Background and problem: As one of the major emerging markets, China has alarge population, stable growth in GDP and increased consumer spending powerwhich has attracted the whole world’s retail business. Many international clothingbrands have increased investment or speeded up the pace into the China’s market (Chen et al., 2007; Cui 2000).However, because of the differences in economy, policy and culture, it sometimesresults in difficulties in meeting standards and accessing the market with effectivestrategies (Cui, 2000). Numbers of clothing brands have been found not reach theChinese standards of textile and apparel. These problems force the brandswithdraw their substandard products from shelves, pay fines, and exposed by themedia, therefore the brands suffer not only economic losses, but also the damageof their images and reputations.The identified problem corresponds to two research questions:• What are the main challenges for apparel companies to conform withChinese standards?• How have the Swedish textiles retail companies responded to thesestandards?Methodology: A qualitative research approach was taken to collect relevant data.In the first phase, literature review was used to collect information related topicsof the thesis. Because this paper was addressed on China’s market as the focus ofthe investigation, both China’s and Swedish academic databases were utilized. Inthe second phase, the author developed the work by doing an interview withKlaus Ziegler, the founder and owner of the Quality Partnership LLC in China; anin-depth international laboratory located in China identified the impact of theChina’s standards and regulations and two email interviews with the managers oftwo Swedish apparel retail companies. Moreover, few informal interviews withprofessors in the Swedish School of Textiles and experts from Business Swedenwere made to reach better understanding of thesis topic.Conclusions: Findings provide insight on Chinese highly growing standardsregarding quality and service; International exporters face a lack of understandingof these standards in China’s textile market; The research of two retail companiesindicate that the companies can conduct better conformity of Chinese standards bysetting specific requirements to control the production, paying attention tolabeling related rules, cooperating with developed export agents, professionalthird-party laboratory, and so on.

Digital innovations are about to overtake the supply chain systems and revolutionize the way of producing products. With the use of technology in the value chain a sustainable development can be generated and developed. The usage of digital tools for manufacturing can minimize waste and further develop sustained processing. 3D printing is a technology that produces products by adding layer by layer of material. The additive manufacturing process theoretically produces no waste and aims for a sustainable and efficient processing. The textile and sportswear industry adopted this process for high fashion or functional performance products. Especially in the sportswear sector the process shows great potential. Brands like Adidas, Nike and Underarmour adopted the process in order to create midsoles for performance shoes. This research aims to identify the potential of 3D printing for the textile and sportswear industry. The purpose of this research is to explore the advantages and disadvantages of 3D printing within the textile industry and sportswear value chain, to survey where are potential solutions to reduce waste. The qualitative research consists of a theoretical and empirical part. The study begins with a systematic literature review that presents the state of the art of 3D printing in the textile and sportswear industry. In order to add empirical data, interviews with five experts from academia and industry have been conducted. The experts work with 3D printing and three of them with 3D printing and textiles. The case study methodology was chosen in order to compare a small number of cases and their approaches. In order to answer the research questions, the empirical data was thematically analyzed and one overarching theme and seven sub themes emerged. The sub themes were compared to the effects and challenges of 3D printing for the textile and sportswear value chain that emerged from the literature review. The findings show that there are several advantages as design freedom and customization and disadvantages as slow production speed and costs. 3D printing is mostly used as an additional process when implementing the process in the textile and sportswear value chain.

