athame + alchemy

Environmentally Focused

When I was thinking about what I wanted Athame to be about, my top priority was to create products that have lighter impacts on the environment. It has been a challenge to think of ways to create, package, and ship my products, but, through some trial and error, I’m happy to offer products that drastically reduce plastic waste. Additionally, I source all of my oils, soy wax, and packaging extensively to see which option is better for you and for the planet. 

 

THE PRODUCTS:

I use a blend of mostly soy with a bit of paraffin for my wax melts. I use fragrance oils to scent my wax melts. My soaps and body products are scented with both fragrance oil and essential oils. If something is made from 100% essential oil, I will label it as such. To be totally transparent about what this means, fragrance oils are produced in a lab.  I make sure that every fragrance (for wax and body) that I use is: 100% phthalate-free and that it conforms to the California prop standards. Check each listing for the specifics.

 

PACKAGING AND SHIPPING MATERIALS:

We have a plastic problem. We use it once, or for a short time, and then it hangs around for thousands of years after we have long been gone. The oceans are full of plastic. I feel guilty buying things in plastic and so I am trying really hard to just not buy it. Sometimes there are no alternatives, so, well, we have to. But I just can’t package something as short-lived and seasonal like a wax melt in something that will last for thousands of years. So, my melts come in either compostable kraft bags or compostable wax paper. 

 

Most of the paper that I use is 100% post-recycled kraft paper, including tissue paper and box-filler paper. The cardboard boxes I ship in are also 100% post-consumer recycled cardboard.

 

Recycled plastic mailers:

 

The one exception to my “no plastic” mantra is the recycled mailers that I use. I’ll explain it. So, paper shipping envelopes are very expensive, and at some point, if you are just buying a few wax melts, it doesn’t make sense for the packaging to cost more than the product. Additionally, the paper is made from trees and, yes it’s compostable, but we have a glut of used plastic that we can recycle. By using plastic mailers that are 100% post-consumer plastic waste, we are giving that plastic a new use, and creating a market for recycled plastics. And, it’s cheaper and, obviously, extremely durable. So, recycled plastic it is!

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