Packaging
Candle containers are primarily glass jars (for signature and luxury candles) or metal tins (for travel-sized candles), all of which are recyclable. The brand’s wholesale listings explicitly describe the products as “Plastic-free, Recycled, and Vegan.” The only plastic one might encounter is the spray mechanism on room mist bottles, but candle packaging itself is essentially plastic-free.
Ingredient Sustainability
The candles use a coconut-soy wax instead of paraffin. This is a plant-based wax made from coconut oil (often a waste byproduct of coconut farming) and U.S.-grown soybeans, which are “grown without the use of GMOs”. By avoiding petroleum-derived paraffin wax, Applewood significantly lowers the environmental footprint of its candles. The wax is biodegradable and supports sustainable agriculture (claimed but not independently verified) rather than fossil fuel extraction. The soy is sourced from local farmers in the USA, reducing transport emissions and ensuring no deforestation for plantations (since U.S. soy farming is highly regulated and the brand specifically notes it’s non-GMO and sustainably grown). Coconut cultivation can raise sustainability questions (e.g., if linked to deforestation or intensive water use), but Applewood implies their wax supplier operates responsibly (the wax is “sustainably created in the USA”). There is no palm wax or other high-risk crop in their wax blend, avoiding a major source of deforestation common in some candle blends. The wicks are made of wood from FSC-certified mills in the U.S., which means the wood is harvested in accordance with sustainable forestry practices.
While the brand does not explicitly state whether fragrances are plant-derived essential oils or synthetic aroma compounds, it’s likely a mix of both. Many “clean fragrance” blends use synthetic components that are certified to be non-toxic (for humans and the environment) in order to achieve certain scents that natural oils cannot. Applewood provides some transparency by listing fragrance notes (e.g. vetiver, cedarwood, rose, etc.), which suggests at least some plant-derived components, and by clearly stating what is not in the fragrances.
Energy Use and Footprint
Applewood Candle Co.’s carbon and energy footprint benefits from its localized, small-scale operations, but the brand has room to improve in terms of measurement and mitigation of emissions. On the positive side, Applewood hand-produces all products in-house in Metamora, Michigan. This means there’s no overseas manufacturing and minimal transportation in the production phase.
However, despite these inherent advantages, Applewood does not provide any public data or targets on greenhouse gas emissions. There is no transparency regarding the brand’s own energy use or carbon footprint. The website and public materials make no mention of renewable energy sourcing (for example, powering their studio with solar or wind) or of carbon offsetting programs.
Waste Management
On the production side, Applewood’s small-batch model inherently avoids overproduction and excessive inventory that could end up as waste. Candles are made in limited quantities, often tied to seasonal demand or subscription boxes.
Despite these positive steps, the brand does not have a formal take-back or recycling program for its products. For example, some candle companies offer to take back empty jars for refilling or to recycle them properly, but Applewood has no such system publicly in place. They rely on the consumer to recycle or reuse, which not all customers will do. There is also no indication of Applewood incorporating upcycled or recycled materials into the candles themselves.
Business Model
The brand was built on the concept of improving well-being (for the founder and her pet) rather than on capitalizing on fleeting trends, and this ethos carries into how they develop and sell products. Product launch frequency at Applewood is relatively measured. The brand maintains a core collection (e.g., the “Timeless Collection” of classic scents) and supplements these with seasonal or limited collections a few times a year (Autumn scents, Holiday editions, etc.). New scent launches are purposeful and tied to seasons or specific inspirations, not a constant churn of new products. In fact, Applewood explicitly states it chose to have a “smaller scent library” in favor of maintaining high-integrity ingredients and a more complex, slow-crafted production process.
