The fashion industry is not only known for its creativity and innovation, but also for its contribution to environmental pollution, climate change as well as for social imbalances and poverty. Ecological and societal standards have so far only played a minor role in this industry for production and distribution as well as for consumers for their consumption and disposal behaviour. However, in order to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals and prevent the maximum damage caused by pollution and exploitation, it is necessary to act more rapidly and consistently. Governmental control instruments can help to address those responsible, to regulate the market and to encourage improvements towards a more sustainable economy. The aim of this work is to develop a feasible governmental control instrument for the textile sector in order to provide possible solutions for some of the existing problems. Three different cases of already implemented policies in the food sector will be analysed and evaluated in order to detect the best-case policy with regard to sustainability as a basis for a derivation. The findings of the derived outcome will then be examined by experts in order to validate it. Finally, a recommendation summarises the findings of the literature review, the transfer of knowledge as well as the expert assessments. The result of this research paper is a control instrument derived from the food industry, which was evaluated with the help of expert interviews and has the potential to make the textile market more sustainable in the long term.

Wolfgang Frech schildert in seinem Beitrag die Geschichte der sogenannten 'Meinertschen Spinnmühle' in Lugau und geht dabei neben architektonischen Besonderheiten auf die Nutzung des Gebäudes und dessen Verfall ein.

Background Globalization has forced textile firms to move their manufacturing to low-cost countries to reduce their prices. However, interest in local manufacturing has increased in recent years because of the trend in sustainability and changes in society’s ways of thinking, both of which can bring textile industry manufacturing back to high-cost countries. Purpose The purpose of this study is to formulate concepts and theories that can differentiate local manufacturers in high-cost countries from their competitors and identify the key competitive advantages that can lead to successful local production in high-cost countries. Methodology Two case studies were conducted of local textile manufacturers in Sweden in this study. Both companies’ value chain activities were examined to determine their competitive advantages. Empirical data were collected using semi-constructed interviews with key managers in both companies and were analysed using the thematic analysis method. Findings The textile industry in high-cost countries can create difference by considering competitive advantages, which are flexible and agile operations, development and innovation, sustainability, combining products and services, and uniqueness and differentiation. However, the competitive disadvantages of textile manufacturing in high-cost countries, which include scarcity of employees and high costs, should be considered as well.

Was wäre, wenn es die Kontinentalsperre nicht gegeben hatte? Die Beantwortung dieser Frage setzt eine Beschäftigung mit den Konsequenzen der Blockade auf die wirtschaftliche Entwicklung der betroffenen Länder voraus. Desweiteren ist die Suche nach einem möglichen Alternativszenario notwendig, um einen Vergleich zwischen realem und kontrafaktischem Verlauf ziehen zu können. Diese Arbeit betrachtet zunächst die unterschiedliche Entwicklung der Textilindustrien in England und dem deutschsprachigen Raum. Die Auseinandersetzung mit dem Zustand vor, während und nach der Blockade leitet in die kontrafaktischen Überlegungen über. Hierbei wird ein Vorschlag entwickelt, wie ein solches kontingentes Alternativszenario aussehen könnte. Die in dieser Arbeit angestellten Überlegungen sollen einen Beitrag dazu leisten, die Bedeutung der Kontinentalsperre für die europaische Wirtschaftsgeschichte einschätzen zu können ...

