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Background: Every time sustainability has a more important role in the fashion industry and more consumers have higher environmental consciousness and look out for sustainable products in that area and companies that are genuinely sustainable. But the main problem is that lots of companies claim to be sustainable, but they are not and use the tactic of greenwashing, to attract consumers and trick them to purchase their products. Therefore, consumer education and awareness became essential to be able to avoid these misleading tactics implemented by the fast fashion firms.    Purpose: This study goal was to investigate the influence of customer knowledge of greenwashing on their purchase decisions and behaviour when it comes to environmentally friendly items, with a particular focus on the fast fashion sector.  This research endeavour aims to provide valuable insights into the challenges associated with promoting sustainable consumption and to propose strategies for increasing consumer engagement with genuinely environmentally friendly products through a comprehensive review of literature and empirical research.   Method: The investigation follows a deductive approach, and it uses both qualitative and quantitative methods to gather the information to resolve the research question. It uses focus groups as the main source of insights that are complemented by a survey.   Conclusion: Increasing the awareness of the consumer was enough to increase their purchase intention but not enough to convince them to make the change. The overall results add information on the findings of the literature review, but it would be interesting to add more information on our results, meaning that future research is needed to get more in-depth with these findings. In other words, have a more specific idea about consumer awareness on greenwashing and purchase intentions to sustainable products.

The importance of transparency, reliability and credibility in Sustainability Reports in the fashion industry has increased in recent years. We as a society have become more aware of the environmental and social impact we have on the planet. The study highlights the importance of progression of communication, transparency and CSR over a five year period in Sustainability Reports. As well, analyzes short- and long term goals communicated through a Sustainability Report by three Swedish fashion companies. Furthermore, this study investigates the increasing demand for transparency that makes it crucial for companies to disclose their efforts towards sustainability in a transparent and reliable manner. It was conducted through a thematic analysis where themes within the reports were collected. The results from the study show that there has been a progression to some extent with an increase of communication regarding credibility and focus on circularity. It showcases findings of transparency, communication, and CSR principles throughout the Sustainability Reports demonstrating a positive viewpoint. The evidence of the progression shown by the three companies in their short- and long term goals in the reports strengthens the underlying theme, how there currently is limited research on the importance of examining the evolution of their sustainability claims and assesses their actual impact on the environment and society as a whole. Additionally, the study addresses the challenges fashion companies face when creating Sustainability Reports.

Thesis advisor: Richard Spinello / This thesis studies the effects of greenwashing in the fashion industry on the Generation Z cohort. It aims to understand the behaviors, motivations, attitudes, and processes behind their clothing shopping habits, including external and internal factors. It seeks to broaden the discussion around greenwashing in the 21st century, especially in the current age where firms are being evaluated on their Environmental, Social, and Governance practices. Therefore, it includes an extensive research background, including a brief history of greenwashing as a marketing tactic, the fashion industry, a study of clothing supply chains, and finally background information on Generation Z and their generational characteristics.This, as well as the small research study conducted at Boston College, all inform the conclusions of this study. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2022. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Departmental Honors. / Discipline: Environmental Studies.

Background: The sportswear industry has grown rapidly in the past years, with sportswear becoming a popular choice for everyday wear and sports activities. However, concerns about sustainability have emerged, prompting consumers to think about their purchasing habits. As a result, sustainable branding has become an integral part of the business of sportswear brands. Purpose: This study examines how women’s attitudes toward sustainable branding influence their purchase decisions in the sportswear industry. By focusing on women aged 20-50, the research seeks to understand the attitudes of female consumers and help sportswear brands adapt their sustainability strategies to meet consumer demand. Method: This study follows a qualitative research method with an interpretive research paradigm and an inductive research approach. Data have been collected through semi-structured interviews to better understand the underlying motivations and factors that influence female attitudes. Conclusion: The study findings revealed that female consumers had negative or neutral attitudes toward the sportswear industry. However, they indicated a positive attitude towards sustainability, suggesting that the brand’s social and environmental practices can influence female consumer attitudes. The study showed a clear gap between female consumer attitudes and actual behavior, with financial constraints and other purchase criteria as barriers to purchasing sustainable sportswear.

