Why is Tortoiseshell Apothecary a sustainable choice?

Sustainability is not a one-size-fits-all kind of label. I like to think of sustainability as a life philosophy. For me, that means that I seek to reduce my waste, reuse what I have, and leave as positive of an impact on the people and environment around me. We are, after all, a part of our environments, rather than something removed from them or above them, as our modern disconnection from nature might imply.

For my business, I wanted to focus on practices that embody slow and sustainable living to me. I cannot produce as many products as a retail store, but you can be sure that each one was hand-crafted by someone paid a fair wage under non-exploitative conditions (me!).

But here are some of the other reasons we're a more sustainable choice:

- All of our supplies are purchased in bulk sizes to reduce packaging waste

- All orders are shipped using recycled materials for packaging whenever possible (reused boxes, newspapers, plastic shipping materials, etc)

- All soy wax is 100% pure and American-made, meaning that the emissions from transport are lower, and that you are not supporting the fossil-fuel industry through purchasing petroleum products (most retail candles are made from paraffin wax, which is made from petroleum).

- All candle vessels are reused. Some were passed down by friends and family,  purchased secondhand, or made from containers designed to be used once and then tossed into the landfill.

- All essential oils are 100% fragrance-free and bottled in glass. Empty bottles are cleaned and either reused or set aside for local glass recycling.

Why is Tortoiseshell Apothecary a healthier choice?

Words like "toxic," "natural," "chemical," and "plant-based" are often used rather flippantly regarding home and body products, making it difficult for the average consumer to know what's healthy for their family and what isn't.

To help take some of that guesswork out of the equation, we seek to make preservative-free products with simple, high-quality ingredients.

Part of why I started this business is to make products that didn't irritate my eyes and skin or give me a migraine from artificial scents. That, and I was concerned with the length of ingredients I didn't fully understand on my product labels.

When burning a candle, you end up breathing in the residue in the air. To be transparent, burning ANY candle can potentially be harmful. But when you're burning a candle from us, you can rest assured that we never use petroleum-based waxes, heavy metal-core wicks, or artificial fragrances with unspecified ingredients in our products. 

Want to learn more about how to approach sustainable living?

You can read our blog, It's Not Easy Being Green, by clicking the blog tab on our website. It includes things like practical tips for reducing waste in your home, plant-based cooking ideas, climate news & commentary, environmental book reviews, and more!