Comfortable through the Advent season: sustainable candles made of stearin

We like it cozy during Advent. For most of us, a cozy home also includes the glow of candles in winter. In 2019 the Germans burned 1.4 kilos of candles. This puts us way up in candle consumption. The Danes, however, like it particularly “hyggelig”: they even manage four kilos of candles per head.

The most important raw material for making candles is still paraffin. Around three quarters of all candles in Germany are made from it. But a far more sustainable material has now made it to second place: stearin.

Stearin is obtained from vegetable palm oil or animal fats and is therefore biodegradable. It is a mixture of stearic and palmitic acid which is obtained from the fat triglycerides by saponification and acidification of the soapy water. Stearin has been used to make candles since the year 1818. It was then that the two French chemists and pharmacists Henri Braconnot and François Simonin developed the first stearin candles.

Meanwhile, the proportion of more sustainable and environmentally friendly stearin candles is growing from year to year. While it was seven percent in Germany in 2005, it has now risen to well over ten percent.

But how is stearin made into a candle?

Mostly stearin candles are made in a casting process. For this, the wax is heated and poured into the respective mold together with the wick. But stearin candles can also be pressed, drawn and extruded like paraffin candles. Enriched with color or fragrance and provided with a wick, the raw material creates light for all the senses and every season.

Stearin is not only more environmentally friendly than paraffin. Candles made from this raw material also burn longer and are usually more decorative, as the surface of the candle crystallizes due to a certain preparation process for the stearin. This makes stearin candles a particularly decorative element for the home. In addition, stearin candles are more dimensionally stable when exposed to heat and do not bend as quickly. Stearin candle scraps, which only contain natural or nature-identical dyes, can be composted and are biodegradable.

The special thing about the stearin that CREMER supplies to its customers: It is RSPO-certified. The "Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil" (RSPO) wants to make the sustainable production of palm oil the norm. CREMER OLEO is listed there, so that customers can follow the progress made in a transparent and comprehensible manner. RSPO-certified palm oil is so-called "good palm (kernel) oil".  It is sourced from farmers who have committed themselves to comply with occupational safety and environmental protection regulations.

The more sustainable candle production is growing steadily. CREMER supports this development with high-quality raw materials, so that the Advent season is not only cosy but also more environmentally friendly.

Pictures: Candle Factory