Masters of Art / There is a great demand for human beings all over the world to live in a more green way, due to the earth’s natural resource scarcity and other environmental issues such as climate change, pollution, emission of greenhouse gases, global warming and depletion of the ozone layer. Librarians, especially public librarians, are seen as the facilitators of access to information. Public librarians are thus in a position to create awareness of the importance of green living and to educate the general public on how to live green.

Urbanisation in developing countries can contribute to various benefits and challenges. The growing areas of informal settlements on the peripheries of greater cities are a product of rapid urbanisation and uncontrolled population growth of the city. Informal settlements are often accompanied by the expansion of spontaneous and unsustainable infrastructure that encroach on land of valuable, natural resources. The stakeholders of the two locations studied in this research – Accra in Ghana and Kigali in Rwanda – handle stressors that rapid urbanisation causes differently, which is reflected in the use of land beyond the city area. Although a significant amount of research has been done on urbanisation patterns and land use in both Ghana and Rwanda, this study identifies the research gap of how urbanisation can be used and guided by local actors in developing countries for efficient and sustainable land use. The objective of this research is thus to identify how urbanisation can be used and guided for efficient and sustainable land use. The Environmental Stewardship framework by Bennett, et al. (2018) is used to locate relevant aspects of the management of sustainable land use for collecting data. Local authorities and organisations are the responsible actors for the management of land and the urban environment in Ghana and Rwanda respectively. Investigating official documents and reports that can be found on the official websites of these entities, along with UN publications, is therefore the main method of collecting data of this study. One interview, statistical estimates, and articles in local newspapers provide additional data for this study. The findings reveal that local authorities can make use of urbanisation by using several factors for sustainable and efficient land use. These factors include strong leadership and control of land and the urban environment through e.g. the maintenance of land registers, densification and vertical development of dwellings, ensuring the availability of data that allows for land use planning, steering urbanisation to alternative cities through pull-factors, and upgrading informal settlements. The element of capacity, especially institutional capacity, by Bennett, et al. (2018) is found to be profoundly important for efficient and sustainable land use.

The purpose of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of Gen Z’s structure in the buying decision-making process and how they value environmental sustainability within the fashion industry. In this context, the following research questions was formulated: (1) What structure does the buyer decision-making process follow for Gen Z when it comes to apparel shopping? (2) How does Gen Z value environmental sustainability when buying apparel?    Theories used in the literature review have included the main concepts of sustainability in the fashion industry, the buyer decision-making process and Gen Z. In order to clarify the relationship between the main concepts a conceptual framework was presented, which together with the theoretical framework was used to analyse the empirical data. The empirical data of this study refers to the collection of multiple interviews with individuals born between 1996-2002. By following a qualitative research method an understanding of Gen Z´s shopping behaviour and whether they are affected by environmental issues was collected. With regard to the concept being a relatively unexplored area in the business research, this thesis is based on a deductive research approach. It was concluded that the Gen Z does not follow the traditional structure of the buyer decision-making process and do not value environmental sustainability when buying apparel. Finally, the minority purchasing sustainable apparel have a higher involvement in their buyer decision-making process due to their motivation towards sustainable choices.

In a world which is highly reliant on international trade and at the same time is facing what has been described as among the greatest challenges planet Earth ever seen, climate change. The connection the two have to each other becomes increasingly essential to understand. This study was put in the context of a developing country, Malaysia, due to the increased amount of businesses located in developing countries which are choosing to internationalise and export products. The 17 Global Goals created by the United Nations, which has been adopted by all member states are aimed to be reached in 2030. The Global Goals are built upon trust and responsibility for the planet which creates a scenario where the behaviour of both businesses and consumers is changed. The purpose of the study was to gain knowledge of how the aspect of environmental sustainability impacts export and what motivates the Malaysian businesses to change for the better. The outcome of this study indicates that the customers have a significant role for both motivation of businesses and the implementation of new strategies. The study has also seen an indication of a connection between the speed of internationalisation and export related to how businesses are motivated by customers in terms of environmental sustainability. Moreover, the study has shown that there is little connection between the business’s selection of export mode and environmental sustainability.