Production has relocated to the Eastern world, whilst consumption is dominating the Western world. Taking into consideration the cultural differences between East and West sanctions a problem, as it is identified that corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices require adaptation to the different cultural contexts. For this reason, it is of interest to study how the values in a middle-income country influence the attitudes that are formed towards CSR to further contextualise the need for adaptation of CSR. To accomplish the aim to the fullest extent, and to adequately form an understanding of how the values influence the attitudes towards CSR in a middle-income country, this study takes place in Colombo, Sri Lanka. As Sri Lanka is a country that has a prevalent textile industry, along with a strong focus on CSR activities and ethical production, augments the choice for the enactment of this study. In the essence of this, the encompassing purpose of this study is as follows: To illustrate how cultural values influence attitudes regarding CSR practices from a future managerial perspective in the setting of Sri Lanka, and if the cultural factors play an important role in the formation of values that inhere to CSR. The methodology of the research consists of focus groups that implicate a vignette technique that builds on the theoretical chapter. Five focus groups were performed, which comprised of fifteen students in total, all current fashion students within textiles, design and marketing at the University of Academy of Design (AOD) located in Colombo, Sri Lanka. By using the vignette technique enables the authors to compose ten scenarios, building on the concepts of CSR in where Carroll’s pyramid is of significance, along with cultural dimensions that are represented by Hofstede and Schwartz. Through these scenarios, the authors explore the attitudes of future managers, namely students, in their attempt to act upon ethical dilemmas. Thereafter, thematic analysis was used to extract four themes from the participants’ insights. These themes add up to the Sri Lankan Business Mindset, Hierarchy, Level of Recognition and Who is Responsible. The findings of this study suggest that in an attempt to approach CSR in a manner which strives to shape the values towards ethical reasoning, it is essential to take into consideration the four actors that are identified as responsible – namely the government, society, company, and individual.

Background: Light has been shed on the textile industry as one of the leading industries when it comes to economic growth, global warming and sustainable development. The increasing demand for sustainable activities from stakeholders has led to the importance of measuring the sustainable development of companies. ESG reporting is a common tool used to indicate a company’s sustainability performance. Prior research has tended to focus on cross-sectional industries, and therefore a gap was identified for industry specific research.   Purpose: The purpose of this research is to explain the relationship between sustainability performance and financial performance in the textile industry in the European and North American markets to see if companies that invest in sustainability activities benefit financially.   Method: This research has followed a positivistic paradigm, with deductive reasoning and a quantitative approach. A probability sampling approach was performed by conducting secondary data from Thomson Reuters DataStream of companies in the textile industry in Europe and North America. This resulted in a final sample of ESG scores and ROIC of 44 companies. The data was later analysed in the SPSS software program by following the estimation method Ordinary Least Squares (OLS).    Findings: The literature review developed two hypotheses to address the research purpose and questions. The two hypotheses were analysed through two regression analyses that were satisfied through the OLS estimation method. The result showed that there was a significant relationship between the aggregated ESG score and ROIC which supported the first hypothesis. The second hypothesis of the multiple regression model showed that each component of ESG is correlated to ROIC, however, the environmental factor was not statistically significantly related.    Conclusion: The thesis showed that there is a positive relationship between ESG performance and ROIC in this study. This implies that companies that invest in sustainable development increase their financial performance. The aggregated ESG score as well as the social factor and the governance factor had the highest impact on ROIC, which is supported by the stakeholder theory as there has been an increasing demand on social and governance activities in the textile industry. This further supports that sustainability performance impact on financial performance is industry specific.