Research show that customer patterns in the textile industry are changing and the degree of personalization of products is getting more important to meet personal needs and preferences. Mass customization is a strategy named to create higher customer value by customizing products through a close interaction during the design and production process, high production flexibility and efficient logistics. The lack of research on the implementation of mass customization strategies and an identified gap between customer expectations and perception (customer value) of these types of products, are the incentives to conduct this research. The thesis has the purpose of identifying the drivers of customer value of mass customized garments and assess the value chain of the company Brohall & Son from a perspective of mass customization as a strategy, and from the results draw conclusions of customer value aligned with the implementation mass customization strategies. In order to perform the research a quantitative approach, doing a customer value analysis through a self-completion questionnaire, was conducted. Attributes of price, quality, fit, service and delivery capacity were investigated to get an understanding of what drives value for the customers. In addition a qualitative method was used, doing interviews with the CEO of Brohall & Son to gain a deeper understanding of their operations and value chain. The results show that quality, fit, delivery capacity and service are the most important attributes of customer value. Price is the least important attribute and also the least correlated/dependent variable to the rest of the attributes, showing a high willingness to pay for the garments. The analysis of the value chain indicates some areas of improvements regarding logistics, design process and production process. Solutions are brought up to get the value chain to get more aligned with the strategies of mass customization.

Made available in DSpace on 2009-11-18T19:01:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ACF1E3.pdf: 512714 bytes, checksum: d7597d78a6f5f7a97aea6058016230f8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / This study shows how the Industrial Cluster of garments in Valença, RJ ¿ comprised of micro and small enterprises ¿ contributes to overcome the problems left by the declining period of the textile industry. At first, the city took advantage of its talent for textile work and turned to the clothing sector, which now relies on garment factories, subcontractors, cooperatives and laundries in order to create jobs. There is institutional support, but the analysis of the situation identified the need for higher involvement of cluster players, as well as a higher interaction among them to help their own development. In regard to public and private institutions, there is room for steps to guide informal companies that find it difficult to afford labor, financial, and environmental costs towards formalization, the offer of management and labor skill programs, as well as entrepreneurs¿ awareness about the acquisition of modern-technology machinery. It is important to encourage higher participation of Valença firms in the national fashion events, since this draws attention to the name of the city, discloses the work that is carried out there, and attracts new businesses. The entry of Valença companies in the fashion arena of the southern region of Rio de Janeiro state is beneficial, especially to make them better prepared for the Fashion Rio/Fashion Business event. Informality as a way out of the unemployment problem is a growing trend in Valença, as well as in most of Brazilian cities. In this sense, the entrepreneurs need to find favorable steps to make them feel motivated to formalize their businesses. / Este estudo mostra como a formação do Arranjo Produtivo Local (APL) do setor de confecções de Valença-RJ, composto por pequenas e microempresas, contribuiu para a superação das dificuldades deixadas pelo período decadente das fábricas de tecido. A princípio, a cidade aproveitou a vocação para o trabalho têxtil e se voltou para o setor de confecções atualmente marcado pela existência de confecções, facções, cooperativas e lavanderias para a geração de empregos. Há a presença de apoio institucional, mas a análise da situação detectou a necessidade de maior engajamento dos atores do APL e interação entre eles em prol do seu desenvolvimento. No caso das instituições públicas e privadas, há espaço para ações que orientem as empresas informais em suas dificuldades para arcar com os custos trabalhistas, fiscais e ambientais rumo à formalização, promoção de ofertas de cursos de capacitação gerencial e de qualificação da mão-de-obra, bem como sensibilização dos empresários quanto à aquisição de maquinário moderno tecnologicamente mais competitivo. Estimular a maior participação das empresas de Valença em eventos de moda de âmbito nacional é relevante, uma vez que enfatiza o nome da cidade, divulgando os trabalhos elaborados e atraindo novos negócios. A introdução de empresas valencianas no Pólo de Moda Sul Fluminense traz benefícios, especialmente tendo-se em vista a melhor preparação para o evento Fashion Rio/Fashion Business. Um caso comum e cada vez mais crescente que ocorre na maioria das cidades brasileiras se observa também em Valença. Trata-se da informalidade como saída para a questão do desemprego. Neste sentido, é preciso que os empreendedores encontrem ações vantajosas para que eles se sintam motivados a formalizarem suas empresas.