Problemformulering och syfte: Under de senaste åren har H&M utsatts för kritik från många håll. De har anklagats för att inte alltid handla etiskt eller ta sitt sociala ansvar och har bland annat anklagats för rasism och greenwashing. Detta väckte intresse att studera hur H&M egentligen tar sitt ansvar och hur CSR-arbetet tas emot av intressenterna. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur H&M, på Instagram, kommunicerat sitt CSR-arbete i förhållande till hur de beskriver arbetet i sina års- och hållbarhetsredovisningar. Vidare undersöks hur CSR-arbetet tas emot av H&Ms intressenter. Genom teorierna sex dimensioner av CSR och Reputation Management undersökte studien förhållandet mellan H&Ms agerande och intressenternas uppfattning. Metod och material: För studien har en kombination av en kvantitativ innehållsanalys och en kvalitativ diskursanalys gjorts. Material har samlats in via kommentarer från CSR-relaterade inlägg som publicerats på Instagram under 2021 och 2022. Den kvalitativametoden har baserats på material insamlat från H&Ms års- och hållbarhetsredovisningar 2021och 2022. Huvudresultat: Huvudresultatet pekar på att H&M, i förhållande till teorin, genomför ett effektivt CSR-arbete. Men i förhållande till organisationens intressenter, verkar uppfattningen inte alltid vara densamma. I samband med att H&M publicerar Instagram-inlägg med gröna anspråk, är intressenternas reaktioner ofta negativa. Vilket kan tolkas som att CSR-arbetet i praktiken inte är så effektivt.

This study examines how H&M, Arket, and Monki communicates sustainability in their campaigns on IGTV, and how they work with sustainable marketing to highlight their ethical capital. To investigate this, a thematic semiotic analysis has been applied. Based on the analysis, the chosen theme can see how different brands communicate sustainability. The semiotic analysis is applied to interpret the meaning of the material and how the visuals can be presented as sustainable. With the help of Bourdieu's theory of capital, an in-depth analysis has been made of how the companies communicate sustainability and what potential differences could depend on. The discussion answers how companies work with sustainable marketing to highlight their ethical capital. The conclusion is that companies' sustainable marketing can increase the company’s ethical capital. On the other hand, we also conclude that campaigns cannot contribute to an ethical entrepreneurship, but merely to increased value creation for companies.

CSR has become a tool for global corporations to justify their outsourcing practices in other countries. Despite these CSR policies, reports reveal that labor rights violations are common in these supply chains, and not at least in the garment industry. The purpose of this study is therefore to explore how a global clothing company’s CSR policy on labor rights is working on the ground and which factors that influence its implementation. Interviews with factory workers and experts on the topic have taken place in one of India’s largest garment hubs. The findings are based on thematical analysis and the analysis suggests that the global brand (H&M) could improve the situation by taking certain actions though several external factors also have an affect. The responsibility for poor labor conditions needs to be divided between multiple actors who all have a duty to act within their spheres of influence. The study concludes that the underlying problem of economic exploitation must be brought to an end through increased cooperation between global companies.

Some of the most common threats in society today are climate change, struggling world economies and starving people. Today most consumers seek out sustainable products that are produced under fair conditions. These requirements on companies mean that their work with Corporate Social Responsibility is becoming increasingly important to fit consumersdemands. Previous research shows that CSR strategies are consequently used for companies work with marketing communication, partly to cope with crises but also to create a relationship with consumers and create a sustainable message to other actors. Nike and H&M are two companies that have been struggling with crises and criticism for not contributing to protection of the environment, not following standard work environment regulations and for not taking human rights into account. This study investigates, through a multimodal analysis, three separate communication materials from each company which are taken from Nike's campaign “Move to Zero” and H&M´s campaign “Buttons with impact”. This method is used to answer how the companies are implementing CSR into their campaigns. A survey is used to analyze what the consumers think of Nike´s and H&M´s work with CSR and if the two companies' CSR-strategies could be counted as successful. The results show that both Nikeand H&M are well aware of how to use CSR-strategies although the customers doesn´t appear to be convinced. Apparently some of the CSR- strategies are noticed but the fact still