This dissertation consists of three essays. Each one seeks to add in the understanding, in a small way, of the factors that contribute to the development of societies. The first chapter explores the decisive facts of technological advancements and the ability of trade to shape incentives to create new techniques destined for the open markets. The second chapter examines the electoral consequence of having a conservative biased source of information and its effects on the desired ideology of representatives. The third explores how using violence, illegal groups can reach their population control goals in their territories. These three chapters seek to answer history, and power relations between different groups determine societies' paths. In the first chapter, I study how access to international markets affects the direction of technical change. I use a historical trade shock that transformed the Spanish textile industry at the end of the 19th century. After Spain effectively forced its colonies to buy manufactured cotton goods in 1891, I document an increase in cotton textile innovation relative to other fabrics. After the colonies' independence in 1898, the difference in textile innovation between cotton and different fabric remained significant. This shows that innovation exhibits a path dependence even without the initial conditions that motivated the increase. I provide price evidence of the strength of the technical change indicating that the rise in relative prices of cotton fabrics boosted the rise in cotton innovation. Together, these results provide some of the first causal evidence on how international trade and foreign markets shape the direction of the technical change. Even more, I show that innovation is possible in peripherical countries. Conditions outside the technological leaders determined the incentives of local innovators to develop technologies needed for those local conditions. In chapter 2, written with Haaris Mateen, we study how the introduction of a biased local TV operator affects electoral results. We use Sinclair Broadcasting Group's (SBG) staggered expansion over 2012 and 2017. This is the largest TV operator in the United States and is known for its conservative slant. We find that in areas exposed to SBG biased news coverage in local TV stations the electoral results experienced changes compared to places where the company did not penetrate. First, we find that penetration of SBG decreased the likelihood of a third-party candidate in the House of Representatives elections yet increased the probability of having a republican candidate as the winner of the seat. On the other hand, in the presidential elections after SBG penetration, the republican party was harmed, and its candidate received fewer votes, thanks to an increase in the voting of third parties. Second, when analyzing the ideology of the winner of the local election, we document a movement to the right, partially motivated by an increase in the probability of electing a conservative republican as representative. Finally, when looking at the mechanism that explains these effects, we find no movements on the democrat candidates but changes towards the right on republican candidates. In those areas affected by SBG, the republican candidate had a more significant likelihood to be conservative and not moderate. Evermore, those republican candidates had an increase in the donations coming from PACs. Together, these results prove that media have differential impacts on the election. It can affect beyond the voters' preferences, and it also affects the decision of which type of candidates run on local electoral races. In chapter 3, together with Diego Martin, we study how non-state actors enforce stay-at-home orders to reduce COVID-19 cases. We argue that Colombian-illegal groups used massacres to enforce social distance rules. Massacres are attacks killing at least three defenseless civilians in one operation. We estimate the effect of those violent events using a synthetic control method. To rule out the channel of massacres for other reasons such as coca production, we compare sub-regions with low conflict before the pandemic and where coca is not suitable for growth. We find that places with massacres reduced the pandemic outbreak by 70 cases per 100.000 inhabitants per week after the second month. We show that the principal channel that explains our results is a reduction on mobility indexes. The first massacre decreased infection levels by reducing individuals' mobility at workplaces. Finally, we show that young population groups experienced the earliest reduction in infection rates, while the old group has the highest decline in infection rates after massacres.

Från framställning av fiber, till produktion av textilier och till försäljning av färdiga plagg är det enorma mängder av energi, vatten och kemikalier som går åt. Dessutom orsakar modeindustrin utsläpp av växthusgaser som påverkar klimatförändringen i hela livscykeln av ett klädesplagg. Denna studie undersöker huruvida en upcycling-workshop kan vara en lösning till modeindustrin miljöproblematik och hur en upcycling-workshop kan vara utformad för att öka konsumentinvolvering i arbetet att förlänga livslängden på kläder.I problemdiskussionen av arbetet beskrivs företags- och konsumentperspektivet som två områden som tidigare forskningar har undersökt. Vidare beskrivs forskningsfältet konsumentinvolvering som studien undersöker. Frågeställningarna som studien ska besvara är vilka delar som är viktiga i utformningen av en upcycling-workshop samt hur en upcycling-workshop med konsumentinvolvering i fokus kan vara fördelaktiga från ett företag- och konsumentperspektiv.I studiens referensram skildras huruvida en upcyclingsprocess går till, vilka upcyclingsmetoder som finns samt vilka fördelar det finns med upcycling för den hållbara konsumenten. Med hjälp av litteratur och tidigare forskningsprojekt i den teoretiska modellen konstrueras de första 8 byggstenarna som en grund till utformningen av en upcycling-workshop. Studien har en abduktiv metod och har använt sig av litteraturstudier och en delphi inspirerad metodansats för insamling av empiriskt material.I resultatet och analys presenteras det empiriska materialet som studien med hjälp av delphi-metoden samlat in. Undersökningen har förtydligat strukturer kring varaktighet, utrustning och kostnad samt förenkling av process och upcyclingsmetoder. Slutsatsen är att upcycling-workshops kan användas som ett verktyg för att engagera modekonsumenter till en mer kreativ konsumtion. Baserat på studiens resultat identifierades ytterligare 6 byggstenar samt utveckling av tillgång, struktur, kostnad, innehåll och varaktighet var nödvändig för att öka genomförbarheten i en upcycling-workshop. / In the manufacturing process of fiber, textiles and finished garments, it consumes an enormous amount of energy, water and chemicals. In addition, the fashion industry causes greenhouse gas emissions that affect climate change throughout the life cycle of an item of clothing. This study examines whether an upcycling workshop can be a solution to the fashion industry's environmental problems and how an upcycling workshop can be designed to increase consumer involvement in efforts to extend the life of clothing.In the problem discussion of the study, the business and consumer perspective are described as two areas that previous research has examined and further describes consumer involvement as the field this study examines. The research questions that the study will answer are which parts are important in the design of an upcycling workshop and how an upcycling workshop with consumer involvement in focus can be beneficial from a business and consumer perspective.The study's frame of reference describes how an upcycling process is done, what upcycling methods exist and how upcycling is beneficial for a sustainable consumer. With the help of literature and previous research projects in the theoretical model, the design of the first 8 building blocks begins as a foundation for the design of an upcycling workshop. The study has an abduction research approach and has used literature studies and a delphi inspired method approach for the collection of empirical material.The results and analysis present the empirical material that the delphi method has collected through qualitative interview questions. Clarifying structure and content, development of duration, equipment and cost, and simplification of process progression and upcycling methods were knowledge generated by the research.The conclusion of the study is that upcycling workshops can be used as a tool to engage fashion consumers to be a more creative consumer. Based on the results of the study, an additional 6 building blocks were identified and the development of asset, structure, cost, content and duration was necessary to increase the feasibility of an upcycling workshop.

