14 Ways GoodLight Does Good Things

April 15, 2024

That GoodStuff

What does a company that claims to “do good” mean to you?

At GoodLight, our core values are the pillars of our brand. And that’s because our care for you, the Planet, and our collective future extends to our craft.

We want our customers to feel empowered by their own capital. Because the support lended to brands that genuinely care about their products and impact generates a new standard of accountability.

A standard for quality and excellence, eco-responsibility, and affordability.

And this can start with something as small as a candle.

Join us in our clean-candle quest to provide exceptional products that help set a new criteria — from wax to wick. And, to the world.

14 Ways

In case you haven’t heard, it’s Earth Day AND our 14th birthday! To ring in another year of loving our Planet (and being dedicated Planet-residents), here are 14 ways we’ve been doing GoodThings:

Straightforward, natural ingredients (that you can probably pronounce)

No weird stuff, just clean, plant-based ingredients.

Paraffin-free formulation

Accessible and inexpensive, paraffin is widely used for large-scale production of wax candles. We’re committed to avoiding petroleum byproducts so you can breathe easy knowing your candles are paraffin-free. Get our insights on paraffin here.

Affordability

Because the clean candle experience shouldn’t be cost-prohibitive... ALL of our products are under $25, excluding gift box sets.

Transparency

We value an open dialogue about our practices, so you know exactly what your dollar is supporting.

Want to learn more about our initiatives? Send us an email!

Plastic-free packaging

We choose plastic-free packaging because, let’s be honest, there’s *quite* enough plastic in the world already.

Reusable vessels

From 2- and 6-ounce travel tin candles, to 8 ounce frosted white glass jars, every vessel in our candle collection was designed to be repurposed. Some customers turn their 3- or 7-ounce amber apothecary jars into desktop organizers or spice jars. Others convert their empty 8 ounce ceramic Love & Light jars into planters. Read up on more ideas for reusing your eco-elegant containers in our blog.

Bonus: Download our label template for 2" Avery labels, perfect for jars and 2 ounce tin tops.

Air quality-awareness

As candles burn, the wax is melted and vaporized through combustion. They emit light, heat, carbon dioxide, and water vapor, all which feed the flame continuously. These compounds are also aerosolized, which affects the quality of air you’re breathing when your candle is lit.

Conventional candles are made with petroleum-based wax, which is a non-renewable resource and contains known carcinogens. Our candles are free of paraffin.

Additionally, traditional aromatic candles are made with synthetic fragrances, which contain phthalates. When released into the air, they can be absorbed through the skin or inhaled and may exacerbate existing breathing conditions or hormone levels.

All of our candles are made with pure essential oils and 100% plant-derived isolates. You can see our candles deconstructed from wax-to-wick here.

Advancing palm oil sustainability

We have always wanted GoodLight to grow positivity – for our consumers and the Planet. That’s why we developed a sourcing and manufacturing model with market-driven change in mind.

We discovered that the oil palm tree is the most efficient, inexpensive, and rapidly-renewable plant-derived candle wax base. We then set our sights on establishing our responsible participation in this controversial industry.

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) has developed a set of criteria to redress the negative impacts that palm oil production has on our planet and its inhabitants. To support the participating farmers, we buy RSPO credits for the total annual amount of palm wax we use. That money goes to pay the RSPO-certified farmers extra money for their harvest. In this way, farmers are financially incentivized to participate in responsible and restorative cultivation practices.

We are proud to be a small company that has been helping progress the global movement towards sustainable oil palm agriculture per the Independent Smallholder Standard set by the RSPO. See more about GoodLight and the RSPO here.

And, there’s our partnership with WildAsia, an organization that creates innovative solutions for sustainable development practices. They are dedicated to including all stakeholders, including smallholder farmers, into their strategy and execution.

As consumers, your dollars have been extended to directly fund an exciting pilot program of WildAsia, the BIO Farm Initiative. This is a coalition of 51 smallholder farmers in Sabah, Malaysia, who are participating in the reformation of the palm oil industry as a more sustainable and economically dependable resource. They receive education and guidance from WildAsia, thanks to your purchase of GoodLight products.

