Bolsius and Intratuin focus on waste-free candles

Large-scale activation at 55 locations in the Netherlands to promote a more sustainable approach to creating atmosphere

Annually, approximately 3.5 million scented candles are sold in Dutch supermarkets and drugstores*, many of which come in single-use glassware. Typically, after use, this glass, along with the wax residues, ends up in the glass or waste bin. Candle maker Bolsius and green expert Intratuin join forces to demonstrate that there is a more sustainable way. During the National Climate Week, they kick off a large-scale activation and set up Candle Swap Stations in 55 Intratuin branches, where everyone can exchange old candle remnants and glass holders for a discount on the purchase of a Bolsius CleanLight starter kit. The innovative, refillable candle holder with a special design that minimizes both glass and wax waste. The collected glass holders will be processed into raw materials by waste expert Van Kaathoven, while The Upcycle will transform the wax into new products.

Pioneering to reduce waste

In a joint effort to raise awareness and highlight refill alternatives, Bolsius and Intratuin are joining forces. For three weeks, consumers can drop off wax residues, such as remnants of pillar candles or dinner candles, as well as old glass candle holders. As a reward, they will receive a discount on the purchase of a Bolsius CleanLight starter kit. With the introduction of this innovation in 2022, the candle maker took a significant step towards sustainability in its range. Thanks to the special, patented design of the glass candle holder, each refill burns completely, allowing the holder to be refilled time and time again without wasting wax or glass. After approximately eight refills, one kilogram of glass is already saved, and if everyone switches to refilling, the innovation will result in an annual saving of over 500,000 kilograms of glass**.

Sustainable Consumption

Both the candle maker and the green expert feel responsible for offering consumers a more sustainable alternative within the range. “At Bolsius, we embrace innovation and collaboration to bring about positive change. This partnership with Intratuin fits well into our ambitious sustainability strategy, in which we strive to reduce waste in the life cycle of our products, such as candle remnants and packaging. In our chains, we are constantly working on impactful innovations, and we are determined to offer our customers responsible and innovative solutions,” says Marco-Paul Meinen, CEO of Bolsius. Peter Paul Kleinbussink, director of Intratuin, adds: “At Intratuin, it is of great importance to continuously make our range more sustainable and to assist consumers in making future-proof choices. With this initiative, we can make a direct positive impact on people at home.” For the processing of the collected glass, Bolsius and Intratuin collaborate with waste specialist Van Kaathoven. The collected candle wax is transformed into new candle products by partner The Upcycle.

Innovation with plant-based candle wax

Bolsius is launching two new products for CleanLight this month:

–          CleanLight unscented

–          CleanLight Bergamot & Neroli

Like the other candles in the line, these new variants are partially made with natural vegan wax, consisting of a combination of rapeseed and/or sunflower oil, and without palm oil. The CleanLight refill range already included four other scent combinations: cypress & amber, grapefruit & ginger, gardenia & fig, and cedarwood & vetiver.

The activation runs from October 30th to November 19th, and in exchange for turning in wax residues or old glass candle holders, consumers will receive a 50% discount on the innovative Bolsius CleanLight holder. More information about the activation can be found on Acties | Bolsius Consumer.

* Source: Nielsen NL, July 2023

** Calculation based on the refillable CleanLight candle holder and number of households, GfK NL, March 2023.