I denna uppsats har jag studerat vad Corporate Social Resonsibility (sv. företags samhällsansvar) fyller för funktion när det kommer till implementeringen av de mänskliga rättigheterna i de land som multinationella företag har verksamhet i. Uppsatsen har sin utgångspunkt i, och har sin teoretiska förankring i FN:s deklaration om de mänskliga rättigheterna samt teorin om Corporate Social Responsibility. En fördjupad teoridel presenteras också där begrepp som det transnationella ansvarighetsglappet presenteras och även en kort diskussion kring den ansvarsutvidgning som skett och inte stater kan ses som enda aktörer för att förverkliga de mänskliga rättigheterna. Jag har använt mig av en kvalitativ forskningsmetod med beskrivande inslag, vilket innebär att jag genom studien haft ett tolkande synsätt på den data som använts. Jag har läst en mängd litteratur för att få en överblick över diskursen för att senare fördjupa mig i delar som jag anser är väsentliga och har passat mina frågeställningar. Jag använder företagen Hennes & Mauritz, IKEA och Volvo för att såväl illustrera som styrka mina argument. Förutom akademisk litteratur har jag använt mig av företagens års- och hållbarhetsrapporter samt en del källor hämtade från internet.Uppsatsen diskuterar vilken roll CSR fyller för de mänskliga rättigheterna. Olika exempel på CSR verksamhet diskuteras med exempel från företagens verksamhet. Bland annat lyfts för vad och för vem företagen anser sig ansvariga för och även vilka områden företagen konkret arbetar för i sitt CSR-arbete. De valda företagen har valt att ansluta sig till FN-initiativet Global Compact vilket uppsatsen också berör. Det finns många argument mot CSR och bland annat företagens motiv kritiseras. Trots att CSR står inför utmaningar när det gäller att förverkliga de mänskliga rättigheterna ser jag i min studie goda resultat av CSR-arbete. Jag ser i min slutsats ingen anledning att förkasta CSR men uttrycker att det bör ses som ett komplement till nationell lagstiftning. Ett starkt civilt samhälle och ett ökat samarbete mellan parter anser jag också är en förutsättning för att tillgodose de mänskliga rättigheterna. / In this paper I have researched the role of Corporate Social Responsibility when implementing human rights in countries where multi-national organizations act. The papers basis and theoretical foundation is the United Nation declaration of human rights along with theories regarding Corporate Social Responsibility. A deepened theoretical section will be presented where the transnational responsibility gap is explained. This section will be followed by a discussion regarding the changing area of responsibility that has take place, where not only governments should be viewed as actors when realizing the human rights. I have used a qualitative research method combined with descriptive elements. The choice of method has impacted the study be me having an interpreting point of view upon the data that has been used. Throughout the research I have studied a variety of literature in order to create an overview of the discourse. Following the literature study, I have chosen parts that I have found the most relevant and fitting for my problem. I have used the companies Hennes & Mauritz, IKEA and Volvo to exemplify as well as strengthen my arguments. In addition to academic literature I have used the companies’ annual reports, sustainability reports and sources from the Internet.The paper discusses the role of CSR when realizing human rights. A variety of examples of CSR- projects will be presented and discussed. The examples are chosen from the previously presented organizations operations. Views of for what and for whom the companies feel responsibility for and what companies actually do in their CSR-projects will be presented. The presented companies have chosen to connect themselves to the UN Global Compact initiative, the paper will also touch upon this. There is criticism against CSR, one of them is questioning the motives of the companies. Although CSR stands before a challenge when realizing human rights I have found positive results from CSR-work. In my conclusion I have found no reason to discard CSR, however it should be viewed as an addition to national law. I believe that a strong society and an increased collaboration between actors is a requirement to achieve realization of human rights.

