The contemporary society is in many ways a society of consumers where individuals consume to satisfy their desires at the expense of our world’s health for our future generations. Consumption and a pro-environmental lifestyle have a polarized relationship and research indicates that society needs a change. Consumption should take place in decreased amounts and in a way that emphasizes the environment. Education has proven to have a positive effect on behavioral changes in individuals towards a lifestyle that emphasizes the environment. The aim of this quantitative essay is to study the importance of cultural and economic resources for an environmentally friendly lifestyle. In addition, it examines how environmentally oriented consumption, degree of consumption, consumerism and concern for the environment are in relation to a lifestyle that emphasizes the environment by recycling. The study’s theoretical frame of reference is based on Bauman’s theory of the society of consumers and Bourdieu’s concepts of the social space, capital and habitus. Data material retrieved from the Swedish National Data Service collected for the SOM-Survey 2018 is used and analyzed through univariate, bivariate analysis and multiple regression analyzes. Results show that higher capital, especially cultural, has a positive impact on individual pro-environmental lifestyles. In addition, the individual's environmentally friendly lifestyle increases through positioning such as shopping eco-labeled products, shopping secondhand and through concern for the environment. Shopping more than you can afford turns out to have a negative impact. / Samhället vi lever i idag är på många sätt ett konsumtionssamhälle där individer konsumerar för att mätta sina begär på bekostnad av vår världs hälsa för våra kommande generationer. Konsumtion och en miljöfrämjande livsstil har ett polariserat förhållande och tidigare forskning pekar på att samhället behöver en förändring. Konsumtionen bör ske i minskad volym och på ett sätt som framhåller miljön. Utbildning har visat sig ha en positiv effekt på beteendeförändringar hos individerna mot en livsstil som framhåller miljön. Denna kvantitativa uppsats har som syfte att studera vilken betydelse kulturella och ekonomiska resurser har för en miljöfrämjande livsstil. Därtill undersöks hur miljöinriktad konsumtion, grad av konsumtion, konsumism och oro för miljön står i relation till en livsstil som framhåller miljön genom att återvinna. Undersökningens teoretiska referensram utgår från Baumans teori om konsumtionssamhället samt Bourdieus begrepp det sociala rummet, kapital och habitus. Ett datamaterial som hämtats från Svensk Nationell Datatjänst insamlat till SOM-undersökningen 2018 används och analyseras genom univariat, bivariat analys samt multipla regressionsanalyser. Resultat visar att högre kapital, i synnerhet kulturellt, har ett positivt samband med en miljöfrämjande livsstil. Därtill ökar individens miljöfrämjande livsstil genom positioneringar som att handla kravmärkt, handla secondhand samt genom en oro för miljön. Att handla för mer än man har råd med visar sig ha en negativ påverkan.

E-handeln har vuxit snabbt och konsumenterna värdesätter bekvämligheten, det stora utbudetoch möjligheten att handla dygnet runt. E-handelns tillväxt har lett till ett ökande antalleveranser och returer. Det ökande antalet returer tyder på en osäkerhet hos konsumenternasom beror på bristfällig information i köpprocessen. Vid e-handelsköp har inte konsumenternasamma möjligheter att se och röra produkterna i verkligheten vilket är en bidragande orsak tillkonsumenternas osäkerhet i köpprocessen. Osäkerheten i kombination med en trend därkonsumenter byter ut sina produkter oftare tyder även på ett ohållbart köpbeteende. AR är ettverktyg som kan hjälpa konsumenter att göra genomtänkta köp genom att visualisera hurprodukter ser ut i hemmet, utvärdera produkterna redan innan köpet genomförts och därmedminska risken för ett dåligt eller onödigt köp.Tidigare forskning har visat att virtuella tekniker kan hjälpa konsumenter att utvärderaprodukter innan köpet och kompensera för bristfällig information. Därför är det intressant attundersöka AR från ett konsumentperspektiv och undersöka hur AR bidrar med betydandeinformation till konsumenter för att ha verkan på den osäkerhet som finns inom e-handeln.Studiens syfte är att undersöka vilken information som AR tillför under köpprocessen för attleda konsumenterna till mer hållbara köp. Studien har utgått från en kvalitativ forskningsansatsdär semistrukturerade intervjuer med inslag av contextual inquiry har använts för att samla inempiriska data. Det empiriska materialet har bearbetats med hjälp av en abduktiv tematiskanalysmetod. Studiens slutsats är att informationen AR tillför under stegen i köpprocessenhjälper konsumenter att göra mer genomtänkta köp