Case Study · 5 min read · November 2025
Case Study: How Lovato Halved Packaging Cost and Went Plastic-Free
A boutique candle brand consolidated three suppliers into a single rigid box — 50% lower unit cost and zero plastic in the unboxing.
Lovato Candles grew from a kitchen-table operation to 40,000 candles a year in under three seasons. Their original packaging — a printed rigid box, separate cellophane wrap, plastic insert, and tissue — couldn't scale. Here's how a single structural rebuild cut both cost and plastic to zero.
The problem
Three SKUs across three suppliers meant three sets of MOQs, three lead times, and a 14-day assembly window before every retail drop. Unit pack cost had crept to 22% of the candle's wholesale price.
Customer reviews flagged the cellophane shrink wrap as 'wasteful' — a brand-trust risk for an eco-positioning candle.
The redesign
We replaced the four-component pack with a single FSC rigid box featuring an integrated cradle die-cut from the same board. The cradle holds the candle, removing the plastic insert entirely.
The lid uses a friction-fit closure with a paper seal band in place of cellophane — tamper-evident, fully recyclable, and printed with the burn-time and pour-batch info.
Results
Unit pack cost dropped 50%, lead time dropped from 6 weeks across three vendors to 3 weeks single-vendor, and the assembly step was eliminated entirely.
Lovato's next collection scaled to 12 SKUs on the same structural template — only the print artwork changes between scents.