When people think about plastic waste, they usually think of shopping bags, food packaging and plastic bottles, even with their new attached lids.
Candles rarely enter the conversation.
But behind most candles on the market, is a surprising amount of hidden plastic.
From packaging materials and postage supplies to wick stickers and labels, plastic has quietly become an industry standard throughout much of the home fragrance industry.
At Wildrace, we spent year one working to remove those hidden plastics from our products and packaging. It hasn't always been the easiest option, and it certainly hasn't been the cheapest, but it's a commitment we're proud to make.
Today, and for the past four years, every Wildrace order has been and is shipped completely plastic free.
The Plastic You Never See
When we launched Wildrace, we used traditional wick stickers, just like many candle makers.
These small adhesive discs secure the wick to the base of the vessel, but they're often made using plastic-based materials. Most customers never see them, and many don't realise they exist.
As we grew, we began looking more closely at every component that went into our products and packaging. We discovered there were better alternatives available and made the decision to switch to a plastic-free eco glue instead.
That mindset soon spread throughout the rest of the business.
If there was a more sustainable option available, we wanted to find it.
Looking Beyond The Candle
For us, sustainability has never been just about the wax.
It's about everything surrounding the product too.
Today our candle labels are completely plastic free, our packaging is plastic free, and even our postage materials have been carefully selected to avoid unnecessary plastic waste.
We also use glassine bags for our wax melts. Unlike conventional plastic packaging, glassine is fully recyclable and plastic free while still helping to protect the scent inside.
Many customers don't notice these details, but we do.
Because sustainability isn't just about the parts people see.
The Packing Peanuts That Aren't Plastic
One of the questions we're asked most often is about the packing peanuts included in some orders.
At first glance, they look exactly like plastic.
In reality, they're made from natural starch.
They can be composted at home or simply dissolved in water, leaving behind no plastic waste whatsoever.
It's one of our favourite examples of how sustainable alternatives can often perform just as well as traditional materials.
The Cost Of Doing Things Differently
The reality is that plastic-free alternatives often cost more.
We pay a premium to source plastic-free packaging materials and postage supplies because we believe reducing our environmental footprint is worth the investment.
There are certainly cheaper ways to package and ship candles.
But we've always believed that luxury products should be created responsibly wherever possible.
For us, sustainability isn't a marketing exercise. It's a series of decisions made every day, often behind the scenes, that most customers will never see.
30,000 Orders And Counting
Since making these changes, we've shipped more than 30,000 orders across our website and Amazon without using plastic packaging.
That's over 40,000 candles sent to homes around the UK and beyond using plastic-free materials.
While we're proud of those numbers, we're even prouder of what they represent.
Thousands of small choices.
Thousands of customers supporting a better way of doing things.
And proof that luxury, performance and sustainability can exist together.
Progress, Not Perfection
We're proud of how far we've come, but we also know sustainability is a journey.
There is always more to learn, more to improve and more opportunities to reduce our impact.
Plastic Free July is a wonderful reminder that small changes matter.
For us, those changes don't stop when July ends.