It is argued that sustainability today has become a mega-trend, where the consumers are more aware of their surroundings and businesses impact on the environment than ever. Companies have come to be critically observed by societies, which has put more pressure on them to act in more sustainable ways as well as becoming more transparent with their operational and sustainability communication towards stakeholders. In 1978 China opened up the country to the global economy and since then, the country has rapidly risen in the terms of international economic importance. However, China is suffering from large environmental concerns like immoderate pollution that has become a daily concern for the population. Due to the rapid economic growth that China has been going through the recent years, these environmental issues the country is facing are largely tied to the industrialization. One of the biggest factors contributing to China’s heavy pollution is the colossal number of both Western and Chinese production facilities opening up in China.The aim with this research was to investigate how three selected Swedish companies placed in Shanghai approach sustainability marketing and explore how they embed sustainability within their strategy and particularly in their marketing mix. This thesis was conducted with a qualitative approach and with semi-structured interviews with three Swedish companies; Greencarrier, Atlas Copco and Stora Enso.The findings from the interviews, conducted with the three mentioned companies, pointed out that sustainability today is well integrated in the company’s core business and that working with sustainability has become a critical success factor. Factors that were important for the companies was to have long-term sustainability strategies, being innovative and transparent in their operational and sustainability communication, being material efficient in the product development and promoting this on media channels like WeChat, internet websites, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. Also, more traditional ways of marketing themselves was important, like visiting universities and exhibit at fairs. This essay will provide knowledge that can help companies to further their understanding of what a big role marketing has and how they can support awareness of sustainability issues. We also hope that our essay can help to inform consumers on the issue and by that place higher demands on companies to act sustainable. Because our thesis focused on investigating Swedish companies in Shanghai, it would be interesting to continue further research on how Chinese companies approach sustainability marketing.

Background  A new way to promote environmentally friendly goods has arisen as the market has evolved. Greenwashing arose from societal pressures and a strong desire for green customers. Some companies' greenwashing methods were exposed as unprecedented pressure was put on the businesses in an effort to improve their overall environmental performance. Greenwashing creates consumer doubt by denying them a clear option of environmentally friendly products. Greenwashing makes individuals unwilling to purchase ecologically friendly products, and it complicates the purchasing process for green customers who are worried about their consumption patterns because they must exert more effort to validate the products' green claims.  Purpose  The purpose of the study is to explore how consumer ethical standards are reflected in the perception of greenwashing.  Method  The authors have opted to do research into the areas of greenwashing and ethical consumer behavior. From an ethical standpoint, this study looks into consumer opinions of greenwashing behavior and greenwashed products. To acquire a better knowledge of how consumers reflect consumer ethics in the greenwashing perception, semi-structured interviews and focus groups were used as the qualitative study approach.  Conclusion  Participants discussed their ethical beliefs and dilemmas around the greenwashing topic and expressed their moral beliefs that were later found to be contradictory between theory and practice. The analysis shows that both altruistic and egoistic values have an impact on the participants' attitudes. The participants initially wish to do good, but they eventually put their altruistic beliefs aside owing to ego or necessity. This study has contributed to the knowledge of ethical consumer perceptions of greenwashing since the major findings depict the entire picture of how greenwashing perceptions and ethical standards are linked. As a result, disparities and opposing conceptions emerge between the participants' perspectives and perceptions of their ego and that of society.

In a world that is changing rapidly due to the social and environmental consequences of the unsustainable economic growth, societal and economic transformations from unsustainable visions and practices are inevitable. While there is a need to develop alternative approaches to production and consumption, changing these systems is not feasible without changing the mainstream marketing ideas and its practices where the main incentive is “how to sell more”. The initial phase of the research process supports conceptual clarity and the evolution of marketing thought towards sustainability marketing. It identifies the presence of sustainability marketing in the existing marketing curriculum through qualitative content analysis using grounded theory and quasi-statistical approaches, that facilitates the search for sustainability in marketing curriculum based on UNESCO’s indicative learning objectives for promoting Education for Sustainable Development. The thesis draws on relevant literature in the marketing field, utilizing the content analysis of various syllabi and mandatory literature of Uppsala University’s marketing courses, as well as employing semi-structured interviews with five lecturers of Uppsala University’s Marketing faculty and eight marketing students from across Sweden. The institutional setup of the case of Uppsala University is found to be problematic when considering its commitments towards sustainable development and its Action Plan for Sustainable Development 2019–2021. The study established the strong influence of dominant social paradigm in the curriculum development of marketing courses, which was evident through the content analysis and portrayals of the respondents’ perspectives of the marketing faculty. Further, it was found that the societal understanding of marketing dictates what can be taught in marketing education, which consequently circumscribes what can be researched in marketing. In addition, the concept of sustainability marketing was found to be nonexistent in mandatory literature of the courses, and was poorly covered throughout the secondary literature. Similarly, most of the mandatory literature of the marketing courses of Uppsala University do not follow UNESCO’s (2017) indicative learning objectives for promoting ESD, and hence do not promote learning for sustainable development. The results of this thesis suggest that we still have a long way to go to bring Education for Sustainable Development into marketing education, as current mainstream marketing practices and its rationale with dominant social paradigm prevalence maintains, supports and exacerbates the global unsustainable consumption and production patterns.

As the traditional role of corporate entities have been challenged by an increased number of demands from society, companies are no longer just legal factors intended to generate profits by supplying products or services. Instead, they are expected to play the role of responsible co-citizens of the community, taking social and environmental responsibility for the consequences of their actions. Implementing sustainable practices into business strategies is considered beneficial for both organizations and society, as it brings organizations opportunities for growth and development, as well as a more sustainable future for society. One way for businesses to ensure their responsibilities regarding sustainability issues and maintaining sustainable business practices has been depicted in the United Nation’s eight goals termed the ‘Millennium Development Goals’ (MDGs). Previous research argues that organizations must incorporate sustainable practices into their different organizational strategies such as marketing, purchasing, and finance in order to maintain organizational growth and contribute to sustainable development. This issue has become especially important in developing countries as emerging markets compose great opportunities for businesses in terms of growth and development. An emerging market and developing country providing humongous growth opportunities for businesses is Malaysia. However, limited research has been conducted connecting the concepts sustainable development and marketing strategies, and how these may lead to an accelerated achievement of the MDGs within developing countries. In order to answer the purpose of the study, a qualitative approach using open, - and semistructured interviews together with observations was chosen as the most appropriate research method. Four international firms operating on the Malaysian market participated in the study and the findings indicated that having a well-developed sustainability marketing strategy and striving for a sustainable future does bring organizations competitive advantage and growth opportunities, and thereby an accelerated achievement of the MDGs.

The fact that the textile industry is concerned with environmental, social, and economic issues has been acknowledged worldwide, both by companies and their different stakeholders. As a result, more and more fashion brands have shown different types of sustainability initiatives, for example by offering sustainable fashion products. Communicating these kinds of initiatives is associated with many risks and challenges for the companies. It is essential for the brands to know how to communicate sustainable fashion to a specific target group. A new customer group that is going to dominate the market soon is Generation Z (people born in mid-90 to 2010). Generation Z differ from previous generation, especially regarding their values and how they communicate. Despite the fact that this is a new important target group for fashion brands, little academic research can be found on how fashion brands should communicate sustainable fashion towards these consumers. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative research is to identify possibilities and challenges of marketing sustainable fashion towards generation Z.10 participants from generation Z were interviewed in order to answer the following research questions: What attitude does generation Z has toward sustainable fashion and sustainable clothing consumption?; and what marketing activities does generation Z prefer regarding sustainable fashion? The findings showed revealed that generation Z do have knowledge about sustainable fashion in general, still they are eager to know more. They are positive toward fashion brands that engage in sustainability matters, however, some skepticism could be found. This implies the importance of brands staying truthful and consequent in their sustainability marketing. Social media, in particular Instagram and YouTube, seem to be appropriate platforms to reach them at, especially though the use of videos. The messages on social media should be informative and preferably somehow radical or shocking, yet still short and easy to understand. Also, as stated in previous research, influencers are a good tool to use when communicating sustainable fashion. Other important marketing strategies are to use interactive marketing to involve them, and also to focus on having an attractive store communication. What is significant when communicating sustainable fashion towards generation Z is to make it easy and convenient while being logical and transparent in the marketing activities.

Background: The discourse of sustainable development has over the recent years become increasingly vital, due to the fashion industry´s over lyexcessive use of natural resources and contribution to hyperconsumption. Hyper-consumption is part of the consequences of marketing, and consumers regard marketing of sustainability to be unreliable. Previous research has highlighted how communicating sustainability can increase sustainable consumption, however the realissue lies within reducing consumption overall. Using marketing to reduce consumption within the consumer is intricate, but in the light of this the generational segment female Millennials have shown to be prone towards reducing consumption. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to explore female millennials mind and values, mainly to be able to identify and form a way of communicating sustainability with the intent of reducing consumption, that is applicable for this segment. The aim is further to propose how this then can be applied and in what way it best should be implemented to finally reduce overall fashion consumption. Design/methodology/approach: This thesis uses an abductive research approach and a qualitative method. The research question is answered by conducting focus groups and illuminates the core determinants which are to be used as part of the development of the communication. Findings: The findings suggest that female millennials need to be motivated into realizing how reduced consumption can be a core value of them. A form of social marketing program is what has been determined to be a viable form of communication since it aligned with the social communicative ways that female millennials are receptive to. Originality/value: This thesis contributes by highlighting and identifying the underlying values and motivations which female millennials have towards sustainability marketing. Moreover, the results imply that female millennials are of valuable consideration for future research of how to communicate sustainability with the intention to reduce fashion consumption. Marketer can specifically learn what the determinants to include in a social benefit program and thereby create valuable concrete results in terms.

Purpose:  The purpose of this thesis is to examine how companies can favorablycommunicate their sustainable practices in a transparent way in order tobe perceived as trustworthy so that a competitive advantage canperhaps be achieved. Further, it will be investigated if transparencywithin the supply chain can be used as a fundament for being perceivedas credible by consumers. Method:   The method will be qualitative with an inductive approach. Theresearch will consist of forming a case study based on the companyPatagonia, where primary data will consist of interviews with multipleexperts on the topic. Besides, secondary data will consist of books,journal articles, conference material and information from the websiteof Patagonia. Conclusion:   In this research it was found that transparent communication aboutsustainable business practices can increase the trust in brands and canthus deliver a competitive advantage. Hence, companies need to solelyfocus on the core customer, integrate the customer in thecommunication process and deliver easy and clear information. Thisinformation should educate the customer and thus be perceived asvaluable and trustworthy.

In today’s society the question about consumption are a real problem. With focus on clothing brands it can be seen as a possibility to expand due to the increased demand from customers. With new ways of marketing and easier ways of shopping creates opportunities for customers to shop without any problems. The trend of “fast fashion” have influenced clothing brands to keep a constant flow of new clothes. Which tends to affect brands to choose a way to maximize their profit, and therefore look for cheaper ways of producing. But because of the higher set demand on sustainability, clothing brands has put more focus on sustainability throughout the company. This leads to the question about the responsibility that clothing brands has for the grown consumption patterns together with making profit. How does clothing brands handle the high set demand from customers while influencing a more sustainable consumption. This study is focusing on four Swedish clothing companies that are currently international active. The empirical material consists of the sustainability communication on their website. A critical discourse analysis is used to determine patterns in the different marketing discourses to answer the purpose of this of this study and provide a recommendation for companies which are in line with the work towards sustainable consumption. In conclusion in this study we highlight the importance of well thought through market communication. With focus on sustainability it helps the company to make decisions and communicate more clearly and creates opportunities to influence consumers to make choices towards sustainable consumption. With a company stance towards educating customers also affect more than consumers. It affects the industry views to change and creates opportunities to change towards more sustainable choices. The website can be seen as the main stage for the clothing brands to influence consumers towards more sustainable consumption. Mainly with showing the great extent the companies goes to with their work with sustainability in all working part of the company. But also by showing the value it creates. With a focus on the value of the products, the company are able guide consumers to make sustainable choices and be more aware of their consumption patterns, in all aspects of their life.

In today’s society, companies engage in sustainable efforts to lower the impact consumption has on the environment. To emphasize these efforts, companies utilize sustainable marketing to gain consumers’ attention. The advertisements used in sustainable marketing often involves marketing appeals, and mainly the two appeals: self-benefit and other-benefit. Studies have shown that most consumers appear to want to consume sustainably, however, there is a gap between consumers’ willingness and their actions. As young consumers are generally more motivated to consume sustainably, the purpose of this study was to provide the reader with more information regarding young consumer’s attitudes towards these appeals and how they affect young consumers’ decisions when it comes to sustainable consumption. By conducting qualitative one-on-one interviews with young consumers, their thoughts and attitudes towards the two appeals were collected and then analyzed with the help of the hierarchy of effects model created by Lavidge and Steiner (1961). The findings were compared with previous research on the subject, which also added an understanding to what motivates young consumers to consume in a more sustainable manner. In conclusion, this study found that both appeals worked as a reminder to young consumers to engage in sustainable consumption, as they were already very aware of the issue. It also suggested that the respondents had more positive attitudes towards the self-benefit appeal, as it benefitted themselves as well as the environment, which resulted in positive attitudes to engage in sustainable consumption. The other-benefit appeal seemed too holistic and some respondents developed skepticism towards the product/brand.

Yes / Ethical consumption is more likely when consumers are receptive to ethical product information and consider such information when making purchasing decisions. Building on communication theory, we develop and test a framework illustrating how different consumer values induce contrasting effects on consumers’ willingness to choose ethical products through affecting consumer receptiveness to ethical product information. We present an online survey with 590 US consumers, which was analyzed with covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM). Results show that altruistic and biospheric consumer values increase consumers’ willingness to choose ethical products via trust in ethical advertising and ethical purchase decision involvement. In contrast, egoistic consumer values reduce ethical purchase decision involvement, and ultimately consumers’ willingness to choose ethical products. Thus, we illustrate the mechanisms through which contrasting values take effect. Results are discussed in light of theoretical and managerial implications and reemphasize the need for better adaptation of ethical marketing to individual consumer characteristics.