Följande studie undersöker generation Y:s uppfattning om trovärdig marknadsföring av ekologisk hållbarhet inom textil- och modeindustrin i digitala medier. Studien är en kvalitativ intervjustudie med fokus på hållbarhet i marknadsföring, individens tolkning av marknadsföring och trovärdighet. All insamling av data har skett genom personliga semistrukturerade intervjuer som efter transkribering och analys slutligen leder till resultatet av generationens uppfattning av ekologisk marknadsföring. Studiens informanter tillhör generation Y, som är individer födda mellan år 1978 till och med 1995. De har alla en eftergymnasial utbildning samt använder sig av digitala medier dagligen. Urvalet valdes på grund av att majoriteten av generationen har en eftergymnasial utbildning och därmed högre lön än andra generationer men även på grund av generationens kräsna och ständigt jämförande konsumentbeteende. I studien deltar åtta stycken informanter som ingår i urvalet. Studiens resultat visar att generation Y, trots sin kräsna och ständigt jämförande konsumentbeteende, kan nås av marknadsföring med ekologisk hållbarhet inom textil- och modebranschen och att generationen föredrar lättillgänglig och utförlig information om hur, varför och vad det resulterar i. Generationen upplever att siffror och statistik ökar känslan av trovärdig marknadsföring i digitala medier samt att skandaler som innebär förfalskning av- eller undanhållande information om varumärkets arbete med ekologisk hållbarhet får dem att tappa sin tillit till varumärket, i vissa fall till och med resultera i en vägran att konsumera hos varumärket. / The following study examines Generation Y's perception of credible marketing of ecological sustainability in the textile and fashion industry in digital media. The study is a qualitative interview study focusing on sustainability in marketing, the individual's interpretation of marketing and credibility. All data collection has been done through personal semi-structured interviews that, after transcription and analysis, ultimately lead to the result of the generation's perception of ecological marketing. The study's informants belong to generation Y, who are individuals born between 1978 and 1995. They all have post-secondary education and use digital media daily. The selection was chosen because the majority of the generation has a post-secondary education and thus higher salaries than other generations, but also because of their discerning and constantly comparative consumer behavior. The study involved eight informants who were included in the sample. The study's results show that generation Y, despite their discerning and constantly comparative consumer behavior, can be reached by marketing with ecological sustainability in the textile and fashion industry and that the generation prefers easily accessible and detailed information on how, why and what it results in. The generation also feels that numbers and statistics increase the sense of credible marketing in digital media and that scandals involving falsifying or withholding information about the brand's work on ecological sustainability cause them to lose their trust in the brand, in some cases even result in a refusal to consume from the brand.

