FRACTAL - A TRANSDISCIPLINARY METHOD FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF FOOD PACKAGING IN LOCAL AGRI-FOOD SYSTEMS WITH A FOCUS ON SUSTAINABILITY

Abstract

This study addresses the theoretical and methodological gap between the development of food packaging and the realities of Local Agri-Food Systems (LAFS). The objective was to devise an original and transdisciplinary design method that systematically integrates technical, sociocultural, and environmental dimensions in order to transform agri-food products into assets for territorial development. The research, which was applied in nature and qualitative in approach, combined narrative review and action research principles, resulting in a method called "Fractal." The original contribution of this theoretical-practical framework, in contrast to conventional approaches, lay in the systematization of a framework with fifteen dimensions of analysis to a multidimensional sustainability model-based on financial, environmental, shared, and creative economies-and in the centrality of co-creation with local actors. The approach also included an operational roadmap and diagnostic tools with 137 criteria. It is concluded that the method repositions packaging as a socio-technical communication device for development, offering a path for strategic design to strengthen the autonomy of rural producers, territorial identity, and the economic resilience of LAFS, in alignment with ten Sustainable Development Goals.