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate key success factors of a business model for digitally enhanced and demand driven manufacturing of personalised apparel products. Through the investigation of a questionnaire and two focus group discussions the research outlines the co-creation of customers and the company when personalising an apparel productafter individual requests. Furthermore, it examines the relationship and impacts of service experiences towards the customer journey of value-adding personalisation. Methodology: This study is based on a mixed-method design. The empirical data weregathered through an online questionnaire, which reached out to 183 participants. Furthermore, the data were collected from two focus group discussions with seven students in total. The  discussions were transcribed, coded and analysed using a comparative analysis approach. The main limitations of the research are the limited amount of questionnaire participants and focus groups as well as the focus on personalisation services regarding apparel products. Findings: The findings of the analysis point out that in order to establish a beneficial demand driven business model for the personalisation of apparel products, a company has to adopt factors such as raising awareness, ensure value-adding integration, ideal information sharing, straightforward operation, incorporate customer’s knowledge, customer satisfaction, enablevaluable personalisation as well as consider customer’s emotion. Additionally, the results illustrate that service experiences have an impact on the customer journey of a personalisation. Contribution: This paper contributes to the academia by investigating a framework for ther elationship between a customer journey and the service experiences while co-designing a product with a company. Practical contributions are made by investigating key success factors for digitally enhanced, demand driven manufacturing of personalised apparel products and by giving new insights in the integration of customers when using the service of personalisation. The generated framework and the key success factors can be principle guidelines for entrepreneurs and established businesses as well as for future investigations.

Modeindustrin har länge fått utstå kritik för att vara en ohållbar bransch med bristande transparens och spårbarhet när det gäller hur och under vilka villkor klädesplaggen har tillverkats. Transparens och spårbarhet är två skilda begrepp, men båda är avgörande faktorer för att uppnå en mer hållbar, rättvis och ansvarsfull modeindustri. Spårbarhetskommunikationen som presenteras för konsumenter vid onlineköp av kläder är i nuläget knapp, men under utveckling. Studiens syfte har därför varit att undersöka dagens konsumentbeteende relaterat till transparens och spårbarhet i den textila värdekedjan, men även konsumenters framtida köpbeteende och attityd till området. Vidare behandlar studien även vilken typ av spårbarhetsinformation konsumenterna efterfrågar vid klädinköp. Detta bidrar i sin tur till att hjälpa modeföretag att anpassa sin kommunikation av spårbarhetsinformation vid onlineförsäljning av kläder, och samtidigt öka sin trovärdighet som mer hållbara aktörer. En kvantitativ enkätundersökning utformades för att samla in data och kunskap om konsumenters köpbeteende och attityd kring spårbarhet. En egenkonstruerad undersökningsmodell kopplad till den teoretiska referensram utgör också grunden för studien. Resultaten av studien visar att konsumenters kunskap om spårbarhet i nuläget brister. Trots detta tar en betydande del av konsumenterna del av den information som finns tillgänglig via modeföretagens digitala plattformar under köpprocessen. Studien visar också att konsumenterna är intresserade av och positiva till en ökning av kommunikation kring spårbarhet vid onlineköp av kläder i framtiden. Både social- och miljömässig spårbarhetsinformation anses också vara lika viktigt att presentera och inom dessa områden är arbetsmiljö och miljö- och hälsofarliga kemikalier den information som konsumenterna allra helst skulle vilja ta del av i framtiden. Det är därför av största vikt att modeföretag kommunicerar detta på ett tydligt vis vid onlineförsäljning av kläder i framtiden, för att konsumenter ska få möjligheten att göra mer hållbara val. / The fashion industry has faced extensive criticism due to its unsustainable practices and lack of transparency and traceability in terms of the production processes and working conditions associated with garment manufacturing. Transparency and traceability are two distinct concepts, but both are crucial factors in achieving a more sustainable, fair, and responsible fashion industry. The traceability communication provided to consumers during online clothing purchases is currently limited but evolving. Therefore, the purpose of this study has been to examine current consumer behavior, as well as future purchasing behavior and attitudes, related to traceability in the textile value chain. The study also investigates the type of traceability information consumers look for when buying clothes. This, in turn, contributes to helping fashion companies tailor their communication of traceability information during online clothing sales and increase their credibility as more sustainable actors. A quantitative survey was designed to gather data and insights into consumer purchasing behavior and attitudes towards traceability. Additionally, a self-constructed research model linked to the theoretical framework forms the foundation of the study. The results of the study indicate a current lack of consumer knowledge about traceability. Nevertheless, a significant portion of consumers engage with the available information on fashion companies' digital platforms during the purchasing process. The study also reveals that consumers are interested in and receptive to increased communication about traceability during online clothing purchases in the future. Both social and environmental traceability information are considered equally important to present, with working conditions and environmentally hazardous chemicals being the information consumers would most prefer to access in the future. Therefore, it is of utmost importance for fashion companies to communicate this information clearly during online clothing sales in the future, enabling consumers to make more sustainable choices. This study is written in Swedish.

