The fashion industry is a recurring topic in the media, especially regarding the responsibility the fashion companies should take, which has created skepticism from stakeholders. This skepticism is based on that the stakeholders do not know what the companies do concerning corporate social responsibility and the companies communicate CSR with the hope of creating legitimacy on the market. How apparel and footwear communicate their CSR efforts and their performances in self-assessed tools compared to their actual efforts have not been researched before, hence the purpose of this thesis. The purpose of this research is to map and analyze how apparel and footwear companies communicate CSR efforts in comparison to their claimed CSR performance. This in order to reach a better understanding of how apparel and footwear companies communicate their CSR efforts how consistent they are with their self-assessed performance they communicate to their stakeholders. Content analyses have been conducted on the sample, which contained 59 companies in the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC). First, the content analysis has been performed on communication channels used by the sample when communicating CSR and the claimed CSR performances been collected from the Higg Index. The sustainability efforts in comparison to the performances have been analyzed based on a discourse analysis on five of the chattiest companies in SAC, which was performed after the content analysis in order to create a mixed method approach. This study has presented how frequently apparel and footwear companies communicate their CSR efforts and performances. It has also shown what channels primarily used when communicating CSR and how they choose to prioritize their performances. Additionally, the result and analysis in this study have shown that the most talkative companies in SAC, namely H&M, Inditex, Patagonia, PVH and Salomon, communicate quality in their available sustainability information. The way they all incorporate CSR in their business model is also a way of showing dedication and perhaps even quality in their sustainability efforts and claimed performances.

This is a comparative, qualitative study conducted through comparing three different companies that are in some extent using Green marketing in their marketing communication. The issue that this study addresses is the problematics connected to the use of green marketing. To address this problem, the purpose of this study will be to investigate how companies relates to the phenomena and how the attitudes differ between these. The thesis will target companies within the clothing and accessory industry and will furthermore investigate why the concerned companies choose to use green marketing. The empirical data collection consists out of interviews with key-persons that have a deep understanding of their respective company. Three beginning interviewees was performed and later on supplemented with a in-depth interview with representatives from each company’s market department. The selected interviewees are all representative for the respective companies attitudes in this thesis. The three companies compared in this thesis are Sandgrens Clogs, Houdini and Tenson. After conducting the interviews, the interviews were transcribed and analyzed, thereafter the empirical data collection could be compared to each other. Through the interviews we could distinguish three themes: Green marketing, Greenwashing and sustainability.The result from the thesis will provide an understanding of why companies choose to use green marketing. To get a deeper understanding, the thesis will also cover the different attitudes towards the phenomena green marketing and sustainability. Furthermore it will give an understanding of why and how Sandgrens Clogs, Houdini and Tenson uses green marketing in their market communication. Companies as well as consumers could gain from the awareness of the usage of green marketing that this thesis are contributing with.

This Master’s thesis explores environmental corporate social responsibility (ECSR) in the alpine sport industry. A mixed methods case with a single alpine sport provider in Quebec was performed. The first study is a qualitative examination of how and why ECSR is employed and communicated. Results indicate ECSR is strategically motivated, and as such, the focal organization runs the risk of using several greenwashing techniques in communications that could jeopardize gaining competitive advantage. The second study quantitatively investigates alpine sport consumers’ environmental expectations, engagement with environmental products, and perceptions of the focal organization’s environmental reputation. The results show the focal organization’s customers do indeed have environmental expectations, but believe the focal organization’s environmental reputation remains neutral. The thesis supports arguments of corporate social responsibility (CSR) being strategically motivated and other findings of skiers having conflicting environmental values. Lastly, the thesis provides insight regarding greenwashing, a phenomenon that remains unexplored in sport management.

This Master’s thesis explores environmental corporate social responsibility (ECSR) in the alpine sport industry. A mixed methods case with a single alpine sport provider in Quebec was performed. The first study is a qualitative examination of how and why ECSR is employed and communicated. Results indicate ECSR is strategically motivated, and as such, the focal organization runs the risk of using several greenwashing techniques in communications that could jeopardize gaining competitive advantage. The second study quantitatively investigates alpine sport consumers’ environmental expectations, engagement with environmental products, and perceptions of the focal organization’s environmental reputation. The results show the focal organization’s customers do indeed have environmental expectations, but believe the focal organization’s environmental reputation remains neutral. The thesis supports arguments of corporate social responsibility (CSR) being strategically motivated and other findings of skiers having conflicting environmental values. Lastly, the thesis provides insight regarding greenwashing, a phenomenon that remains unexplored in sport management.

