendly candle available on the market. To support the aforementioned claims, the environmental effects of other types of candles will be compared to those of beeswax candles.
The collection of beeswax can be traced back millions of years and these traditional ways of beekeeping are still used today (Bradbear, 2009, p.1). Breadbear describes that beekeepers have found that the end of a flowering season is the best time of the year to harvest the honey (2009, p. 42). She explains more thoroughly,
The honeycomb can be simply cut into pieces and sold as fresh, cut comb honey. Alternatively, the honeycomb can be broken up and strained through muslin or another form of filter to separate the honey from the beeswax. After honey is separated from the beeswax combs, the beeswax can be melted gently (over water) into a block. Beeswax does not deteriorate with age and so beekeepers often save their scraps of beeswax until they have a sufficiently large amount to sell. (Bradbear, 2009, p. 42)
Although this method seems very invasive, Bradbear reveals that even though humans are exploiting bees for their valuable products through beekeeping, the extraction of the honey and beeswax process is done without unnecessary harm or damage to the bee populations (2009, p. 3).
I am interested in this topic because I am a large consumer of candles and I want to learn more about the impact we are making with our purchases and use of these products. I am also interested in specifically in the comparison of beeswax candles to other candles to discover which are the more eco- and human-friendly options available to candle and incense consumers. A life cycle assessment of beeswax candles to better help me understand the effects on bees as well as the environment. Since the beginning of the 90s, life cycle assessments, which are “environmental management tool(s) that enables quantification of environmental burdens and their potential impacts over the whole life cycle of a product, process or activity” (Azapagic, 1999, p. 4) have been gaining popularity in the world of the environmentally conscious. Comparing my findings through of beeswax candles found through a life cycle assessment to other information I will find on other types of candles will help me to determine if beeswax candles are more environmentally friendly that other types of candles that are also on the market.
As a vital part of ecosystems, Bradbear explains that bees and trees have been interdependent for over 50 million years (2009, p. 3) and their importance has not gone unnoticed. A recent reduction of 30 billion honeybees, referred to as the Colony Collapse Disorder, has lead to the destruction of their hives and a decrease in their production of honey and wax and a decrease in pollination (Jacobsen, 2008). The culprits have been found include mites, pesticides, infections, antibiotics, urbanization, and climate changes that have lead to a reduction in their habitats (Jacobsen, 2008). To counter act this destruction, the United Nations Environment Programme announced on August 8th, 2008, that a $26 million project was being launched to better protect bees, bats, and birds. The project was launched as it was found that these animals are essential to the world’s crop production and the implementation of this project will help to ensure food security through the protection of these key pollinator species (United Nations Environment Programme, 2008, para. 1). Not only are they important for pollination, but beeswax is an ingredient found in many products. The Utah Country Beekeepers Association’s website informs that some of the different uses of beeswax include cosmetics, pharmaceutical products, and of course, candles (Bogdanov, 2004). Their protection given from environmental groups as well as the use of honey in many products depicts well the necessity of bees in our ecosystems.
Bees are the starting point of our life cycle assessment of beeswax candles. Beeswax became a popular replacement for animal or vegetable fats as candle making technology advanced as it was less messy and had a pleasant scent (Acton, 1994, para. 4). Beeswax became less popular in the 1960s when a crystallized, wax form petroleum, called paraffin, became popular as it created a more durable wax (Acton, 1994, para. 5). However, “today, substances are often mixed together to create stronger candles with higher melting points. In the United States, standard commercial candles usually contain 60 percent paraffin, 35 percent stearic acid, and 5 percent beeswax” (Acton, 1994, para. 9). The contents of candles are important when comparing their production pollution. Although I have not been able to find any sources regarding the pollution caused by the production of candles, I have come to my own conclusions based on my knowledge. I have not been able to find any indications that the production of beeswax candles causes any pollution which makes sense as it is a natural substance. On the other hand, I would assume that paraffin would not be so environmentally friendly during the production process. As paraffin is obtained from petroleum during the stages of refining, it takes more energy and more non-renewable resources to create that beeswax does. Also, paraffin candles help support the petroleum industry which is an industry that will not be sustainable forever. The added energy and resources needed to create paraffin candles are a clear indication that beeswax candles are the more environmentally friendly and sustainable option.
Although the specific environmental effects of candle shipping and distribution emissions are unclear, extensive research has found that emissions from shipping have had a large, negative on Europe’s ozone and air quality (Derwent, Stevenson, Doherty, Collins, et al., 2005, para. 27). Also, “the pollution caused by shipping is getting more serious to water environment” (Wu, 2000, para. 1) and both have affected the health of surrounding humans and animals alike. A solution I have conceived to fix this problem includes using more beeswax in candles may be helpful in counteracting this pollution problem. Petroleum is not available in all parts of the world. Candles that are made with petroleum are often made in the region of the specific sites where it can be extracted from the earth. This would then implicate large transportation costs so that the candles can be shipped to other non-petroleum rich areas. Bees, however, are able to live in many different climates and are even able to be keep indoors in climates that are too cold which provides a much larger range of where beeswax can be made. The wider scope of availability of beeswax diminishes the need of shipping and distribution which will result in reduced environmental effects.
