We Were Bee-sy Making Our Very Own Beeswax Wraps!

Sustainability

Published On Thu, 27 May 2021

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You may have heard the buzz about beeswax (pardon the pun!), lauded as a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative to plastic cling wraps for food storage.

 

A beeswax wrap is made up of a combination of items – beeswax, which is a by-product when bees make their honeycomb, jojoba oil, pine resin and 100% cotton fabric. These items are then melted and coated into a fabric, to form a beeswax wrap that you can use to cover bowls or wrap foods such as fruit or vegetables.

 

Apart from being used to make a candle and for a full suite of health/skincare benefits, did you know that beeswax is environmentally friendly too?

 

On Thursday, 22 April 2021, we embarked on a Beeswax Wrap workshop, in partnership with BambooStrawGirl and Oh Honey! Japan, to craft our own beeswax wrap.

 

A fun fact about beeswax wraps is that they have been used for food storage since ancient times! There is no surprise that using beeswax wraps actually has a lot of benefits!

 

In particular:

1.    They are easy to clean due to their antibacterial properties

2.    They are easy to use and carry around

3.    They can help to keep food fresher longer – i.e. cut fruits and vegetables

 

And most importantly, it is reusable, making it eco-friendly!

To kickstart the workshop – which had over 20 participants – Mel (@bamboostrawgirl) and Sarah (@ohhbbw) shared their sustainability journey.

 

Their stories were inspiring and insightful, and definitely left a mark in the participants’ hearts.

 

Mel also shared how to reduce food waste (one of the biggest waste streams in Singapore!), and one tip was to adopt smart food storage and preparation practices by using beeswax wrap.

 

 

Here are the 3 things we have learnt on how to use the beeswax wrap:

1. Use the warmth of our hands to soften the wrap so that it becomes pliable.

2. Wrap it around the shape of what we would like to store, e.g. a bowl.

3. Fold the wrap into a folder to place our food in.

Shortly after came the fun part – making our own beeswax wraps!

 

 

 

All participants received their craft kits the day before.

In the kit, we were each given two recycled fabrics, baking sheets, a free bamboo toothbrush, a personalised note with instructions, and a bag full of sweet-smelling beeswax! – What a steal for S$15 (exclusively for CapitaLand tenants)

 

Mel guided the participants carefully throughout the process of creating the beeswax wrap, including how to use a warm clothes iron to melt the beeswax into the fabric.

 

A simple, yet tedious task!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone left the workshop with newfound sustainability tips, and most importantly with their very own beeswax wraps. They also shared on how they have been using it for food storage, as beeswax wraps help to keep food fresh for longer! 

 

Photos: From participants

Photos: From participants

 

Find out the process of creating a beeswax wrap below:

 

 

If you are looking for sustainable lifestyle items or workshops, you may visit Bamboo Straw Girl and Oh Honey! Japan.

 

Keen to join our next Tabao Thursday Series? Tell us what you would like to learn about, and we will aim to make it happen!

 

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