The purpose of this study is to examine how the oat milk company Oatly applies crisis communication strategies and rhetorical components to maintain a good reputation and legitimacy in relation to the crisis regarding the investment firm Blackstone Growth. Creating a discrepancy between the way Oatly act and the way they present themselves; Oatly is presented as a sustainable company while Blackstone has been criticized to jeopardize environmental and human rights issues. The study provides three research questions: 1) How does Oatly apply CSR to their work and how can their sustainability work be related to the company’s crisis communication? 2) How is Oatly’s crisis communication portrayed in relation to the debated crisis regarding Blackstone Growth, based on IRT and SCCT? and 3) How does Oatly use rhetorical concepts in their crisis communication to maintain and construct their reputation? The material on which the study is based consists of press releases and sustainability reports published by Oatly as well as statements published in several articles made by the company CEO and communications manager. Based on a critical approach, the theoretical framework consists of the ideas from Corporate Social Responsibility, Image Repair Theory and Situational Crisis Communication Theory. Through a critical rhetorical analysis, the material is analyzed using the theoretical framework. The findings show that there is a correlation between Oatly’s crisis communication and their sustainability work, which is characterized by a persuasive rhetorical approach.

Vi har genomfört en retorisk analys av Oatlys externa kommunikation under tre politiskt orienterade kriser i syfte att undersöka hur de använder olika strategier och retoriska medel för att övertyga sin publik och upprätthålla sin image. Med förtroendekris, public relations, Image Repair Theory och retorik som teoretiskt ramverk har vi kunnat identifiera hur Oatlys kommunikation förhåller sig till olika normer och strategier inom dessa teorier. Resultatet visar att det i vissa fall finns ett glapp mellan vad företaget står för och hur det agerar. De håller en aktiv och personlig kommunikation med sin publik men under kriserna visar kommunikationen att den relation Oatly har med publiken bortprioriteras. Oatly har som mål att göra sitt bästa för klimatet och för att uppnå detta riskerar de att skada förtroendet och sitt etiska rykte hos sin publik. / We have conducted a rhetorical analysis of Oatly's external communication during three politically oriented crises in order to examine how their crisis communication uses different strategies and rhetorical means to convince its audience and maintain its image. With trust crisis, public relations, Image Repair Theory and rhetorics as a theoretical framework, we have been able to identify how Oatly's communication relates to different norms and strategies within these theories. The results show that in some cases there is a gap between what the company stands for and how it acts. They maintain an active and personal communication with their audience, but during the crises, the communication shows that Oatly's relationship with the audience is de-prioritized. Oatly aims to do their best for the climate and to achieve the goal, they risk damaging the trust and ethical reputation of their audience.