JACKSON FRANKE

Jackson Franke is just a guy from Bentonville, Arkansas. He’s lived in the area for 23 years and enjoys long bike rides, nice sunsets, and a sharp cheddar cheese. He is interested in sociology and sustainable design, exploring the two systems and how they are intertwined. A passion for the conservation and the environment help drive his design work in hope of helping to build a more ecologically sustainable future.

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“FRANKLY, PACKAGE DESIGN NEEDS VISUAL STANDARDS TO COMMUNICATE A PRODUCT’S ECOLOGICAL IMPACT.” 

Consumers increasingly prefer to purchase sustainable and healthy products. However, most evidence about consumer preferences is based on self-reported purchases rather than consumers’ actual purchases. Brands wanting to market their sustainability are faced with incomplete consumer data and in turn a lack of awareness for customers and their ecological footprint. 

Waste disposal and sustainability in modern society have piqued Jackson Franke’s interest over the last couple of years. While reading 1971’s Design for the Real World by Victor Papanek, a quote jumped out at him: “That which we throw away, we fail to value. When we design and plan things to be discarded, we exercise insufficient care in designing or considering safety factors.” As designers, we need to facilitate environmentally-conscious design practices for each step of a product’s lifecycle to ensure a zero-waste result. Pollution of our environment is permanent and extremely detrimental to ecosystems. Humans are currently drastically changing the geography of the earth, and it is critical now more than ever we construct a sustainable system to dispose of our waste.

We currently have systems to collect waste. Products have various labels to sort the items, and then it is disposed of according to the material of the product. A product will usually have some sort of eco-label or certification on it; for instance something being recyclable, compostable, USDA organic, fair-trade, or carbon-neutral. If we are to work towards a zero-waste society, it is integral we condense these eco-labels and certifications into a strict packaging system requirement, similar to nutritional facts. A meter to measure products’ ecological footprint will help inform consumers of its environmental impact, whether that be positive or negative. 

Customers have purchasing power and practicing conscious consumerism can create a new standard for packaging and waste disposal in general. Accessibility is a key factor in this concept for people to understand the information and feel responsible for their waste. Jackson’s design focuses on how we can reduce waste using existing systems while seamlessly building upon them. Convincing someone to care can be the hardest part of any challenge, so the design solution must be clear and dependable for the customer and the environment.