Because of the growing pressure and expectations on companies' social and ecological responsibility from society, sustainability has become anincreasingly important aspect to integrate within companies. This study has analyzed how sustainability reporting can function as a tool for companiesto communicate their sustainability work. A content analysis was conducted on four of H&M Group’s sustainability reports from the years of 2002,2008, 2014 and 2020. Through the lens of a theoretical framework the analysis studied how the reports had changed over time, which themes couldbe distinguished and how they reflected good sustainability reporting according to science. The results of the analysis showed that H&M Group´ssustainability reports had an overall focus on responsibility, the value chain and the impact from external events. Furthermore, the focus shifted frombeing on the social aspects to including more of the ecological aspects over time. The results correlated with what science considers as good sustainability reporting. / I och med samhällets ökande press och förväntningar på företags sociala och ekologiska ansvarstagande har hållbarhet blivit en allt viktigare del förföretag att integrera. Den här studien har analyserat hur hållbarhetsrapportering kan fungera som ett verktyg för företag att kommunicera sitt hållbarhetsarbete. En innehållsanalys genomfördes på fyra av H&M Group:s hållbarhetsrapporter, år 2002, 2008, 2014 samt 2020. Genom stöd i ettteoretiskt ramverk undersöktes hur rapporterna hade förändrats över tid, vilka teman som kunde ur-skiljas samt hur de återspeglade forskningens synpå god hållbarhetsrapportering. Resultatet påvisade att H&M Group:s hållbarhetsrapporter hade ett övergripande fokus på ansvarstagande, värdekedjan samt påverkan från omvärlden. Vidare skiftade fokus från att ligga på de sociala aspekterna till de ekologiska aspekterna i rapporterna övertid. Resultatet gick i linje med vad som, enligt forskningen, anses som god rapportering.

The aim of this essay is to find out in what ways the global clothing company H&M uses political and ideological statements, such as feminism, as a sales strategy. I have noticed an expanding trend in fashion; the use of feminism as branding, and how companies such as H&M have started profiling themselves with feminism. This could be seen as a typical neoliberal-femvertising phenomenon. In this essay, I use critique of ideology, a method developed by the Frankfurt school, to examine how H&M expresses feminism through their clothes, whether H&M’s production could be considered as a feminist one, and what consequences H&M’s use of feminist ideology have on the feminist political movement. To be able to answer these questions, I use gender theory and postcolonial theory. My aim is to show how neoliberal/capitalist ideologies often contain cultural and political appropriation, where an ideology such as feminism is exploited in order to make a higher profit. My conclusion is that when companies use feminist statements in their clothing they use irony and humour to emphasize positivity, such as “girl power”, instead of confronting structural inequalities among the sexes and harmful norms and gender stereotypes within this hierarchy. The consequence of this process is that feminism is depoliticized, which is harmful to the feminist political agenda.

The aim of this essay is to find out in what ways the global clothing company H&M uses political and ideological statements, such as feminism, as a sales strategy. I have noticed an expanding trend in fashion; the use of feminism as branding, and how companies such as H&M have started profiling themselves with feminism. This could be seen as a typical neoliberal-femvertising phenomenon. In this essay, I use critique of ideology, a method developed by the Frankfurt school, to examine how H&M expresses feminism through their clothes, whether H&M’s production could be considered as a feminist one, and what consequences H&M’s use of feminist ideology have on the feminist political movement. To be able to answer these questions, I use gender theory and postcolonial theory. My aim is to show how neoliberal/capitalist ideologies often contain cultural and political appropriation, where an ideology such as feminism is exploited in order to make a higher profit. My conclusion is that when companies use feminist statements in their clothing they use irony and humour to emphasize positivity, such as “girl power”, instead of confronting structural inequalities among the sexes and harmful norms and gender stereotypes within this hierarchy. The consequence of this process is that feminism is depoliticized, which is harmful to the feminist political agenda.

