Seeing as fashion companies today have a proclaimed desire to act sustainably, we wanted to explore their explanations regarding the paradoxical phenomenon which is based on having CSR strategies, yet still advocating for consumption. The consumption rate in today’s society is not sustainable, and it appears that it has lead to some confusion regarding where to start or how to handle the paradoxes. Massive amounts of wastage, environmental pollutions and social issues in the supply chain are only a few components in the fashion industry which is full of paradoxical phenomena and tensions. This study aims to explore companies who have well established CSR principles, yet still contribute to mass production within the supply chain which consequently leads to overconsumption. Paradox perspective acknowledges tensions between and among various desirables, yet interdependent and at times conflicting sustainability objectives. In this study we look at the three aspects of CSR, and the tensions that exists when competing demands and goals of these aspects needs to be considered by the fashion companies. By viewing the three aspects of CSR through three dimensions (rearward, nearby and forward), we have analyzed our interviews and identifying different paradoxes that existed. The paradox of need for profit, the paradox of sustainability communication and the paradox of sustainable consumption. Conclusions drawn from these existing paradoxes are that fashion companies might be using more sustainable materials, but that the massive volumes of garments remain. Fashion companies are flexible with their goals of CSR, but stubborn with their methods of doing business, when the opposite is in fact required in order to improve the three aspects of CSR in various dimensions.

The primary aim of this practice based project is to promote debate and alter perceptions of second-hand materials and ReFashion concepts. The work is positioned between the developed world business model extremes of overproduction, and over-consumption, in clothing manufacture. Practical work which represents 80% of this thesis, pitches discarded clothing as an untapped commodity. The investigation poses questions and possibilities with respect to applying the ReFashion concept to a potential business model. By developing prototypes through deconstruction and reconstruction processes, reflection upon current practices of the secondary textile industry has been possible, highlighting ReFashion as a potential ‘Materials Recovery’ process. The second outcome for the research is to provide contextualised information for the fashion manufacturing industry and government agencies, in order to develop innovative applications for new markets.

The primary aim of this practice based project is to promote debate and alter perceptions of second-hand materials and ReFashion concepts. The work is positioned between the developed world business model extremes of overproduction, and over-consumption, in clothing manufacture. Practical work which represents 80% of this thesis, pitches discarded clothing as an untapped commodity. The investigation poses questions and possibilities with respect to applying the ReFashion concept to a potential business model. By developing prototypes through deconstruction and reconstruction processes, reflection upon current practices of the secondary textile industry has been possible, highlighting ReFashion as a potential ‘Materials Recovery’ process. The second outcome for the research is to provide contextualised information for the fashion manufacturing industry and government agencies, in order to develop innovative applications for new markets.

I dagens Sverige konsumeras årligen stora mängder kläder. Nyproduktion av textil har en betydande miljöpåverkan med bland annat stor åtgång av vatten samt mängder av kemikalier. Ett alternativ till allt nyproducerat skulle kunna vara andrahandsmarknaden för kläder.Syftet med studien är att undersöka om de kvinnliga kunderna hos butikerna Myrorna och Beyond Retro konsumerar färre nyproducerade plagg för att de konsumerar second hand- och vintagekläder.Vi har använt oss utav en kvantitativ undersökning där vi intervjuat totalt hundra stycken respondenter i anslutning till Myrorna och Beyond Retros butiker. Vidare har vi genomfört fem stycken kvalitativa intervjuer med vana konsumenter hos ovannämnda butiker, för att fånga deras resonemang bakom svaren.De kvantitativa intervjuerna visar på att en liten majoritet anser sig konsumera färre nyproducerade plagg för att de konsumerar second hand- och vintagekläder. Samt att det överhängande motivet bakom köpen var att second hand- och vintagekläder är unikt och trendigt. I de kvalitativa intervjuerna var resultatet på vår huvudfråga omvänd, och ett djupare resonemang fördes kring deras agerande. Dessa respondenter visade sig i vissa fall ha överskattat sitt konsumerande av second hand- och vintagekläder i förhållande till nyproducerade plagg.In Sweden today we are consuming large quantities of clothes. Production of textiles have significant environmental effects, including high consumption of water and chemicals. An alternative to all the new produced clothes could be the second hand- clothes market.The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the female clients of the stores Myrorna and Beyond Retro consume fewer newly garments because they consume second hand- and vintageclothes.We have used a quantitative study where we interviewed a total of one hundred respondents in connection with Myrorna and Beyond Retro stores. Furthermore, we have conducted five qualitative interviews with consumers of the above stores to capture respondents' reasoning behind the answers.The quantitative interviews show that a small majority consider themselves to consume fewer newly constructed garments when they consume second hand- and vintageclothes. The largest motive behind the purchase was that the second hand- and vintageclothes is unique and trendy. In the qualitative interviews were the result to our main question in reverse, and a deeper reasoning on their actions were disused. These respondents appeared in some cases have overestimated their consuming of second hand- and vintageclothes in relation to the newly constructed garments. / Program: Textil produktutveckling med entreprenörs- och affärsinriktning

