Soy Wax Candle

Soy wax candles represent a plant-based alternative to petroleum-derived paraffin candles, manufactured from hydrogenated soybean oil through industrial processing. While marketed as environmentally preferable, these products carry significant embedded emissions from agricultural production, chemical processing, and global supply chain activities.

Material Composition Assumptions

A typical soy wax candle weighing approximately 250 grams contains the following components:

• Hydrogenated soybean oil: 220g (88%) - forms the primary combustible wax base
• Cotton or paper wick: 5g (2%) - provides controlled flame pathway
• Fragrance oils or essential oils: 15g (6%) - delivers scent during burning
• Trace burn quality additives: 10g (4%) - improves flame stability and wax pooling characteristics

The hydrogenated soybean oil undergoes chemical modification to achieve appropriate melting point and burning properties for candle applications.

Manufacturing Geography

Primary production occurs in the United States and Brazil, representing the world’s largest soybean cultivation regions. The United States dominates soy wax processing with an electrical grid intensity of 0.42 kg CO₂e per kilowatt-hour, driven by mixed fossil fuel and renewable generation sources.

American manufacturing facilities benefit from established agricultural supply chains and proximity to major soybean growing states. Brazilian production carries higher transportation emissions when serving global markets, while benefiting from lower labor costs and expanding agricultural capacity.

Regional Variation

Manufacturing Region	Grid Intensity	Estimated CCI Score	Adjustment vs Default
United States	0.42 kg CO₂e/kWh	42	Baseline
Brazil	0.28 kg CO₂e/kWh	52	+24% (deforestation impacts)
European Union	0.31 kg CO₂e/kWh	38	-10% (certified sustainable soy)
Argentina	0.35 kg CO₂e/kWh	45	+7% (transportation distances)
Canada	0.38 kg CO₂e/kWh	41	-2% (cleaner processing energy)

Provenance Override Guidance

Suppliers can submit the following data types to override the default CCI score:

1. Certified sustainable soybean sourcing documentation with deforestation-free supply chain verification
2. Processing facility energy consumption records with renewable electricity procurement contracts
3. Transportation distance measurements from soybean farms through wax processing to final manufacturing
4. Agricultural input intensity data including fertilizer application rates and pesticide usage per hectare
5. Hydrogenation process efficiency metrics with energy consumption per kilogram of finished wax produced

Methodology Notes

• The CCI score represents cradle-to-gate emissions including soybean cultivation, chemical processing, and manufacturing stages
• Scope 3 emissions dominate the profile due to intensive agricultural inputs and land use impacts associated with soybean production
• Functional unit assumes a standard 250-gram candle with typical burn duration of 40-50 hours
• Combustion emissions during consumer use phase are excluded from the manufacturing footprint assessment
• Regional deforestation impacts create substantial variation in upstream agricultural emissions, particularly for Brazilian sourcing
• Genetic modification prevalence in soybean cultivation introduces herbicide application impacts not captured in basic agricultural models
• Transportation distances from global soybean production regions to processing facilities represent significant emissions variability