In early January 2018, the clothing company H&M released a new collection for children. One of the sweaters in the collection was printed with the text "Coolest monkey in the jungle". The shirt was worn by a dark-skinned child and H&M was accused of racism. This is because the word "monkey" has historically been used as a racist slur to downgrade dark-skinned people. Throughout the scandal H&M has published an official press release, as well as a number of posts on social media, each of which affects the scandal. The purpose of the study is to analyze H&Ms crisis communication with regard to the strategies they used during the shirt scandal. The main question of the study is how did H&M's crisis communication express itself in text during the shirt scandal. The theories used in the study are William Benoit's image repair theory (2014) and Timothy Coombs Situational crisis communication theory (2007), abbreviated SCCT. The methods used are a qualitative content analysis, text analysis and a rhetorical analysis. The qualitative content analysis is based on the chosen theories, so that the survey can extract the underlying message that H&M wants to convey. While the text analysis processes the text itself and how the company wants the reader to perceive the message and how H&M’s texts interact with each other. The rhetorical analysis contributes to a deeper understanding of the text's underlying message and structure with the actual text as a starting point. The rhetorical analysis is done by analysing the text’s structure with the rhetoric disposition scheme as a starting point. H&M’s crisis communication is in this case related to what is proposed in the strategic theories of crisis communication. The main crisis communication strategies used by H&M were admitting responsibility, asking for forgiveness and corrective actions. The rhetoric analysis has shown that the press release and posts on social media have different functions. The press release make greater importance to the structure of the disposition scheme, while the social media posts rather contain certain parts, for example, a greater focus on pathos and the preparatory of counter arguments while communicating to individuals rather than the public.

The fashion industry has historically been seen as synonymous with many unsustainable practices, such as overproduction, pollution, and mass-consumption. Today, many fashion brands are putting more attention to sustainability and are engaging in activities aimed at making the industry more environmentally friendly. This study investigates three Swedish fashion businesses, H&M, Lindex, and Gina Tricot, with the purpose of examining and analyzing how they integrate circular strategies within their post-retail initiatives. Additionally, the aim is to investigate what strengths and weaknesses can be identified as related to these strategies in terms of reducing the fashion industry’s negative environmental impacts. The study is based on a content analysis of websites, documents, and policies of the fashion businesses as well as a qualitative semi-structured interview with a circular sustainability expert. By using a theoretical framework related to circular post-retail strategies as a tool of analysis, the results showed various levels of implementation of circular strategies among the businesses. Prolonging the lifespan of clothing by reusing, repairing, or re-designing, rather than repurposing and recycling, is seen as more effective in terms of environmental sustainability. Moreover, all businesses aim to inspire its consumers to make mindful choices, though the inspiration needs to be connected to an actual service if behaviors are to change. Concludingly, fashion businesses need to embrace circularity by finding new ways to profit from already existing garments through rental, repair, and re-design services to make the industry more environmentally sustainable. / Modeindustrin har historiskt setts som synonymt med många ohållbara fenomen, såsom överproduktion, föroreningar och masskonsumtion. Idag ägnar många modeföretag mer uppmärksamhet på hållbarhet och engagerar sig i aktiviteter som syftar till att göra industrin mer miljömässigt hållbar. Denna studie granskar tre svenska modeföretag, H&M, Lindex och Gina Tricot, i syfte att undersöka och analysera hur dessa integrerar cirkulära strategier i post-retail-fasen. Syftet är dessutom att identifiera och undersöka styrkor och svagheter relaterade till dessa strategier gällande dess potential att minska modeindustrins negativa miljöpåverkan. Studien bygger på en innehållsanalys av webbplatser, dokument och policys från dessa modeföretag samt en kvalitativ semistrukturerad intervju med en cirkulär hållbarhetsexpert. Genom användningen av ett teoretiskt ramverk relaterat till cirkulära post-retail strategier som ett analytiskt verktyg visar resultatet på varierande genomförandegrad av cirkulära strategier hos de olika modeföretagen. Att förlänga livslängden på kläder genom att återanvända, reparera eller designa om ses som mer effektivt när det gäller miljömässig hållbarhet snarare än att återvinna. Samtliga företag syftar även till att inspirera sina kunder till att göra hållbara val, dock måste inspirationen vara kopplad till verkliga tjänster om konsumenters beteenden ska förändras. Sammanfattningsvis måste modeföretag hitta nya sätt att profitera från redan befintliga plagg genom omdesign-, reparations- eller uthyrningstjänster för att göra industrin mer miljömässigt hållbar.