Background/ Problem/Purpose: Sustainability and Digitalisation are two buzzwords nowadays. The textile value chain is one of the most criticised value chains with respects to ecological as well as social sustainability. Thus, it seems a worthwhile project to be examined in the context of how digital technologies can be used to support sustainability aspirations. Academic literature rarely describes the relation between sustainability and digitalisation in a theoretical and empirical way. Most studies focus on one of the two topics, especially in the context of textile procurement. The purpose of this study is to investigate to which extent digital technologies, such as Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence and Robotic Process Automation, can contribute to sustainable procurement in the textile value chain. Methodology: The study follows a qualitative approach and combines insights obtained by means of conducted semi-structured interviews combined with secondary data related to the studied cases. While embracing an abductive approach, the data analysis follows the extended six-dimension model by Münch et al. (2022) based on the socio-technical system theory. The findings were summarised in two frameworks and discussed in the context of the socio-technical system theory and academic literature. Findings – Through the differentiated model, the findings shed light on the relationship between sustainability and digitalisation in the context of textile procurement. Internal and external organisational aspects of technology implementation were identified for digital tools towards sustainability in the textile procurement. Consequently, possible external and internal drivers, challenges and requirements could be identified for implementing digital technologies. Moreover, the contribution of specifically Robotic Process Automation, Artificial Intelligence as well as Blockchain to sustainable procurement in the textile value chain was analysed and compared. Originality/Value – This study combines, as one of the few, sustainability and digitalisation in the context of the textile value chain. It provides an insight into external as well as internal aspects that can foster or hamper the successful implementation of advanced digital technologies, as well as requirements needed for a successful implementation. Furthermore, the study applies the theory of socio-technical system theory in the context of sustainability and digitalisation. The study offers practitioners a better understanding of the potential effects of advanced digital technologies towards sustainable procurement. It also provides a framework that can support the sustainability driven implementation of advanced digital technologies.

