Soft-Touch Folding Cartons

The Challenge

Fab CBD, a premium hemp product brand, sought to enhance the sustainability of their packaging without compromising its luxurious look and feel. Their existing folding cartons were made from paperboard with a soft-touch laminate, which offered a rich texture and sophisticated aesthetic. However, the laminate contained plastic, reducing the cartons’ recyclability. Fab CBD needed a solution that would maintain the high-end finish that the soft-touch laminate provided while eliminating plastic to align with their sustainability goals.

 

The Solution

Wynalda Packaging developed an innovative solution that met both the sustainability and aesthetic requirements. Instead of using soft-touch laminated paperboard, we transitioned to a standard 18pt SBS paperboard and used soft-touch coating to achieve the desired texture.

While a single layer of soft-touch coating provides a smooth, refined finish, it doesn’t quite match the rich, tactile feel of a laminate. To truly replicate that premium texture, we applied the soft-touch coating twice, using a second pass on press. The result was a remarkably luxurious tactile experience, virtually indistinguishable from a laminate, but without the plastic film.

To further enhance the sustainability of this project, we used an aqueous soft-touch coating rather than a UV coating. This water-based alternative reduces the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during drying and is more biodegradable and recyclable, making it a smarter, more eco-friendly choice.

The Results

The redesigned packaging successfully maintained Fab CBD’s premium aesthetic while reducing the environmental impact.

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