Akoa Boutique

Proudly based in Toronto, Ontario, Akoa Boutique uses organic soy wax, eco-friendly wooden wicks, phthalate-free fragrance oils, and recyclable glass jars to make their small-batch candles. Akoa believes in sustainability, without compromising quality.

What was your reason for working with TreeEra to plant trees? How do trees fit into Akoa Boutique’s mission?

TreeEra takes a complex subject like climate change and offers a simple and effective way people can take action. Carbon pollution is a serious threat to the Earth’s climate. Planting trees are one major natural way of cleaning carbon pollution from our air, sequester it in the ground, and help fight against climate change. Working with TreeEra to plant trees will allow Akoa Boutique to contribute to a better, healthier planet, and an improved tomorrow.

Since Akoa Boutique’s launch, we have strived to promote and practice sustainability. Tree planting is important to us as it not only improves our health and wellbeing but also combats climate change. One tree can make a difference, and at Akoa Boutique, we desire nothing but a better tomorrow.

What are some other businesses that you think are doing well in the environmental space?

Bottlenone is run by two sisters from Canada and is currently making a big difference in the hair and cosmetic industry. All their products are plastic-free. They aim to reduce plastic consumption whilst offering shampoo bars that are free of SLS, SCS, Phthalates, and Parabens.

The Bare Market is also another company that we have been following. It is Toronto’s one-stop shop for package-free goods and groceries. The Bare Market’s mission is to help reduce waste. They intend to make sustainable and ethical living easy and accessible for everyone, everywhere. I truly believe that big supermarkets will soon be replaced by sustainability-focused stores like The Bare Market and it is definitely for the better!

What does climate change mean to Akoa Boutique?

Climate change to us is when society’s day-to-day actions have adverse effects on the average climate conditions around the world. From how we travel to work, to what companies we decide to support are all contributing factors to the climate change the earth is experiencing. It takes a collective effort to slow down the effect humans are having on the planet’s climate. Planting one tree can provide a proven and effective solution to climate change and that is why we are proud to be a part of TreeEra’s goal of planting over 1 billion trees! It takes a community to make it happen and we are driven to be part of that change!

Do you have any other tips on how to incorporate sustainability into one’s everyday life?

The biggest tip we can suggest is to start off by analyzing your ecological footprint. It’s very easy to get caught up in the latest sustainable ‘trends’ (which is great, don’t get us wrong), but understanding your daily consumption habits will help you paint a holistic picture of how sustainable your lifestyle actually is. There are many free ecological footprint calculator applications online that take less than a minute to fill out and can help highlight where there is room for improvement in your day-to-day life. Everybody lives their life under different circumstances and not one tip will work for everyone. Understanding your ecological footprint, then adjusting the factors that you can control such as eating less meat, biking to work, or generating less trash, is a great place to start.