vilket bidrar till en mer hållbar konsumtiondå de är mer säkra på om de ska eller inte ska genomföra köpet. / E-commerce has grown rapidly and consumers value convenience, the wide range of productsand the opportunity to shop day and night. The growth of e-commerce has led to an increasingnumber of deliveries and returns. The increasing number of returns indicates an uncertaintyamong consumers due to lack of information in the buying process. In e-commerce purchases,consumers do not have the same opportunities to see and touch the product, which is acontributing factor to consumers' uncertainty in the buying process. The uncertainty combinedwith a trend where consumers replace their products more often also indicates unsustainablebuying behavior. AR is a tool that can help consumers make well-thought-out purchases byvisualizing what the product looks like in the home, evaluating the product even before thepurchase has been made and thereby reducing the risk of a bad or unnecessary purchase.Previous research has shown that virtual technologies can help consumers evaluate the productbefore purchasing and compensate for incomplete information. Therefore, it is interesting toexamine AR from a consumer perspective and examine how AR contributes significantinformation to consumers in order to have an effect on the uncertainty that exists in ecommerce.The purpose of the study is to investigate what information AR provides during thebuying process to lead consumers to more sustainable purchases. The study was based on aqualitative research approach where semi-structured interviews with elements of contextualinquiry have been used to collect empirical data. The empirical material has been processedusing an abductive thematic analysis method. The study concludes that the information ARadds during the steps in the buying process helps consumers to make more thoughtfulpurchases, which contributes to a more sustainable consumption as they are more confidentabout whether or not to make the purchases.

Recent years have witnessed growing consumer interest in sustainable fashion and circular economy trends that focus on the make, use, and recycling. In several developed countries, consumers are more willing towards second-hand consumption. In India, the consumer attitude towards second-hand shopping has been slightly negative for several reasons. Moreover, India has been subjected to little or no research on consumer behavior. The aim of the study is to examine Indian consumers’ purchasing behavior associated with second-hand fashion in India and Sweden. Therefore, to address this issue and to gain a deeper understanding of consumer behavior while purchasing second-hand fashion, the study employed a qualitative approach combined with a case study research design. The in-depth semi-structured interviews involved fourteen Indian participants living in India and Sweden. The empirical data collected through the interviews were analyzed through thematic analysis, which yielded various themes and sub-themes. Two established frameworks in consumer behavior have been employed in analyzing the themes and sub-themes. The framework developed by Guiot and Roux has been used to confirm the motivational factors towards second-hand shopping. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) framework has been used to understand influential factors on consumer behavior towards second-hand shopping. The Guiot and Roux model analyses three key motivators that persuade consumers to purchase second-hand, which are economic, critical, and hedonic motivators. The theory of planned behavior framework analyses three perspectives of consumers, namely attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control and its influence on consumer intentions and behavior towards second-hand fashion consumption. The analysis and discussion provide influential factors and barriers towards the purchase intentions of Indian consumers. The study’s findings showed differences in the opinions of Indian consumers living in India and Sweden regarding second-hand consumption in general. While the Indian participants (Non-Buyers) in India refrained from giving second-hand fashion a chance, the Indian participants (Buyers) in Sweden were more open towards second-hand fashion. Different factors affect consumer behavior in different ways; factors like price, purchasing options, quality, and awareness regarding second-hand consumption have a positive influence, whereas factors such as hygiene, fashionability, personal values, and beliefs against second-hand consumption have a negative influence. Based on the findings from the analysis, possibilities to reinforce second-hand fashion consumption in India have also been discussed. Since the study has been conducted in a qualitative way, this paves way for future quantitative verification.