Introduktion: Textilbranschen är en av de industrier som har störst negativ påverkan på miljön och sociala förhållanden. Detta har mynnat ut i att det i dagens samhälle finns efterfrågan och förväntningar på industrin att förändras, både för planetens bästa men även för företagens överlevnad. En stor del av problematiken är att företag ofta upplever att det är kostsamt att vara hållbar eftersom det oftast kräver mer resurser, tid och kunskap. Alla beslut gällande företagets verksamhet kan påverka hur hållbart ett företag är och många av besluten bär inköpsfunktionen ansvar för. Redan i inköpsstadiet tas det beslut kring viktiga faktorer som sourcingland och materialval vilka har stor inverkan på hållbarhet. Vad studier visar är att inköpsrollen är en roll med potential och mandat att främja en hållbar industri både internt och externt. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att bidra till ökad kunskap om hur inköpare uppfattar hållbarhet inom sin organisation samt att se vad inköpare gör i sitt dagliga arbete för ökad hållbarhet i företaget. Metod: En kvalitativ studie i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer utfördes där åtta inköpare från fem olika svenska modeföretag deltog. En tematisk analys med kodning utfördes för att analysera materialet från studien. Resultat och Slutsats: Sammanfattningsvis visade det empiriska materialet att inköparna är medvetna och har förståelse över sin roll och dess påverkan kring hållbarhet, samtidigt som de inte delar teorins syn på hur omfattande påverkan de har i alla delar i inköpsfunktionens områden. Studiens resultat visade istället att många inköpare hade mindre inflytande kring beslut kopplat till leverantörer och mest inflytande kopplat till hållbara materialval. Vad man kunde urskilja var återkommande i materialet var att det fortfarande sågs som ett hinder eller krav att hålla uppe det hållbara arbetet, inte för att det fanns bristande engagemang från inköpare, men att man inte fick det att gå ihop med pris till marknaden och budgeten. Vad hållbar utveckling innebär för inköpare speglar ofta företagets syn och utveckling kring ämnet. Resultaten indikerar att inom inköparnas roll innebär hållbar utveckling främst att vara medveten om sina materialval i produkter man tar fram. / Introduction: The textile industry is one of the industries which have had the biggest negative impact on the environment and social conditions. This has resulted in an increased demand and expectation from our society for the industry to change, both for the good of the planet but also for the survival of textile- and fashion companies. A big part of the issue is that companies often believe that it is costly to be sustainable due to it requiring more resources, time and competence. All decisions regarding the company’s operation can affect how sustainable a company really is, and many of these decisions the buyer is responsible for. Already in the buying stage, decisions regarding important sustainability factors such as choice of sourcing country or materials are made. Studies show that the buyer has a role with potential to promote a more sustainable industry, both internally and externally. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to contribute to increased knowledge of how buyers perceive sustainability within their organization, as well as finding what buyers do in their daily activities to promote sustainability. Method: A qualitative study in the form of semi structured interviews has been performed where eight buyers from five different Swedish fashion companies participated. A thematic analysis with coding was then performed to analyze the data from the study. Results and Conclusion: In conclusion, the material show that the buyers are aware and have an understanding of how their role affects sustainability, but they do not share the standpoint of the theory of how extensive the impact is. The results instead show how many of the buyers have less influence regarding decisions linked to suppliers and have the most influence regarding choice of sustainable materials. One factor which was recurring in the material was that keeping up sustainable development was an activity which was percieved to have many barriers. Not due to the lack of engagement from the buyers, but rather that they are not able to fit the sustainable choices into their given budget and market based prices. What sustainable development is to a buyer is often based on the company’s standpoint and progress regarding the subject. The results indicate that, within the purchasing role, sustainability is mostly connected to the choice of materials for the products produced.

Syfte: Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur svenska modeföretag arbetar med transparens av sin värdekedja för att kommunicera de sociala- och miljömässiga avtryck som verksamheten medför. Studiens resultat kan förhoppningsvis bidra till ökad kunskap om hur trovärdighet och tydlighet kan uppnås/användas för att förbättra kommunikationen från företag till konsument. Metod: Studien har en kvalitativ metod med en deduktiv ansats. Semistrukturerade intervjuer har utförts för insamling av empiri. Intervjuguiden har baserats på de definierade centrala begreppen utifrån studiens forskningsfrågor som innehåller begreppen transparens, värdekedja, kommunikation, ansvar och framtid. Resultat: Samtliga företag i studien strävar efter transparens i hela sin värdekedja, vilket omfattar fibertillverkning, tygtillverkning, produktion, färgning och transporter. Genom webbplatser, hållbarhetsrapporter, certifieringar och