Den senaste tiden har miljödebatten vuxit sig stor och den kopplas allt mer samman till det ohållbara konsumtionssamhället som vi lever i idag. Modeindustrin utgör en stor del i den ohållbara utvecklingen av samhället och genom ett hållbarhetsengagemang börjar många modeföretag försöka få bukt på miljöproblemet och flera andra sammanhängande globala problem. I samband med detta har det gröna marknadsföringskonceptet fått ett uppsving bland modeföretagen och företagen har börjat anamma slow fashion konceptet. Denna miljödebatt i relation till klädkonsumtion är ett väldigt viktigt ämne som behöver tas på största allvar. Med grund i denna problemdiskussion är syftet med studien att analysera grön marknadsföringsstrategi inom modebranschen och därmed bidra med kunskap och djupare förståelse för ämnet. För att utföra undersökningen har studien antagit ett företagsperspektiv och analyserat kring Åhléns och Filippa Ks hållbarhetsarbete och deras gröna marknadsföringsstrategier. Studiens frågeställningar är ”Hur arbetar Åhléns och Filippa K med hållbarhet inom deras verksamhet?” och ”Vilka likheter och skillnader går det att urskilja i företagens gröna marknadsföringsstrategi?”. Studien baserades på modellen ”The Marketing Triangle” och för att erhålla olika perspektiv av respektive företaget har därför en kvalitativ metod med en deduktiv ansats varit till grund. Det utfördes både intervjuer med respektive företag samt en personalundersökning genom ”Mystery shopping” metoden. Studien påvisade att företagen arbetar omsorgsfullt med hållbarhet inom företagen och att det finns flera likheter än skillnader i företagens gröna marknadsföringsstrategi vilket troligtvis bland annat har att göra med att de ingår i samma koncern. Utifrån ett realistiskt perspektiv har företagen en beblandning av de olika strategierna i ”The Green Marketing Strategy Matrix” och de består inte endast av en enda strategi från modellen. En skillnad i företagens marknadsföringsstrategi är att de har olika syften när de kommunicerar via marknadskommunikationen, medan Åhléns vill framhäva miljöaspekterna väljer Filippa K att avstå ifrån det. Personalundersökningen som innefattade observation av kommunikationen i butikerna påvisade att båda företagen bör arbeta mer med den interna marknadsföringen. Slutdiskussionen av studien tyder på att det för båda företagen finns brister i deras gröna arbete och det går därför att ifrågasätta hur pass miljöetiskt deras arbete är inom produktionskedjan. Det går även att konstatera att modeparadoxen är vad som hindrar arbetet mot ett hållbart konsumtionssamhälle. Som en avslutande ståndpunkt förklaras det att för att åstadkomma förändringar och bidra till ett hållbart samhälle behöver alla vi ta vårt eget ansvar.

This Master’s thesis explores environmental corporate social responsibility (ECSR) in the alpine sport industry. A mixed methods case with a single alpine sport provider in Quebec was performed. The first study is a qualitative examination of how and why ECSR is employed and communicated. Results indicate ECSR is strategically motivated, and as such, the focal organization runs the risk of using several greenwashing techniques in communications that could jeopardize gaining competitive advantage. The second study quantitatively investigates alpine sport consumers’ environmental expectations, engagement with environmental products, and perceptions of the focal organization’s environmental reputation. The results show the focal organization’s customers do indeed have environmental expectations, but believe the focal organization’s environmental reputation remains neutral. The thesis supports arguments of corporate social responsibility (CSR) being strategically motivated and other findings of skiers having conflicting environmental values. Lastly, the thesis provides insight regarding greenwashing, a phenomenon that remains unexplored in sport management.

In the societies of today there is a commercial requirement that companies take social responsibility. Companies that does not market their sustainability initiatives risk losing their competitiveness and thereby lose market shares. Many companies are therefore engaged in environmental- and societal issues and use them in their marketing. Problems arise when this kind of requirement on companies makes some actor takes shortcuts to appear more environmentally friendly than they really are, by using embellished and empty claims, which leads to a diminishing trust in green and sustainable products. A company portraying their CSR-work as better than it is called Greenwashing, which is what is underlying this paper. This study means to examine how companies communicate their environmental responsibility, how the communication is received by external stakeholders and if Greenwashing can be perceived. Guidelines for how to communicate green marketing will also be discussed.