Syfte: Studien syftar till att förstå hur hållbara produktattribut kan verka i samklang eller kombineras med produktattribut som tillfredsställer konsumentens egennytta. Det möjliggörs genom kartläggning av vilken produktinformation om hållbara produktattribut som svenska modekonsumenter efterfrågar i digitala sammanhang för att kunna göra miljömedvetna val, och som då kan bidra med positiva köpintentioner. Detta för att kunna minska avståndet mellan intresse och handling vad gäller hållbar konsumtion. Metod: Metodansatsen som användes var induktiv och för datainsamling användes blandad metod. Litteratursökning följdes av en kvantitativ webbaserad enkät, vilken kompletterades med kvalitativa, semistrukturerade intervjuer. Urvalet för både enkät och intervjuer var svenska modekonsumenter i åldrarna 18–35. Kvantitativa och kvalitativa data jämfördes och analyserades sedan mot teoretiska perspektiv om att detaljerad produktinformation kan fungera som substitut till fysisk interaktion och att konsumenter inte prioriterar hållbara produktattribut som inte uppfyller egennytta. Resultaten diskuterades och kunde slutligen presenteras som slutsatser. Studien fokuserade endast på modekonsumtion i en online kontext. Den avsåg heller inte att se till vilka hållbara produktattribut som är bättre eller sämre ur ett hållbarhetsperspektiv. Resultat: Resultaten visar att produktattribut som kan anses tillfredsställa egennytta prioriteras framför hållbara produktattribut vid konsumtion av mode, men att hållbar information kring modeprodukter ökar köpintentioner. Konsumenter upplever dock att företag inte kommunicerar tillräckligt kring hållbarhet och efterfrågar transparens och mer detaljerad information. Resultatet visar en potential till hur konventionella och hållbara produktattribut tillsammans med detaljerad information kan sammanföras till positiva köpintentioner i digitala sammanhang. Originalitet / Värde: Tidigare forskning utreder konsumenters inställning till hållbara produkter, gapet mellan hållbart intresse och handling samt hur konsumenter behandlar produktinformation. Mängden tidigare forskning som visar dock vilka hållbara produktattribut som kan sammanföras med produktattribut som tillfredsställer egennyttan hos konsumenter är sparsam. Det kan därför anses finnas ett behov för denna studie, då den ger företag insikter om hur kundfokus kan inkluderas i den hållbara utvecklingen. Särskilt relevant blir den för företag som riktat sig mot digitala försäljningskanaler och ämnar uppmuntra till hållbar konsumtion. / Purpose: This study aims to understand what sustainable product attributes that can be combined with attributes that fulfill consumer's self-interest. This is done by an examination of which product information about sustainable product attributes Swedish fashion consumers demand in a digital context to be able to make environmentally conscious decisions. Furthermore, which sustainable product information that can contribute with positive purchasing intentions. The purpose of this study is to be able to get an insight in how to reduce the distance between interest and action in terms of sustainable consumption.  Method: The method used for the study was inductive and the data was collected through a mixed method. Search of literature was followed by a quantitative survey, which was supplemented with qualitative semi-structured interviews. Participants were Swedish fashion consumers in the age range of 18-35. Quantitative and qualitative data were then compared and analysed against theories concluding that detailed product information can function as a substitute to physical interaction and that consumers do not prioritize sustainable product attributes which do not meet self-interest. The results were discussed and could then be presented as conclusions.  Results: The results show that product attributes which can be considered to satisfy self-interest are prioritised before sustainable product attributes, but sustainable information regarding fashion products might still increase buying intentions. Consumers experience, however, that companies do not communicate enough about sustainability and requests transparency and more detailed information. The results show a potential on how conventional and sustainable product attributes together with detailed information can be combined into positive buying intentions in a digital context. The study only focuses on fashion consumption on an online kontext. Neither did it evaluate the environmental impact of the different sustainable product attributes that were examined.  Originality / Value: Previous research investigates consumers’ attitudes towards sustainable products, the gap between interest and action as well as how consumers process information. There is a sparse amount of previous research that shows which sustainable product attributes consumers appreciate, which then can be combined with product attributes that satisfy the self-interest of consumers. There may therefore exist a need for this study, as it provides insights on how companies can include customer focus into their sustainable development. It will be particularly relevant for companies that have targeted digital sales channels and intend to encourage sustainable consumption.