Background & Problem: As society becomes more aware of what climate change is provoking in the environment, urgent action toward a more sustainable way of living is being called for. Businesses need to find ways to become more sustainable. One of the fastest-growing industries in the market is the fashion industry, despite it being part of the second-largest polluting industry. It is up to the business but also the consumers to make drastic changes in order to sustain the planet. There are multiple factors that affect consumers purchasing decisions, such as Price and Environmental Knowledge. The problem found when conducting the literature review was that no previous articles could be found in Sweden regarding consumers’ purchasing decisions when buying clothes within the fast fashion sector regarding sustainability.   Purpose: This study aims to understand what substantial factors affect consumers' purchase decisions on clothes. The authors aim to explain existing literature on the chosen topic while providing new insights and data to understand the effect of different variables on consumers’ purchase decisions within Sweden.   Method: A quantitative approach was used, where a questionnaire was sent out to consumers in Sweden. The theoretical framework and the two hypotheses were built on previous literature collected through search engines. The data gathered from the questionnaire was analyzed through the statistical data analysis tool IBM SPSS with a regression model and a descriptive model to answer the research question.   Conclusion: The results of this study show that individuals in Sweden often prioritize Low Prices over the environmental impact of their choices, as well as showing that having Environmental Knowledge affects consumers purchasing decisions. However, not as much as it was expected. The two hypotheses tested were both accepted. Environmental Knowledge and Low Prices affect consumers’ purchasing decisions when buying fast fashion products in Sweden. The results are coherent with previous literature.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to gain a holistic understanding of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) related narratives applied in OMXS30 firms’ annual reports. The understanding contributes to the existing literature by highlighting which main narrative strategies firms’ use to gain and maintain legitimacy, and whether or not the legitimacy gained and maintained from the narratives are in line with the firms’ ESG performance. Research questions: How do Swedish OMXS30 firms employ narratives in their annual reports as a means of legitimizing their ESG performance? How are the annual report narratives of OMXS30 firms related to their true ESG performance? Methodology and method: An inductive qualitative exploratory study was carried out to gain understanding of the most common ESG related disclosure narratives used by OMXS30 firms. To highlight how the narrative strategies are used to gain legitimacy, a thematic analysis of three OMXS30 firms’ annual reports for fiscal year 2022 was conducted. Discrepancies and similarities among the sample firms’ narratives was contrasted to the firms’ Refinitiv ESG score, which is used as a yardstick of ESG performance.The sample was based on the conceptually driven approach, where the authors of thisstudy assessed that data from firms with a high ESG score deviation compared to each other was the best base for further exploration. Conclusion: Our conclusion shows that there is no generalizable stringent alignment between firms’ ESG related narratives and their true ESG performance across the ESG score spectrum. This is shown by the many similarities in ESG related narratives between the firms, despite their highly deviating Refinitiv ESG scores. Furthermore, our study shows that narratives employed as a means of legitimizing ESG efforts are exclusively related to the Environmental and Social pillar of the ESG framework. Our main finding shows that the lowest rated firm narrative deviates from their ESG performance, by applying a narrative in line with the highest rated firm in terms of frequently addressed disclosure topics as well as applied linguistics.

Syftet är att undersöka hur fossilindustrin paketerar sina reklambudskap inom det vilseledande formatet hemmahörande-annonser. Syftet är även att skapa förståelse för hur den trendande klimatdiskursen påverkar marknadsförings utformning. Det svenska petroleumoch biodrivmedelsföretaget Preems kampanj från 2019-2020 undersöks, genom en kvalitativ innehållsanalys av hemmahörande-annonser publicerade i Dagens Nyheter. Gestaltningsteori används för att se hur det meningsbärande innehållet ramas in. Huvudteorin kompletteras av teorin om övertalning för att se hur Preem använder inramning för att nå mottagarna. Resonemang om strategisk kommunikation, greenwashing och grön profilering har inkluderats för att fördjupa kunskapen om fossilindustrins marknadsföringsstrategier. Uppsatsens resultat visar att Preem har valt att lyfta fram löften, mål och visioner samt inkludera sådant som stärker anseendet och ökar förtroendet för Preem. En gemensam nämnare är att allt innehåll ramas in för att övertyga publiken om att Preems verksamhet är miljövänlig. Resultatet av analysen visar att terminologi som tillhör klimatdiskursen är det tydligaste temat och används strategiskt för att följa den gröna marknadsföringstrenden och bygga en grön profil. Preem nyttjar kommunikativa marknadsföringsstrategier som visat sig vara effektiva i relation till samhälleliga förändringar.

