About Us
The Problem with Candles
Every year, Australians burn through more than 4 million candles. Most are single-use, can’t be recycled, and end up sending thousands of tonnes of glass to landfill.
CandleXchange was created in 2021 to change that.
We offer a Return & Swap range made with natural ingredients and refillable containers, so you can enjoy beautiful, non-toxic fragrances without the waste.
Through our UpCandle program, we collect used candle containers from any brand, refill them, and donate them to people rebuilding their lives. It’s a simple idea that turns something used into something meaningful.
Each swap can keep up to 1kg of non-recyclable waste out of landfill.
Better for your home, and even better for the planet and your community.
How Return & Swap Works
Create a beautiful home ambience the natural, sustainable way, on repeat.
1. Order your fragrance online or in-store.
2. Enjoy it. Made with natural ingredients in a refillable container.
3.When it's done, return the empty container by post (we cover postage, just pop it in the box your next fragrance arrives in) or drop it in-store.
4. Save 30% on your next fragrance as a thank-you for swapping.
We clean, refill, and reuse every container. No waste, just great scent.
More Than a Candle Company
CandleXchange is a certified Social Traders social enterprise, which means giving back isn't an afterthought, it's built into how we operate.
At least 50% of our profits go directly into funding the UpCandle program, helping us refill and gift candles to people rebuilding their lives after domestic violence.
Every candle you buy, every container you return, helps fund that mission, so your home fragrance habit can do a little good too.
Meet the Founders
Founders Hayley Clarke and Karen Platt have always loved candles for the relaxing home ambience, and yes, for masking the occasional household smell too.
But as their collection of empty containers grew, so did their frustration with the waste. Beautiful candles shouldn't end in landfill. That frustration became the spark for CandleXchange, a way to keep enjoying great fragrance, without the guilt.
Our Purpose
Our purpose is to inspire new ways to consume through reuse.
Reducing candle waste through our Return & Swap model and supporting domestic violence survivors through our UpCandle program.
Our Goal
By 2030, we're aiming to keep one million single-use home fragrance containers and 100 tonnes of packaging waste out of landfill.
Our Return & Swap program makes it easy: return your empty container, get 30% off your next fragrance, and we refill and reuse it, no new container required.
Our UpCandle program gives other brands' candle containers a second life. When you donate yours, we clean and refill them, then give them to people rebuilding their lives after domestic violence.
We're well on the way: thanks to our customers, we've already kept over 7 tonnes of candle containers out of landfill
Our Values
Design Out Waste - Every product and process is created to keep materials in use and out of landfill
Natural First - We choose natural, high-quality ingredients that are better for people and the planet.
Radical Transparency - We’re honest about what’s working, what’s not, and how we’re improving.
Reuse Simplified - We make reuse effortless—because sustainability should be part of everyday life