sociala medier kommunicerar företagen transparens till slutkonsument. Samtliga företag i studien anser att det är nödvändigt att skapa förändring och förbättra delar av sin värdekedja för att bidra till en mer hållbar framtid. Även att kommunicera mer till slutkund angående cirkulariteten hos en modeprodukt och hur företagen i studien kan samarbeta med andra företag för att bygga en bättre och mer hållbar framtid. Relevans: Studien bidrar med relevanta utgångspunkter för hur företag bör arbeta med transparens av sin värdekedja för att bidra till en så hållbar textilbransch som möjligt. Relevansen förstärks då studien ligger rätt i tiden med med konstanta förändringar för hållbarhet inom textilbranschen och där transparens är grundstenen. / Purpose: The aim of the study is to look into how Swedish fashion firms use transparency throughout their value chain to explain and communicate the social and environmental impact of their activities. The result of the study can help to increase knowledge about how to develop trustworthiness and reliability in order to improve business-to-consumer communication. Method: The study has a qualitative method with a deductive approach based on semi-structured interviews that have been conducted for collecting the empirical data. The interview guide is based on the study's research questions' stated keywords, which include topics like transparency, value chain, communication, responsibility, and the future. Findings and conclusion: All five companies strive for transparency across their value chain, which includes fiber production, fabric manufacture, production, dyeing and transportation. Through websites, sustainability reports, certifications and social media, the companies communicate transparency to the end consumer. All businesses believe that changing and improving sections of their value chain is necessary to contribute to a more sustainable future. Also, communicate with their end customers more about the circularity of a fashion product and how to collaborate with other companies to build a better future and be more sustainable. Relevance: The study contributes relevant points on how companies should work with transparency within their value chain in order to contribute towards a more sustainable textile industry. The study's relevance is enhanced by the fact that it is timely, given the ongoing changes in the textile industry and transparency is a central part for that development.

Kraven på företag idag att ställa om till en hållbar verksamhet är höga vilket innebär att de måste se till alla stegen i produktionen, från fiber till färdig produkt. Denna hållbarhetsomställning är ett producentansvar som bland annat har som högsta prioritet att minska utsläppen av växthusgaser som uppstår vid tillverkning av textilier. Den växthusgas som har störst negativ påverkan är koldioxid, vilket den textila industrin bidrar rejält med, och det är därför av stor vikt att hitta substitut för många redan befintliga material som har lägre koldioxidavtryck. Arbetet innefattar en del av en livscykelanalys med beräkningar på produktionen och transporten av en textil produkt från ett svenskt outdoorföretag för att se mängden koldioxidutsläpp den avger samt vilka förändringar som kan och måste göras för att minska dessa. Studien är empirisk och kvantitativ med enkätundersökning som metod för datainsamling. Bearbetning och analys av kvantitativ data kommer att användas under arbetets gång med komplettering av kvalitativa intervjuer. Datainsamlingen sammanställs i verktyget Higg Index som omvandlar siffrorna och faktan till koldioxidekvivalenter. Resultatet visar att störst utsläpp av växthusgasen koldioxid sker under materialtillverkningen följt av transporten. Med bland annat hjälp av ett antal begränsningsstrategier inom material och tillverkningsfasen, renare energianvändning och effektivitetsförbättringar samt kortare transportsträckor kan utsläppen av koldioxid minskas. / The requirements for companies today to switch to a sustainable business are high, which means that they must ensure all stages of production, from fiber to finished product. This sustainability adjustment is a producer responsibility which, among other things, has the highest priority to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that occur during the manufacture of textiles. The greenhouse gas that has the greatest negative impact is carbon dioxide, which the textile industry contributes enormously to, and it is therefore of great importance to find substitutes for many already existing materials that have lower carbon footprints. The work includes part of a life cycle analysis with calculations of the production and transport of a textile product from a Swedish outdoor company to see the amount of carbon dioxide emissions it emits and what changes can and must be made to reduce these. The study is empirical and quantitative with a questionnaire survey as a method for data collection. Processing and analysis of quantitative data will be used during the work with the supplementation of qualitative interviews. The data collection is compiled in the tool Higg Index, which converts the figures and facts into carbon dioxide equivalents. The results show that the largest emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide occur during material production, followed by transport. With the help of a number of limitation strategies in the materials and manufacturing phase, cleaner energy use and efficiency improvements as well as shorter transport distances, carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced.