Today, there has been growing concern on how to live a life more sustainable in terms of people’s needs and consumptions, globally with no exception in Sweden. It is due to the challenges that society faces to ensure the existence of resources availability for current as well as future generation. At the same time, we are looking at an era where the advancement of technology could incentivize people to shift their consumption pattern from acquiring new products to used goods from other peers. This technology provides the possibility for peer communication and matchmaking to exchange goods from local communities to different regions within the country. This practice is widely known as the sharing economy, although many other similar terms are used by academic scholars as well as business practitioners. As of today, several studies have attempted to understand people’s motives for participating in the sharing economy practice. Nevertheless, some other aspects have not been thoroughly researched, such as the social interaction within the practice. Social interaction is perceived as one of the essential features that the sharing economy heavily relies on among the two practitioners. Hence, the main aim of this study is to understand the role of social interaction between peers while outlining the dimensions within an interaction that affects participation. Therefore, a qualitative study was adopted for this thesis by interviewing eight Swedes while observing the second-hand platforms they were exercising. In this study, we adopted the Social Practice Theory as our theoretical framework to comprehend the meaning behind the practitioners’ involvement, the competence they display, and the materials they curate within the practice. The findings of this study illustrated that social interaction was not only an essential part in the second-hand practice, but also inevitable to avoid completely. Furthermore, our empirical findings illustrated social interaction as a gateway to receive financial benefits while simultaneously offering the practitioners the possibility of manifesting their virtues through the practice. Moreover, we also discovered that social interaction was a crucial element for promoting but also preserving practice. The aspect of social interaction makes the involved practitioners need to manage the adequate know-how/understanding and competencies to get benefits from the practice, such as negotiation capability, dispute handling, risk evaluation, and managing overly apprehension. In addition, we found it beneficial to distinguish the buying practice and the selling practice as two different practices instead of a single practice.

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explore the consumer resale behaviour of Millennial consumers in the context of personal luxury goods in order to identify the motivational drivers and barriers of reselling. Prior discussions about resale behaviour have focused on disposition behaviour, the relation of resale behaviour and purchasing, as well as meanings associated with reselling personal luxury goods. Yet, only few studies have approached consumer resale behaviour from the perspective of possessing, thus neglecting the significance of resale barriers. Consequently, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of resale behaviour motivations by exploring the phenomenon from the view of the whole consumption cycle, consisting of purchasing, possessing and disposing. Design/methodology/approach – This research employed a qualitative, exploratory approach, including thematic analysis using empirical data from semi-structured interviews with ten European Millennials. Consumer resale behaviour was examined in the context of personal luxury goods. Findings – Results indicate that personal luxury goods are reluctantly disposed, but chiefly resold when given away. The motivations to resell or not to resell personal luxury items are exhibiting three types of reasoning: utilitarian, hedonic and social motivations. Based on the categorisation of resale drivers and barriers, the authors propose a conceptual model to show the individual motivations. Highly notable is the phase of possession, which has a strong influence on the decision of whether to engage in reselling or not. Originality/value – The paper discusses the relevance of each phase of the consumption cycle when studying consumer resale behaviour motivations. More, it challenges the ‘end of ownership’ approach and suggests luxury brands to consider the weight of possessing if applying such business models.

Sharing Economy as a concept is based on providing a space for individuals that brings them together on a platform providing access to goods/services to both parties. It has grown in popularity since the 2010s due to digitalization and social media. The reason why the sharing economy is growing is due to different stakeholders involved in this concept. For example, it can be said that companies try to boost their brand by incorporating sharing economy in their portfolio or in academics where lots of resources are used in researching this concept as sustainability is trending these days. The consumer plays a role in growing interest in this concept through active participation in this economy. Now with many people involved in sharing economy, it is certain that there are different desires and needs. These desires and needs are known as motivation. Naturally, there are different types of motivations seen in sharing economy. They are economic, critical, and recreational motivation that has been researched extensively by other authors in this domain. This thesis looks at social motivation and in more specific term ‘fashionability’. Fashionability is the motivation that consumers use to ‘be unique’, ‘stand out in a crowd’, and keep up with the trends specifically to second-hand clothes. But to be unique and to stand out, there are activities that are carried out by the consumer in a second-hand store/platform. These activities are known as practices. To understand these practices, a theoretical framework known as Social Practice Theory is used. The aim of the thesis is to understand fashionability in sharing economy and to see how fashionability affects the sharing practices in second-hand consumption. To do this, the researchers have used a qualitative research method to interview active participants of sharing economy. There were ten interviewees sampled, and a semi-structure interview guide was used to understand the interviewees. The findings were that second-hand fashion was seen through different perspectives amongst consumers. Some of them were able to express themselves to enhance their identity. The researchers also analyzed that fashionability was indeed a motivator since this was seen as a starting point towards the consumption of second-hand clothes. There were seven practices found through the results in this thesis. The researchers analyzed these seven practices and theorized the links between these practices needed to be sustained.

As the world moves towards a more sustainable future and consumers begin to research more sustainable ways to consume, many turn to second hand for purchasing apparel due to its supposed minimal effect on the environment. The second hand market is rapidly growing but research surrounding the implications of its growth is scarce. This study aims to research consumer habits in the second hand fashion market in Sweden. More specifically, if the Swedish second hand consumption reflects the fast fashion way of consuming, meaning purchasing vast amounts of apparel for minimal use. The study utilizes a mixed method of collecting data, both a qualitative and a quantitative method. A survey and interviews were conducted, mapping the consumption habits of second hand apparel of Swedish people in their early twenties. The results show that second hand consumption has some similarities to the fast fashion way of consuming but there are still several differences. There were signs that the second hand market is moving towards excessive consumption practices which the fast fashion industry has been criticized for in the past. The key similarities between second hand fashion consumption and fast fashion consumption observed in the participants were impulse buying, minimal usage of products, seeking trendy items and gaining hedonic pleasure.

Modeindustrin har en av de främsta och mest skadliga rollerna i den rådande vanvården av planeten, som gör sig ständigt påmind i olika samhälleliga forum. Uppkomsten av så kallad fast fashion har sedan millennieskiftet exempelvis bidragit till den ökande mängden utsläpp och avfall samt den alltmer akuta uttömningen av naturresurser. På grund av detta förespråkas övergången till en cirkulär klädmarknad.I denna uppsats utforskas fem konsumenters inställningar till fast fashion och hållbara alternativ, främst second hand-kläder. Semistrukturerade intervjuer genererar diskussioner om bland annat ansvar, påverkan, status och hygien. Dessa besvarar frågeställningarna om hur konsumenter förhåller sig till modeindustrin, samt vilka faktorer som de upplever styr deras konsumtion. Syftet med detta är att uppmärksamma hur samhällets hållbarhetsdiskurs kan påverka individers syn på sig själva och andra, samt deras möjligheter att konsumera hållbart.Resultaten påvisar en hög konsumentmedvetenhet om förhållandet mellan mode och hållbarhet, samt att respondenterna har ambitioner att konsumera med minimal miljöpåverkan. Strukturella motgångar påverkar dock hur väl de kan uppfylla sina aspirationer, och de upplever sig vilseledda av den greenwashing som genomsyrar klädmarknaden. Konsumenterna ser mode som identitetsbyggande och statusingivande, och den sociala kontexten verkar påverka hur kläder och konsumtionssätt uppfattas. Jämförelser mellan nyproducerade och begagnade kläder utmynnar i resonemang om hygienens symbolik, där betraktelsen av de sistnämnda som smutsiga tolkas som socialt konstruerad. Den huvudsakliga slutsatsen är att hållbar konsumtion möjliggörs av både strukturers och aktörers inverkan. De oskrivna kraven som ställs på konsumenter att handla hållbart kan dock upplevas som omöjliga att uppnå, och därför är omfattande institutionella förändringar nödvändiga för verkställelsen av en cirkulär modeindustri.

The demand for transparency within the fashion industry is rising, and retailers are under mounting pressure to become more sustainable. This pressure comes from both consumers becoming more aware of their carbon footprint and from new laws and regulations worldwide. However, the concept green gap indicates that consumers do not behave according to their attitudes. Also, interpreting sustainable related data, such as the amount of emitted CO2e gases, seems to be complex and challenging for consumers to comprehend. This master's thesis aims to get insight into issues regarding how retailers currently gather and communicate sustainability data. Further, this thesis explores how this data can be communicated to consumers through data visualization and user interface design. Thematic analysis is applied to data from interviews with companies and retailers. The results of these interviews point to key issues such as resistance against transparency, lack of an industry standard, and complex product life cycles. A number of prototypes are created and designed to inform users about the environmental impacts of garments and their shopping habits. The results from user tests could not measure behavioral changes. However, the tests pointed to the importance of transparent data, abstraction level in the design of environmental impact graphs, and providing context to data for users to be able to act upon.

I dagens samhälle blir miljöfrågor allt viktigare och överkonsumtion av kläder är ett problem. Samtidigt som miljömedvetenheten hos dagens unga ökar, har second hand-mode blivit en växande trend. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur attityder, sociala normer och upplevd beteendekontroll påverkar konsumenter inom Generation Zs köp av second hand. Detta görs genom att applicera teorin om planerat beteende på tre delar av den traditionella köpprocessen, för att ta reda emotionella värderingars inflytande. Studien baseras på intervjuer med individer i Generation Z, och kompletteras med enkätfrågor. Resultatet visar att informationssökning påverkas av sociala normer och individens attityder till second hand, där sociala normer även har en indirekt påverkan på individers attityder. Alternativutvärderingen påverkas av individens attityder men endast delvis av sociala normer. Vidare framgår det att även en individs upplevda beteendekontroll har ett inflytande över attityder samt att den upplevda beteendekontrollen är avgöranade vid köpbeslutet.