Plenty of research has been done on the consumption of beeswax and paraffin candles. As for beeswax candles, Lee and Wang conducted a study to determine which air pollutants were emitted from five different types of candles. Among the five candles tested, the candle made of beeswax generated a far smaller amount of air pollutants than the others (Lee & Wang, 2005, p. 1). Another study was done on burning different waxes and finishing materials within a controlled chamber and their fumes were also tested for selected chemicals. The emissions that these candles produced have been found to not be significant in terms of being dangerous to humans. However, beeswax candles produced the lowest dioxin concentrations when compare to paraffin candles (Lau, Fiedler, Hutzinger, Schwind, & Hosseinpour, 1997, p. 1623). Outcomes were not so positive for the other types of candles. It was found that candles containing wicks with lead (Pb) metal cores were tested and the results found that a mean of 20% of the Pb metal in the section of the wick that was consumed was emitted into the air (Van Alphen, 1999). These levels of Pb could affect children by raising their Pb blood levels and could be tied to clinical Pb poisoning especially where candles are used as indoor lighting in less developed countries (Van Alphen, 1999). A more specific study focused on the physical and chemical properties of indoor candle burning investigated candles through steady burn, sooting burn and smouldering (upon extinction) phases. Steady burn was found to produce high emissions of ultrafine particles, sooting burn produced larger particles, and smouldering burn emitted mostly organic matter (Pagels et all., 2008). The results of this experiment inform us on which phase is most eco-friendly and the least dangerous to our health. Combining this information with the information gathered from a series of combustion tests which were also concluded on selected paraffin and beeswax candles under normal burning mode, sooting burning mode, and smoldering burning mode. The emissions found in these tests were mostly organic compounds and possible chemical traces were found in the thermally altered unburned wax. However, higher levels of fine particles were emitted from the paraffin candles then from the beeswax candles which lead to a conclusion that the paraffin candles caused greater air pollution (Fine, Cass, &Semoneit, 1999). Through research, it has been clearly found that beeswax candles are, in fact, much less detrimental than paraffin and other types of candles. By comparing the environmental impacts, it has become obvious that beeswax candles are more environmentally friendly and emit fewer toxins. However, perhaps the most beneficial fact to emerge from this research is that in Lau et al.’s testing, “even the extreme situation of burning 30 candles produces much lower levels of organic pollutants than the smoke of a single cigarette” (Lau et al., 1997, p. 1269).
Sources describing the environmental impact of candle disposal are also few and far between. Based on my knowledge of beeswax and a few sources, I would imagine that beeswax would biodegrade easily as it is a natural substance. As for the wicks in all natural beeswax candles, the majority would be made from natural fibers as well which would also be very biodegradable and would not have any negative effect on the environment after they are thrown out or composted. As for paraffin candles, although some sources claim that paraffin itself biodegrades slowly, I would assume that they are not fully biodegradable as they contain non-natural elements in the wax as well as the wick that could contaminate the area around them as the paraffin slowly degrades. Also, most paraffin wicks containing lead and other metals would not biodegrade and remain in dumps forever causing beeswax candles to again be the better and more environmentally friendly choice.
Beeswax candles can also turn a man subjected to life of poverty into a lucrative business man. Burt’s Bees was founded in a rural town in Maine by Burt Shaviz and Roxanne Quimbly. Roxanne was an out of work waitress who frequented the flea markets where Burt sold the honey his bees produced out of his truck (Scarlett, 2010, para. 1). It was on one fateful day when Burt showed Roxanne all the beeswax that he had been storing in a shed that “he’d get around to using it for something one day” (Scarlett, 2010, para. 1). They started making candles and the pair knew they were on to something after the day they made $200 selling these all-natural beeswax candles at a county fair (Scarlett, 2010, para. 2). Their company grew and grew, expanding and gaining an international reputation. Although they became rich and famous, Burt and Roxanne have remained dedicated to and have been awarded for continually producing all-natural, well-made, sustainable products (Scarlett, 2010, para. 3) even though their company has gown exponentially since their days at local flea markets. “In 2004, Quimby sold 80% of the company for $173 million dollars (O’Reilly, 2011, para. 33) which is a big change from the poor beginnings of this remarkable company. The path that Burt’s Bees has followed and continues to follow is a great example of the possibilities of all-natural products and companies being able to compete and even tower above larger manufacturing companies who use less-sustainable products and less environmentally friendly processes to produce their products.
Through extensive research and a life cycle assessment, I have concluded that beeswax candles are one of the few sustainable and environmentally friendly types of candles available to consumers. They have minimal to no effect on bees through the collection of the beeswax and the process of production, consumption, and disposal of beeswax candles is much more environmentally friendly and sustainable then the compared process of paraffin candles. Their use of renewable and environmentally friendly sources emits almost no harmful toxins and work just as well as paraffin candles. Although paraffin and other types of candles have greater environmental impacts than beeswax, they also do not create excessive pollution that would greatly affect humans. In my opinion, beeswax candles should be consumer’s first choice