Den växande oron kring textilindustrins påverkan på miljön utmanar klädföretag att ständigt anpassa och förbättra sina sätt att bedriva verksamheterna. Företag idag ser svårigheter i att förbättra sitt vardagliga arbete med hållbarhet, vilket lett till att implementeringen av återförsäljning i verksamheter sett snabb tillväxt under de senaste åren. Till följd av att förändringar i kunders och intressenters krav skiftat mot en mer hållbar praxis, tvingasföretagen upprätthålla konkurrenskraft genom att hitta nya sätt att skapa värde. I takt med att tillvägagångssätt ändras och den totala konsumtionen ökar, har företag börjat samla in och sälja kunders begagnade plagg. Processen banar väg för en ny affärsmodell som skapar nya intäktsströmmar och förespråkar cirkularitet inom företagen. Syftet med studien har varit att definiera vilka tillvägagångssätt företag har använt för att implementera återförsäljning i sina verksamheter. Det har även väckt frågor kring vilka utmaningar företagen står inför vid processen och vilka nya värden som tillförs företaget. För att finna svar har intervjuer med tre klädföretag genomförts, vilka för närvarande arbetar medåterförsäljning. Resultaten visar att integrering av återförsäljning i företagen genererat värden för dem själva, lojala kunder och nya kunder. Skapandet av dessa värden är kopplade till nya inkomstflöden, förvärv av nya kunder och förbättring av både Brand Equity och Green BrandEquity. Olika tillvägagångssätt har förkroppsligats i studien, där värderingar och attityder tillhållbarhet har varit faktorer som haft betydande effekter på utformningen. Företagens storlek och tid på marknaden har också visats vara av betydande karaktär. Utmaningar har hittats i att möta efterfrågan med ett attraktivt utbud och i balanseringen av kvalitet kontra kvantitet. Vidare ser vissa företag i studien sina handlingar som en skyldighet gentemot miljön, varpå andra företag ser sina handlingar mer som en tjänst gentemot sina kunder. Vilka nya värden konceptet skapar beror på företagens kärnvärden; dessa återspeglas i de tillvägagångssätt som tillämpas. / The growing concern for the textile industries’ impact on the environment is challenging companies to constantly adapt and improve their ways of conducting business. As companies face challenges to improve their everyday-business and long-term impact of sustainability, the implementation of second-hand as a business subsidiary has seen a rapid increase in growth in recent years. As changes in customer and stakeholder demands have shifted towards a more sustainable practice, companies are being forced to take on new ways to create value and be competitive. With practices shifting and the overall consumption rising, companies have started to collect and resell their used garments paving way for a new business model that creates new revenue streams and advocates for circularity within the company. The aim with this study has been to define what procedures companies have used to implement resale into their operations. This has also raised questions regarding what challenges the companies face with the process and what new values it brings to the company. To find these answers, interviews with three clothing brands, currently working with resale, have been conducted. The results show that integration of resell in the focal companies has generated values for themselves, loyal customers and new customers. Instances of these values are connected to new income streams, acquisition of new customers and improvement of both Brand- and Green Brand Equity. Different approaches have been embodied in the study, where values and attitudes towards sustainability have been factors that have had significant impacts on the design. The size of the company and the time at the market have also shown influence. Challenges have been found in meeting the demand with the supply and balancing quality versus quantity. As some companies in the study see their actions as a duty towards the environment, others see it more as a service towards their customers. What new values the concept creates, depends upon the core values of the company. Furthermore, this study will be written in Swedish.

South Korea is a country that is poor in natural resources and capital and remains behind many other nations in technological development; however, South Korea's unique development strategy has led its economy to high growth over the last three decades. During 1997, South Korea began to experience a serious financial crisis, including bankruptcies of many of its conglomerates, a drastic depreciation in the international exchange rate of the South Korean currency, and an increasing foreign debt. Currently South Korea is struggling to compete with products from both industrialized nations and newly industrializing nations. The current crisis has occurred as South Korea has been engaged in extensive market-opening. Knowledge is lacking about South Korea's intricate and rapidly changing political and economic climate. The purpose of this research was to explore and clarify the interrelated factors that have contributed to South Korea's present economic problems, especially those facing South Korea's retailing industry. The qualitative methodology of "grounded theory" was used in this study. Grounded theory is a general methodology for developing theory that is grounded in data which are systematically gathered and analyzed. Theory evolves during the research process through a continuous interplay between analysis and data collection. This research attempted to discover the factors, or themes, that have affected the South Korean economy and retailing industry. The following factors were identified: (1) foreign direct investment; (2) the price-gap between imported goods and domestic products; (3) South Korea's trade deficit; (4) perceived over-consumption of luxury items by South Korean consumers; and (5) the chaebol, or South Korean large conglomerates. The economic factors that have led to the current difficulties facing the South Korean retailing market are complicated and interwoven. South Korean retailers will have to address these factors in the future, and attempt to find solutions. It is hoped that the knowledge resulting from this will be of benefit to South Korea's attempt to compete in a global marketplace. / Master of Science

This study explores the possible efficacy of a low carbohydrate and high fat nutritional intervention (LCHF) as a treatment possibility aiming to improve the ability of self-control and regulation in the context of carbohydrate-addiction. The study first outlines why increased simple carbohydrate consumption has been implicated as a risk-factor in numerous chronic conditions, and then explores the possibility that a reduction of such consumption could lower general medical expenditure in the healthcare sector of already overburdened institutions, especially in developing countries like South Africa. Since the neurobiological evidence for food addiction is compelling, this study investigates the impact of a low carbohydrate and high fat eating (LCHF) regimen by measuring the change in the severity of addictive behaviour in relation to a reduced carbohydrate consumption. Results indicate that a LCHF nutritional intervention lessened addictive behaviour after just 30 days, resulting in a statistically significant decrease in addiction symptoms from day 1 to day 30. The weight and BMI values of the participants recorded at the end of the study showed a reduction from those obtained during the pre- treatment stage, and the self-perceived ‘feeling in control’ also improved in all participants after the intervention. The introduction of a LCHF nutritional intervention presents a relatively cost-effective treatment and preventative measure to combat carbohydrate over-consumption and its numerous health complications, and it is therefore hoped that the positive findings of this study will foster further research, using larger samples, into this type of nutritional intervention against addictive eating behaviour. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)