Purpose - The purpose of this study was to explore what strategic decisions an Italian apparel company has made to establish a sustainable and local supply chain. Furthermore, the obstacles that have emerged during the process were examined, and what strategies that have been used to face these. The study also explored the key success factors of the case company. The information was then compiled to create an overview on how companies can create a local supply chain and what can be avoided during this process. Design/methodology - The method used for the study was a deductive and qualitative study. Data was collected through semi structured e-mail interviews with an Italian apparel company. The data was then analyzed and compared to previous studies and results in order to create an understanding of the success factors and difficulties connected to establishing local supply chains. However, the study is not generalizable since it is conducted on a single case, it only provides an example, not the full picture of the industry. Therefore, the reliability regarding generalizability is low. Findings - The result of the study was that strategic decisions were carried out with the goal to create sustainable denim created through a local and ethical supply chain. Another strategic decision was to share knowledge about sustainable production to other sustainable entrepreneurs, which enables common growth towards sustainable development in the textile industry. The most important element to succeed and overcome obstacles was the passion and perseverance of the co-founders as well as previous experience and knowledge within the denim industry. An additional strategic decision and success factor was the chosen area in which the case company is located and operates in. The case company managed to avoid the challenges connected to lack of know-how within the European textile industry caused by globalization, due to the chosen region’s knowledge, tradition and infrastructure. Practical implications - The findings from the paper can be beneficial for sustainable entrepreneurs and companies relocating or starting up a local supply chain. The findings of the paper can be used to establish a local supply chain that focuses on sustainable production and contributes to responsible consumption and production within the textile industry. Originality/value - This study is original in finding key factors to establish a local supply chain and how to overcome obstacles faced during the process. It creates value for sustainable entrepreneurs and companies searching for alternative ways of production that focuses on sustainability. / Syfte - Syftet med studien var att utforska vilka strategiska beslut ett italienskt klädföretag har tagit för att skapa en hållbar och lokal värdekedja. Hinder och svårigheter som har uppstått under processen har undersökts samt vilka strategier som har använts för att möta svårigheterna. Studien har även undersökt de viktigaste framgångsfaktorerna hos det valda företaget. Informationen har sammanställts för att skapa en översikt över hur företag kan skapa en lokal värdekedja och vad som kan undvikas under processen. Design/metodik - Metoden som användes för studien var en deduktiv och kvalitativ studie. Data samlades in genom semistrukturerade e-postintervjuer med ett italienskt klädföretag. Uppgifterna analyserades sedan och jämfördes med tidigare studier och resultat för att skapa en förståelse för framgångsfaktorer och svårigheter kopplade till att etablera lokala värdekedjor. Studien är däremot inte generaliserbar då den genomförs på ett enda fall, den ger bara ett exempel, inte hela bilden av branschen. Därför är tillförlitligheten avseende generaliserbarhet låg. Resultat - Resultatet av studien var att strategiska beslut genomfördes med målet att skapa hållbar denim genom en lokal och etisk värdekedja. Ett annat strategiskt beslut var att dela kunskap om hållbar produktion till andra hållbara entreprenörer och företagare som möjliggör gemensam tillväxt mot en hållbar utveckling inom textilindustrin. Det viktigaste elementet för att lyckas och övervinna hinder var medgrundarnas passion och i härdighet samt tidigare erfarenhet och kunskap inom denimindustrin. Ett ytterligare strategiskt beslut och en framgångsfaktor var det valda området där företaget finns och verkar i. Företaget lyckades att undvika de utmaningar som är kopplade till brist på kunskap inom den europeiska textilindustrin till följd av globaliseringen, på grund av det valda områdets kunskap, tradition och infrastruktur. Praktiska konsekvenser - Resultaten från uppsatsen kan vara till nytta för företagare och företag som flyttar tillbaka sin produktion eller startar upp en lokal värdekedja. Genom att använda studiens resultat kan de framgångsrikt etablera lokala värdekedjor med fokus på hållbar produktion och bidra till ansvarsfull konsumtion och produktion inom textilindustrin. Originalitet/värde - Studien är originell när det gäller att hitta nyckelfaktorer för att lyckas med att skapa en lokal värdekedja samt hur företagare kan hantera de hinder som uppstår under processen. Rapporten skapar värde för hållbara företagare och företag som letar efter alternativa produktionsmetoder som fokuserar på hållbarhet.