Background: Due to the growth of green markets, the phenomenon of greenwashing arises. This leads to consumers experiencing feelings of betrayal and having trust problems with the brand using this misleading tactic. Nevertheless, there is also literature indicating that some customers ignore this and do not alter their purchasing behavior by continuing to buy from these misbehaving brands. This can be explained by moral decoupling, which allows customers to separate their judgements of morality from their judgements of the company's performance. In addition to this, three further variables were analyzed, to comprehend this concept better. Purpose: This study's goal was to retest relationships established in previous research, concretely moral decoupling linked with brand identity fusion, purchase intention and the regulatory focus theory in the context of a greenwashing infraction. By retesting and further proving these, this study’s contribution would have been to propose the expansion of the moral decoupling model with the mentioned variables. Also, this study would expand the existing literature on causes of customer behavioral responses and bring light and study further the detrimental practice of greenwashing.  Method: The foundation of this study was previous literature, which helped construct three hypotheses that were tested via an online questionnaire that has 122 usable responses. In summary, this study follows a deductive approach using quantitative methods to fulfill the purpose of this explanatory, positivist research.  Conclusion: There was not enough evidence to support hypotheses 1 and 2. These stated that regulatory focus influences moral decoupling in a greenwashing context, promotion focus negatively and prevention positively, and that brand identity fusion influences moral decoupling positively in a greenwashing context. The third hypothesis stating that moral decoupling positively influences purchase intention was only proven in the English survey. The overall results contradict the findings of the literature this study is based on, meaning that future research is needed to reconcile these differences.

Due to the increased popularity of greener products (green implies being more sustainable) and more businesses involved in greener markets, the phenomenon of greenwashing has expanded. This is problematic because actors trying to design, manufacture and sell products with a high sustainability content are then forced to compete with actors that deal with artificial sustainability. When trying to market products with a high sustainability index, customers require strong arguments regarding how sustainability has been dealt with within the design process. These need to be grounded in reality and be transparent. One identified research gap is the limited knowledge on how to design and manufacture consumer products in an environmentally and climate friendly way and at the same time attract consumers. The purpose of the study is to problematize sustainable design and consumption and develop a model for a sustainability integrated design process.  First, a literature review was conducted to gain a theoretical overview of the concepts mentioned earlier but also to build a theoretical point of reference. To further explore the concepts, an empirical case study was conducted using Verk, a Swedish furniture company as a case company in order to deepen and complement the gathered theory. The results of the literature study and the case study were then compiled into four identified sustainability factors that affect the creation of novel artefacts which were then sorted through Cross’s (2008) four stage design process model consisting of exploration, generation, evaluation and communication. These four stages were then integrated into a two layered sustainable design process in order to draw conclusions on how a sustainability integrated design process can be modelled.  The developed model was named “2-4 sustainable design process model” because of the two decision processes in each of the four stages of the design process. The model was validated by using the model in a design process where a table was designed. The table corresponds well with the four sustainability factors which shows that the sustainability factors successfully can be integrated within a design process and deliver a product with a high sustainability value. The implications of conducting this type of research is to show how a scientifically derived sustainable design process can be modelled and executed. The method contribution of this study is of scientific interest within design science, due to the scarcity of sustainable design process models with a rigid sustainability dimension. There is also a practical contribution when the developed model gives guidance for industrial designers on how to design in a way that seamlessly deals with sustainability in all the stages of the design process. Further there is a probability that the developed model also can be used in design teaching on how to design in a sustainable way, due to its prescriptive logic.