See more about this initiative in our support for environmental causes (#10 below).

Carbon offsetting initiatives

Since our founding, we have offset 1500 metric tons of carbon! This could be compared to neutralizing the annual CO2 emissions from electricity use in approximately 225 American homes.

Beginning with the first candle that we sold in 2010, we calculated the carbon emissions from the delivery of every single GoodLight order shipped to our customers.

Through our partnership with Carbonfund, we have offset these emissions through their reforestation projects. For us, carbon-neutrality is simply the cost of doing Good business.

Support for environmental causes

Since 2022, we have been funding WildAsia’s BIO Farm Initiative to team up with 51 of WildAsia’s smallholder farmers in a High Conservation Value area of Malaysia. These farmers are taught regenerative agricultural practices such as tea composting and biochar as soil amendments.

The result has been the establishment of healthy, chemical-free farms with lucrative yields on a controllable scale. In turn, farmers are able to rely on their livelihoods to meet their short and long-term objectives.

Perhaps most importantly, this program is immediately addressing the need for conservation and sustainability interventions in one of the most biodiverse and vulnerable places in the world. In particular, the population of wild orangutans has been significantly diminished due to the impacts of unsustainable palm oil production.

Therefore, we donate 1% of our annual sales to our partners at the Orangutan Land Trust (OLT) -- an NGO at the forefront of identifying immediate stressors to orangutans and actively ensuring their long-term survival.

According to the 2023 annual report from the OLT, our donations have funded these projects through the Borneo Nature Foundation & Conservation Action Network:

Rescued and translocated 24 animals, including 17 orangutans, from emergencies such as natural disasters, human traps, or deforestation driven by coal mining.

Caring for and rehabilitating wildlife. The rescue center is presently sheltering 14 displaced and endangered animals, with the goal of retaining their natural behaviors for return to the wild. The construction of a new research camp is currently underway in Kalimantan, Indonesia.

48 new dams built within Sebangau National Park, contributing to efforts to restore the hydrology of the peat and reduce the risk of fire throughout the National Park and its surrounding land.

Partnership with Breast Cancer Prevention Partners

We’ve donated $16,000 (and thousands of candles!) to this incredible cohort of activists that share our desire to live our lives free from environmental toxins.Enjoy our LOVE story here.

Non-profit support

Across our 14 years as a company, we have sought and supported a litany of small nonprofits and home-grown fundraisers across the country for causes that align with our mission. Here are a few to whom we’ve extend our efforts:

Telluride organizations needing candles for fundraisers, such as the Telluride Aids Benefit & Telluride Education Foundation, Breast Cancer organizations such Protect Our Breasts & Mombies supporting the Cancer Couch, and Health & Wellness organizations such as Wellness4Every1 & a gal that was running the Boston Marathon and raising funds for a rehab hospital.

Integrity

Consciousness of our overall footprint is a value embedded in us. Ours is a brand name you can trust for environmental responsibility and quality. That’s why you can find us on Amazon with 4+ star reviews on every product.

Purveyors of Positivity

Our whole journey as a company began because of our love of natural candles. Filling your space with the light of a mindfully-crafted, eco-conscious candle is the kind of simple pleasure we wanted to continue to be a part of.

Maybe you’re buying yourself something to make your space extra special. Make it a bespoke self-care experience with a scent that helps you feel like your space is yours.

Or perhaps you want to gift someone a candle that lets them know you’re thinking about them. Every time they light it, you’ll be on their mind, too.

Mother Earth

Making and sharing candles won’t change the world, but while we’re here, our light will always be a positive one. We want to keep the candle aflame - that’s GoodLight.

It’s no accident that we honor our company’s birthday on Earth Day. Every candle we make is with respect to the resources needed to create it. And we’ll take credit for the care given to craft it.

It’s extra special to us that Mother’s Day so closely follows Earth Day. If you’re a Whole Foods Market shopper, keep an eye out this May for an in-store deal that’s especially sweet for Amazon Prime members!