Trend forecasting is perceived to be an essential service for fashion companies to use in order to stay competitive in the fast-paced fashion industry. Yet, in times of climate change, appointing new trends each season is a questioned practice. Since trend forecasting aligns with the inherent obsolescence of fashion’s constant change, forecasting seems to stand in paradox with the imperatives of sustainability. Thus, this thesis aims to explore the role of trend forecasting to understand its compatibility with environmental sustainability. The review of previous research depicts the evolution of the trend forecasting field and displays prominent literature within fashion and sustainability, which together displays an apparent research gap that this study aims to fill. The thesis follows an exploratory design pursuing a multiple case study strategy applied through eight semi-structured interviews with trend forecasters and a content analysis of WGSN online trend forecasts. Findings of this study validate the existence of a trend forecasting paradox while also demonstrating areas of compatibilities. Customized forecasting and long-term approaches were concluded as compatible practices and may be integrated into both long-term and seasonal forecasting. This study also recognizes a need to differ between forecasting sustainability and sustainable forecasting. This thesis is believed contribute to an under-researched area and aid the trend forecasting industry to realize its impact on sustainability, as well as suggesting approaches on how to further incorporate sustainable practices into their work.

Purpose The purpose of this thesis is to develop a theoretical framework for sustainable product design, targeting aesthetic design elements, as part of product development by applying the Ted’s 10 methodology for textile environment and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Design/Methodology/approach The thesis follows a deductive and inductive multi – method approach. A systematic literature review gives insights into existing literature on product design; the interviews with two experts evaluate the theoretical framework based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the implications and applicability of findings in practice. Findings It is found that, in comparison to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the aesthetic design elements in product design from literature have no clear guidelines to restrict environmentally unsustainable practices/ decisions, apart from EU regulations. The theoretical framework, which is built on these gaps by applying the Ted’s 10 design methodology, shows suggestions concerning the aesthetic design elements, which have the possibility to reduce the need to consume, chemical impact, waste, and energy and water consumption. Two expert interviews validate the theoretical framework and discuss implications and applicability. Originality/value It is stated that product design, especially the aesthetic design elements, have a major impact on the environmental sustainability of the final product. Therefore, decision making regarding these elements have the potential to greatly reduce the environmental impact. Moreover, the analysis of the Ted’s 10 may contribute to the realization of several UN Sustainable Development Goals. It could communicate the positive environmental impact textile and fashion designers and businesses can have when applying the Ted’s 10.

The energy consumption of the use phase of buildings accounts for almost 30 per-cent of the global energy consumption and is expected to increase in the coming years (Santamouris and Vasilakopoulou, 2021). Furthermore, increasing demand for energy-efficient buildings can be expected due to the introduction of legislative frameworks, such as the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and the Energy Efficiency Directive (European Commission, 2022b). With the use of building management systems, the energy use of a building can be monitored and optimized (Joseph, 2018). However, it is important not to shift the saved energy use of the building onto the large number of electronic devices needed in the systems. This can be prevented by using ecodesign, which refers to the integration of environmental aspects into the product development process (ISO, 2002).  This thesis aims to find solutions for reducing the environmental impact of electronic products in building management systems, both by finding redesign improvement options and improvement areas within the product development processes of the products. This involved a case study, conducted together with the R&D department at a multi-national company within the electrical equipment industry. Improvement options for four products within the building management system category were generated by using Quality Function Deployment for Environment, where normalized results from life cycle assessments of each product were used for environmental inputs. A total of six improvement options were developed, and the reduction in environmental impact that these would imply was quantified using life cycle assessments. For Product A, the prioritized option was to extend the lifetime of the product from 10 to 15 years. For Product B, changing the production country from Romania to Sweden would reduce the impacts the most. For Product C and Product D, introducing a power-saving mode was the most preferable option. Furthermore, improvement suggestions for environmental sustainability in the product development process at the company were developed by using a four-step method inspired by Charter and Tischner (2001), and ecodesign success factors identified by Johansson (2002). This resulted in nine improvement suggestions within the areas of management, customer relationships, development processes, and competence. Two aspects were considered to be of higher importance; 1. to specify the value and benefits of implementing ecodesign together with relevant stakeholders, and to identify activities and resources needed to achieve that; 2. to consider environmental aspects already at the first step of the product development process. It was also shown that it is of importance to create ecodesign implementation strategies and tools that are customized to the specific company considered for successful integration of environmental aspects in the product development process.

