Jack Flynn is a 23-year-old who took a college project, involving hemp backpacks, and turned it into a career. Jack Flynn grew up in Attleboro, Massachusetts, participating in Varsity Ice Hockey and Soccer, music lessons and performed in many rock bands. He attended Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, concentrating in Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Development, partaking in Club Ice Hockey, Sustainability Club, Ski & Snowboard Club, Jazz Collective (drummer), and Radio Club (co-president). The current owner, Jack, saw this project as an opportunity to begin a lifelong business that combines his love for sales and marketing, sustainability, and adventure. The company, Pure World, started as a class project and progressed into something so much more. This brand directly aligns with the #UNLITTER morals of environmental and self-awareness.
Babson College requires all of its students to start a business during their freshman year. His team consisted of 14 students internationally. When the team came across these backpacks, they were sold at small street stands. The co-founder Ana was a Nepalese native who connected the team to a family friend in Kathmandu in 2017. This resulted in a partnership between Flynn and a family-run company in Nepal to sell Pure World backpacks. Little did he know, his practice running a business through the #1 Entrepreneurship Program in the United States would guide him to a successful, sustainable company. He started connecting with friends, traveling, and having photoshoots embodying their slogan.
Where will your bag take you?
This idea progressed into a community that symbolizes adventure and free-spiritedness, allowing for connection and inspiration, resulting in life-long experiences that leave an ever-lasting impact. Jack embodies the adventurous premise of PureWorld by traveling all over the world. His favorite travel moments include staying in a small surf town in Mexico, solo traveling from Berlin, Germany to Bangkok, Thailand, and road-tripping around the United States.
Pure World got so well-known that they needed a new supplier. They aligned with a responsible manufacturer that consists of roughly 130 Nepalese men and women in Kathmandu. This supplier optimizes social responsibility, directly aligning with #UNLITTER values.
I had the honor of interviewing the man behind Pure World.
He was motivated to collaborate with #UNLITTER because,
“We saw it was going after the same mission to create a more pure world, so we are better off working together than apart.”
When it comes to #unlittering your mind, the company provides the workers with daily meditation sessions, motivational counseling, and ten days of paid annual vacation. When it comes to #unlittering yourself, the company provides the workers with free daily lunch, occupational health, and safety training. Other benefits for the workers include personal finance classes, local disaster relief efforts, and student scholarships. When it comes to #unlittering the Earth, the company creates hand-crafted backpacks made in Nepal with 100% organic hemp that is biodegradable, BPA-free, and nontoxic.
The hemp aligns with #UNLITTER values because Flynn uses hemp for its sustainability and strength. He realized the importance of this product and the people who made them stating the decision was, “amazing for the economy and high social responsibility.” His business allows him to help the struggling Nepalese economy, as he invests 60-70 hours a week into this business.
Jack Flynn will have reached 1,825 of business on January 1st and, although he is just getting started, Flynn realized that when it comes to energy, quantity can be better than quality. Fynn feels that quality and quantity should not be intertwined because you should always be striving for quality. The number of hours put in is directly proportional to your success.
"Success isn't always defined by profits. Success can also be determined by your personal growth."
When talking about how he incorporates #UNLITTER into his daily life, he states that he enjoys, “getting a breath of fresh air without any screens.” Some of his off-screen interests include playing with my dogs outside, one physical activity every day, and playing the guitar. Furthermore, he spends time reading books like The Four Hour Work Week, which focuses on strategizing one’s goals and adjusting your perspective. Furthermore, learning new skills is a hobby he enjoys, such as his desire to learn karate in Japan.
His advice for those on the journey towards creating a Pure World, his advice would be,
"There are a lot of things that you can be pessimistic about, but optimism will be the solution.”
Flynn is currently in Nepal, filming a documentary that will discuss where the backpacks are made, shedding light on the difficulties in Nepal and showing the positive impact that his company can have on the world.
Keep your eyes out for Pure World company on the #UNLITTER marketplace, where you can purchase from this brand with a discount code! #UNLITTER looks forward to seeing how you can embody #UNLITTER habits with the addition of a sustainable Pure World product!