This study focuses on sustainability information and consumers’ attitude and perception of sustainability information in the footwear industry. Sustainability has become increasingly important in the fashion industry; thus, the footwear industry has not reached the same level of interest and attention. In addition, companies do not know how to communicate sustainability and sustainability information and therefore, green marketing has evolved as an opportunity for companies to communicate sustainability. However, the downside of green marketing is that it can be perceived as untrustworthy and mistaken for greenwashing. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to understand consumers’ attitude and perception of sustainability and sustainability information in the footwear industry. To reach a suitable customer segment, a collaboration with Vagabond Shoemakers was initiated. This enabled the data collection to be held in the Vagabond Store in Gothenburg via a selfcompletion questionnaire. The data was analysed quantitatively via regression analysis in IBM SPSS Statistics. The regression analysis shows several significant correlations between dependent and independent variables such as the consumers’ attitude towards sustainability in general and their attitude towards sustainability information in the footwear industry. The result proves that the consumers are interested in receiving sustainability information when purchasing footwear. However, the consumers do not believe they receive enough sustainability information in either brick-and-mortar retail stores or online. Despite that the consumers of this study tend to believe that sustainability information in general is trustworthy, they do not believe that sustainability information in the footwear industry is trustworthy. This is unfortunate as the consumers of this study show interest in and value sustainability information and believe it is an important aspect when purchasing footwear. The result of this study contributes to anunderstanding of consumers’ perception and attitude towards sustainability information in thefootwear industry. This can be a foundation for developing green marketing strategies that companies can utilise so as to educate and inform consumers about sustainability and sustainable development. By utilising green marketing as a communication tool, companies have the possibility to affect consumers’ attitude, intention and behaviour towards sustainable consumption.

Flera undersökningar de senaste åren tyder på att den ekologiska trenden är här för att stanna. Konsumenter har blivit alltmer kräsna i valet av produkter och vill få information om produkternas innehåll och tillverkning. Samtidigt väljer många företag att kommunicera sitt hållbarhetsarbete tyst eller ibland inte alls.   Uppsatsens undersökning har utformats för att om möjligt överkomma detta kommunikationsglapp mellan konsument och företag genom att studera hur ett mer miljövänligt textilt material kommuniceras idag. Syftet med studien har alltså varit att undersöka hur konfektionsföretag kan kommunicera återvunnen polyester så att det gröna budskapet når konsumenten och skapar kunskap/kännedom.   I den inledande delen av studien undersöks konsumenternas kunskap/kännedom och attityd till återvunnen polyester genom en kvantitativ enkätundersökning. Resultatet visade att det råder osäkerhet kring återvunnen polyester och hur miljövänligt materialet är. Ändå uppgav 75 procent av de tillfrågade respondenterna att de ibland eller alltid tänker på hur miljön påverkas vid tillverkning och konsumtion av kläder.   För att kartlägga hur företagens kommunikation kan förbättras genomfördes intervjuer via mail med tre svenska konfektionsföretag. Företagen uppgav att miljöengagemanget hos deras konsumenter varierar och att de var osäkra kring konsumenters kunskapsnivå om återvunnen polyester. Företagen var överens om att ingående information är bra.   Svaren från enkäten och konfektionsföretagen pekar på att kommunikationen på hängetiketter och hemsidornas produktsidor behöver vara mer ingående, tydlig och transparent. För att möjliggöra att fler kundgrupper nås av budskapet kan kommunikationen av återvunnen polyester på hängetiketter framställas i tre steg så att konsumenten 1. förstår varför den ska göra något, 2. kollektivet belönar agerandet och 3. ser de personliga fördelarna.   Avslutningsvis indikerar studien på att kunskap leder till ökat intresse och agerande vilket skulle kunna innebära en stärkt ekotrend. Kommunicera mera!

This study investigates the underlying rationale of environmentally and socially conscious young Swedish consumers for their continued consumption of fast fashion. Furthermore this study assesses influential factors that shape young Swedish consumers’ attitudes and beliefs towards fast fashion. The fast fashion business model is largely based on the exploitation of poor working conditions and lack of environmental protection laws in the production countries. However, consumers are becoming increasingly aware of this dark side of fast fashion and the retailers are addressing their concerns with selective organic clothing collections. In order to gain in debt understanding of young Swedish consumers rationalizations, I applied an inductive research approach based on the philosophy of interpretive social science. More specifically I conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 Swedish participants between the ages of 18 and 25. The findings of this study show that the participants prioritize price, quality and how the clothes look over where they have been produced and under what circumstances. Furthermore, the interviewees indicate a high dependency on the Swedish government to punish misconducts of fast fashion retailers. Greenwashing, the Swedish school system as well as a green trend in contemporary Swedish society seem to shape young consumers attitudes and beliefs towards fast fashion. Future research could investigate how the Swedish government and the Swedish school system can take a more pro-active role in educating their citizens and students about the actual negative impacts caused by the overconsumption of fast and disposable fashion towards society and environment.