Sustainable consumption and reducing food waste have become critical issues in recent years as the world faces environmental and humanitarian challenges. This study aims to identify the perspectives of various actors (social workers, representatives from local organizations, and an individual) on social work interventions towards food waste reduction in Gävle Sweden, and their potential benefits to the environment and vulnerable individuals. A qualitative study through semi-structured interviews of five participants was conducted by the researchers, to identify the perspectives of actors in social work intervention programs related to sustainable consumption and food waste reduction. The result of the interview was transcribed and analyzed using the Atlas. Tue 23. The study identified awareness and campaigns, collaborations with local businesses and organizations with regard to food banks and donations, and food recovery and redistribution programs as social work interventions on sustainable consumption through food waste reduction. The social work interventions identified the positive impacts they have on the environment and vulnerable individuals.

With over half of the world’s population living in urban settlements and an ongoing urbanization, cities today offer a unique opportunity to tackle climate change. Emissions of greenhouse gases derive from all products and services used, and in Sweden the average inhabitant emit 7 tons of greenhouse gases in carbon dioxide equivalents every year from privately acquired products and services, calculated from a consumption perspective. Long-term climate goals, and international climate agreements sets a limit of 1-2 tons. Lifestyle changes are important to achieve sustainable development, but planning practices today generally do not try to influence citizens’ consumption, and is presumed cannot affect inhabitants’ consumption of food, clothes, electronics, furniture, etc.  This thesis investigates how planning and the built environment can practically encourage more sustainable consumption patterns, and which of these practices would be suitable to implement in the current sustainability project of Norra Kymlinge. The study concludes that sustainable consumption patterns could be encouraged in Norra Kymlinge through: collaborative living, sharing infrastructure, green leases, food production, personal measurement, and semi self-built apartments. For future research, more quantitative studies on the topic are suggested.

The concept sharing economy (collaborative economy or collaborative consumption) has recently gained attention in several cities over the world, with its promotion offering a prospective new path to sustainable development. In current research, most scholars cover global initiatives or initiatives in larger cities, but very few to none of them seem to have investigated the situation and potential in smaller cities. This empirical study therefore investigates both existing initiatives and work with collaborative consumption as well as the future potential and possible challenges for further promotion in a small town context, using Norrtälje town in Sweden as a case study for exploring the topic. In this study, a sharing economy is defined as a socio-economic system enabling consumers to gain access to commonly under-utilized physical assets in collaborative practices of sharing, borrowing, bartering, swapping, renting, redistributing, buying second-hand, repairing and rebuilding goods, instead of consuming new goods and/or owning privately, taking place either via online platforms or through physical infrastructure, possibly in exchange for financial compensation. A mixed method approach, including both qualitative and quantitative methods, was used in this study. The data collection included semi-structured interviews with both sharing economy initiators and the Norrtälje municipality Sustainability strategist, an online survey shared with residents in Norrtälje, as well a qualitative desk-based study. The collected results were then analysed though the lens of a formed theoretical framework, covering the themes of conditions for success and important stakeholders in a sharing economy context, as well as drivers for starting or using these initiatives and possible environmental, social and economic benefits of implementing a sharing economy. The findings showed that 11 initiatives currently exist in Norrtälje, and that the Norrtälje residents generally are very positive towards using sharing economy services. Further, it was found that the municipality is not actively working with collaborative consumption, but has been, and still is, involved in a few sharing economy activities. The findings of this study contribute to discussions on the actual role of the municipality in a sharing economy context, suggesting that the involvement of the municipality indeed is very important in regards to sharing economy initiatives, but that it is unclear from a municipal perspective whether it is actually included in the role of the municipality to promote and work with sharing economy initiatives. The results from this study suggests that the future for sharing economy initiatives in Norrtälje town looks bright. However, some challenges were found in relation to the promotion of a sharing economy in a small town context, including the current political situation not prioritising municipal involvement, the economic situation of the municipality not being able to prioritise municipal involvement, difficulties in understanding the concept among those who work for the municipality, negative mindsets among municipal workers, and lack of funding to existing and possible future initiatives. These challenges might have to be overcome in order for sharing economy initiatives to be able to grow and thrive. Further, this study found that it is believed from a small town municipal perspective it most likely is easier for a larger city to work with sharing economy initiatives, while on the contrary existing scholars suggest that the small town context might indeed be more beneficial for these types of initiatives.

Textilkonsumtion i världen har ökat drastiskt under de senaste decennierna, vilket också syns i övergången till att fast fashion nu dominerar textilindustrin. Även i Sverige har konsumtionen ökat, vilket bidrar till att textilindustrin skapar allvarliga följder för miljön. Textilåterbruk och återvinning har under tiden släpat efter och ännu idag återvinns enbart enstaka procent av allt textilavfall. Enligt ett EU-direktiv ska samtliga EU-medlemmar år 2025 införa systematisk separat insamling av textilier. Detta erbjuder möjligheter till ökat återbruk och återvinning, men innebär också utmaningar för hantering av ökade flöden av separat textilavfall. En typ av teknologi som kan vara till hjälp för detta ändamål är automatiserad sortering. I denna rapport undersöks genom en litteraturstudie samt en intervjustudie, med aktörer inom återbruks- och återvinningsområdet, vilken inverkan sorteringsprocesser har på återvinning och textilflöden. Huvudsakligt fokus ligger på att förstå samspelet mellan automatiserad sortering och andra processer på en högre nivå, men även tekniska aspekter som inverkar på detta diskuteras. Från undersökningen framkom att automatiserad sortering spelar en begränsad men växande roll för textilflöden, där teknik baserat på nära infrarött ljus och spektrografi är vad som huvudsakligen används. Det finns en stor osäkerhet bland aktörer inom återvinning och återbruk gällande hur separat textilinsamling kommer att implementeras och om det kommer att finansieras via utökat producentansvar eller inte, vilket försvårar utveckling inom området. Det saknas teknik för att möjliggöra automatisering av många steg i den manuella sorteringsprocessen. För att öka automatiseringsgraden ser sig AI-baserade lösningar som det mest lovande utvecklingsområdet, men då det saknas välfinansierade projekt inom detta riskerar utvecklingen gå långsamt. Återvinning utgör enbart en del, som nu är mycket liten, i lösningen av textilindustrins miljöproblem varför minskning av textilkonsumtion generellt, samt förlängningen av textiliers livslängder fortsatt bör prioriteras. / Textile consumption worldwide has increased dramatically in recent decades, as evidenced by the overall transition to fast fashion which now dominates the textile industry. Consumption has also increased in Sweden, contributing to grave environmental consequences caused by the textile industry. Textile reuse and recycling has lagged behind, and to this day, only a fraction of all textile waste is recycled. According to an EU directive, all EU member states are required to implement systematic separate collection of textiles by 2025. This offers opportunities for increased reuse and recycling but also poses challenges for the management of increased flows of separated textile waste. One type of technology that can be useful for this purpose is automated sorting. This report examines, through a literature review as well as an interview study with actors in the reuse and recycling sector, the impact of sorting processes on recycling and textile flows. The primary focus of the report is on understanding the interaction between automated sorting and other processes at a higher level, however technical aspects that affect this are also discussed. The investigation revealed that automated sorting plays a limited but growing role in textile flows, where technology based on near-infrared light and spectroscopy is primarily used. There is a great deal of uncertainty among stakeholders within the recycling and reuse sector regarding how textile collection will be implemented and whether it will be financed through extended producer responsibility or not, which impedes development. With regard to many of the steps involved in manual textile sorting, there is currently no technology that would enable their automation. To increase the level of automation, AI-based solutions appear to constitute the most promising area of development, but the lack of well-funded projects in this area risks slowing down progress. Recycling represents only a small part of the solution to the environmental problems of the textile industry, which is why reducing overall textile consumption and extending the textile lifespans should continue to be prioritized.

Detta examensarbete rör frågan kring hållbar konsumtion och hur en genom grafisk design kan ta fram en lösning som hjälper konsumenter att handla mer hållbart. Att navigera vilka produkter som faktiskt är hållbara samt, lära sig använda dessa, är utmanande för konsumenten. Svaret för denna fråga blev en applikation kallad Zero, vars syfte är att medvetandegöra för användaren vad som är hållbart och inte, samt vägleda användaren att handla utefter det hen lär. Att skapa sig nya vanor i sin konsumtion såsom i vilka produkter som hen använder i sitt hushåll. Denna rapport innehåller teorin bakom som stödjer konceptet för applikationen och även beskriver de metoder som utfördes för att få fram ett resultat. / This thesis examines sustainable consumption and how -through graphic design- a interactive solution to help the consumer to actively choose sustainable products, was created. Navigating what products are sustainable and what are not can be confusing for the consumer. For this project, the solution to this was an application called Zero, where its purpose is to guide the consumer in a more sustainable lifestyle through making the user more conscious about sustainable products as well as learning to use alternative products in their home that are more sustainable. Here you will read about the theory which supports Zero as one solution for unsustainable consumption, as well as the methods applied to reach the result that became of this process.

I takt med globaliseringen och en ökande konsumtion världen över skapas också ett växande behov för diverse olika förpackningslösningar. De flesta varor på dagens marknader är förpackade på något sätt och detta kräver att det måste produceras oerhört mycket förpackningsmaterial varje dag, vilket tär mycket på jordens resurser utifrån flera perspektiv. Trots detta är förpackningar i många fall nödvändiga och behövs idag för flera olika syften såsom skyddande av produkt, transport och rent marknadsföringsmässigt. Dessa är dock inte de enda viktiga aspekter som behöver övervägas när det kommer till att skapa förpackningar som uppfyller alla dagens krav och som även har hållbarhet i åtanke genom hela försörjningskedjan. Hållbara förpackningslösningar och en miljömedveten industri är därför mycket aktuellt idag. Det blir således intressant att studera hur dessa olika viktiga aspekter prioriteras av produktutvecklare och hur man på olika sätt involverar slutkonsumentens önskemål i processen. En ytterligare intressant aspekt att studera behandlar hur förpackningsindustrin kan påverka slutkonsumenter till hållbara val. Detta arbete bygger dels på empiriska studier i form av semistrukturerade företagsintervjuer på ett förpackningsföretag samt slutkonsumentintervjuer. Detta har kombinerats med en litteraturstudie som har byggt upp den teoretiska referensram som har använts i arbetet. Vidare har dessa jämförts och analyserats vilket har skapat förutsättningarna för diskussionen och slutsatsen som arbetet har mynnat ut i. Resultatet visade att förpackningsutveckling är en process där flera olika kompetenser och avdelningar måste integreras, vilket kan resultera i svåra prioriteringar och dessutom aspekter som kan komma att stå emot varandra. Någon tydlig och entydig prioriteringsordning finns inte och detta i kombination med slutkonsumenter, som utåt sett vill konsumera hållbart, men i slutändan agerar annorlunda skapar en komplex situation. Det finns således även en markant skillnad i hur produktutvecklare respektive slutkonsumenter prioriterar när det kommer till skapande av förpackningar och konsumtion av förpackningar. / In line with globalization and the increasing consumption worldwide, there is a growing need for packaging solutions of many different kinds. Most goods in today's markets are packaged in some way and this requires that an extremely large amount of packaging material is produced every day, which of course, will greatly affect the earth's resources from several perspectives. Despite this, packaging is necessary and is needed today for a variety of purposes such as protection of products, transport and in terms of marketing. However, these are not the only important aspects to consider when it comes to creating packaging that meet all of today's requirements and that also support sustainability throughout the supply chain. Sustainable packaging solutions and an environmentally conscious industry are therefore very relevant today. Thus, it becomes interesting to study how these various important aspects are prioritized by product developers and how different end consumer requirements are considered in the process in different ways. Another interesting aspect to study is how the packaging industry can influence end consumers to sustainable choices. This work is partly based on empirical studies in the form of semi-structured company interviews at a packaging company and end-consumer interviews. This, in combination with a literature study that has built the theoretical frame of reference used, have created the conditions for the analysis and discussion the work has resulted in. The result showed that packaging development is a process where several different competences and departments must be integrated, which can result in difficult priorities and in additional conflicting aspects. There is no clear and unambiguous priority list and this in combination with end consumers, who want to be considered sustainable consumers, but ultimately act differently creates a complex situation. Thus, there is also a large difference in how product developers and end-consumers, respectively, prioritize when it comes to creating packaging and consuming packaging.