• Candles made from beeswax are the most sustainable if they have not been transported over long distances.
• Candles made from vegetable or animal raw materials that are produced during food production are also recommended.
• Manufacturers often do not provide any information about the ingredients. If you don't want to make the effort, ask retailers for information on the composition.
• Buy tea lights without an aluminum casing to avoid waste. Reusable tea light holders made of glass or stainless steel are available as a replacement for the disposable cover.

is the second most important raw material for candle production and is obtained from vegetable or animal fats. Palm oil is most commonly used for this purpose, and large areas of tropical rainforest are cleared for its cultivation, with disastrous consequences for the environment. The RSPO seal ("Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil") at least helps to ensure that cultivation areas are no longer cleared in the wild and that minimum social standards are observed during cultivation - monocultures and forest loss remain a problem. Many candles contain mixtures of kerosene and stearin, even if they are sold as pure stearin candles.

Candles made from beeswax are the most natural, but also the most expensive option. There is a reason for the high price: as a bee only produces a few milligrams of it in the course of its life, around 150,000 bees have to work to produce one kilogram of wax. Particularly cheap beeswax candles often have long transportation routes behind them and come from China, South America or South Africa.

are renewable raw materials such as rapeseed oil, soybean oil or animal fats. These substances often come from leftovers from food production.

• RAL Quality Mark: Candles with this quality mark burn with little soot and smoke. They also contain no harmful substances. The seal makes no statement about the environmental balance, but ensures better indoor air.
• Burning candles produce nitrogen oxides and soot. In higher concentrations, these substances can be harmful to health. Regular ventilation is recommended.

Leftover wax can be put to good use. When melted down, they can be used to make new candles. Alternatively, the leftovers can be passed on: The Umweltladen collects them in its recycling station and the candle manufacturer Sinnlicht uses them to make environmentally friendly recycled candles. From December, selected recycled candles from Sinnlicht will be available directly from the Umweltladen.