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate how young consumers understand sustainability in the fashion industry: how they define it and if they consider both environmental and social sustainability. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative method was used. The 14 semi- structured video-call interviews were carried out with interviewees between the ages of 20 and 30 years old, chosen based on their age and accessibility to the researchers. Further, all the interviewees live in Sweden. Findings – The collected data show that young consumers have a fairly broad understanding of sustainability in the fashion industry, even if parts of that understanding seem to be subconscious. All the interviewees are aware of the fashion industry’s negative impact on global sustainability, and show awareness of transparency and Greenwashing issues. Many also agree that aspects of high quality, timeless design and second-hand clothing are crucial for sustainability in the fashion industry. All interviewees connect sustainability in the fashion industry to environmental sustainability first and foremost, while issues with social sustainability come second. The interviewees were generally more concerned with environmental issues like emissions and materials. However, all but one showed awareness of the social implications as well, addressing social issues like working conditions. Originality/value – The thesis is a response to the lack of research on young consumer’s understanding and perceptions of sustainability within the fashion industry. It’s an interesting subject, since the fashion industry has many sustainability issues, and young consumers have a great spending power, and also care a lot about sustainability. The research is a mean for future research regarding young consumers and the fashion industry and will provide further understanding towards the subject.

The purpose of this study was to investigate how successful the goal and follow-up measures of the municipal waste plans are, but also how the follow-up measures can contribute to achieving environmentally sustainable development in accordance with the national environmental diversity goals. Methods used were a literature study and a questionnaire, which was sent to people responsible for the follow-up of the waste plans. The results of this study showed that a large part of the follow-ups worked well. The national environmental diversity goals were integrated through various activities in the waste plans, for example information efforts regarding minimizing plastic use. It was not possible to see any statistical differences between follow-up frequency and municipality size. However, the common aspect was that an improved structure would improve the goal and measures fulfilment. A part of the survey was to investigate the need for a structured digital system for monitoring the waste plan. In order to function and be adequate, it was important that the digital system was integrated into the company's own operations. A structured digital system for monitoring the waste plan can increase recycling rates. It can contribute to increase the chances of achieving the national environmental diversity goals and reach circular economy.

The apparel and textile industry is one of the largest in the world and is characterised by complex, global supply chains, water and chemical intensive processes as well as environmentally harmful raw material extraction and production. Because of this, environmental sustainability has become a key issue for the businesses in recent years. With this in mind, and considering an increasing demand for textile and apparel goods, the industry is in urgent need of improving the environmental footprint of its products. However, lack of transparency and available data throughout apparel supply chains decrease chances of producing accurate sustainability assessments, which in turn obstruct improvement measures. Moreover, companies often lack the in-house competence required to manage and create strategies for sustainability assessments. In this study an overview of an apparel supply chain is provided, highlighting phases, sub phases, input and environmental indicators. Appropriate tools for assessing the environmental sustainability of such a supply chain are inventoried and examined. Based on a case study, a literature review and a stakeholder opinion assessment, misalignments between actual practices within an apparel company and recommended practices of the researcher and stakeholder communities are uncovered. These identified misalignments enabled the development of a conceptual model, aiming at facilitating the process of developing an environmental sustainability assessment strategy within an apparel company.