Denna studie syftar till att skapa en djupare förståelse för hur kvinnliga studenter uppfattar att opinionsledare påverkar deras klädkonsumtion. Studien undersöker varför den utvalda målgruppen väljer att avstå från att konsumera secondhandkläder. Detta är av intresse med tanke på den ökade medvetenheten om klädindustrins negativa miljöpåverkan och den ökade populariteten av att köpa secondhandkläder. Det är väsentligt att undersöka detta utifrån opinionsledare, då det kan ha en inverkan gällande människors konsumtion. För att uppnå syftet med studien har tre frågeställningar utformats. Den första frågeställningen är gällande vilka faktorer kvinnliga studenter uppfattar påverkar deras beslut gällande klädkonsumtion. Den andra frågeställningen undersöker hur de uppfattar att opinionsledare har en inverkan på deras värderingar samt identitet. Den tredje frågeställningen är vad det finns för samband mellan kvinnliga studenters opinionsledare och deras val att avstå från att konsumera secondhandkläder. Studiens metod innefattar en kvalitativ undersökning i form av intervjuer som har transkriberats, kodats och strukturerats utifrån en tematisk analys. Studiens deltagare innefattar åtta kvinnliga heltidsstudenter som inte konsumerar secondhandkläder. Resultatet har analyserats utifrån två teorier: tvåstegshypotesen och mål-medel-kedjan. Studiens resultat visar att de främsta faktorerna som målgruppen uppfattar påverkar deras klädköp är ekonomi, sociala medier och marknadsföring. Kvinnliga studenter uppfattar att opinionsledare kan ha en viss inverkan både gällande värderingar och identitet. Resultatet visar även att det finns flera samband mellan kvinnliga studenters opinionsledare och deras val att inte konsumera secondhandkläder, exempelvis åsikter och värderingar gällande secondhandkläder. / This study aims to create a deeper understanding of how female students perceive that opinion leaders influence their clothing consumption. The study investigates why the selected target group chooses not to consume second hand clothing. This is of interest considering the increased awareness of the clothing industry's negative environmental impact and the increased popularity of buying second hand clothes. It is essential to investigate this based on opinion leaders, as it can have an impact on people's consumption. To achieve the purpose of the study, three questions have been formulated. The first question is about which factors female students perceive influence their decisions regarding clothing consumption. Question two is about how they perceive that opinion leaders have an impact on their values and identity. The third question concerns what kind of connection there is between female students' opinion leaders and their choice to refrain from consuming second hand clothes. The study's method is based on a qualitative investigation in the form of interviews that have been transcribed, coded and structured based on a thematic analysis. The target group includes eight female full-time-students who do not consume second-hand clothing. The result has been analyzed based on two theories: two-step flow and means-end chain. The study's results show that the main factors that the target group indicated influence their clothing purchases are finance, social media and marketing. Female students perceive that opinion leaders can have a certain influence on both values and identity. The results also show that there are several connections between female students' opinion leaders and their choice not to consume second hand clothes, for example opinions and values regarding second hand clothes.

A circular economy has been suggested to be able to respond to environmental challenges caused by over-production and consumption of products. Reuse is a circularity measure ranked high in the waste management hierarchy and is especially relevant for passive durable products such as furniture. Reusing furniture has the potential to contribute to the decarbonization of companies. This thesis aimed to explore the potential of reuse contribution to climate change mitigation. An Excel model was developed to explore different reuse scenarios from a life cycle perspective, accounting for potential avoided emissions by selling second-hand furniture. The results indicated that reusing furniture resulted in about 42% reduced climate impacts, although it depended on the characteristics of second-hand trade. Furthermore, the second-hand furniture trade characteristics that influence the GHG emissions were identified, such as replacement rates, second-hand transport, and variability of items sold. An improved scenario by optimizing the furniture trade characteristics can save up to 80% of climate impact. The results indicated that reuse could significantly contribute to the climate commitments of companies, although it cannot be the only mitigation measure to reach carbon neutrality. / Att implementera en cirkulär ekonomi har föreslagits för att kunna adressera miljöutmaningar orsakade av överproduktion och konsumtion av produkter. Återanvändning är ett cirkulärt mått som rankas högt i avfallshanteringshierarkin och är särskilt relevant för passiva och slitstarka produkter som möbler. Återanvändning av möbler har potential att bidra till att minska koldioxidutsläppen hos företag. Denna avhandling syftade till att undersöka potentialen om återanvändning kan bidra till att minska klimatförändringen. En Excel-modell utvecklades för att utforska olika återanvändnings- scenarier ur ett livscykelperspektiv som räknar ut potentiella undvikna utsläpp genom att sälja begagnade möbler. Resultaten visade att återanvändning av möbler resulterade i cirka 40 % minskad klimatpåverkan, även om det berodde på second-handhandelns egenskaper. Vidare identifierades second-handmöbelhandelns egenskaper som påverkar utsläppen av växthusgaser, t.ex. som ersättningstaket, second-handtransport och variation av sålda varor. Ett förbättrat scenario genom att optimera möbelhandelns egenskaper kan spara upp till 80 % av klimatpåverkan. Resultaten visade att återanvändning avsevärt skulle kunna bidra till företagens klimatåtaganden, även om det inte kan vara den enda begränsningsåtgärden för att nå koldioxidneutralitet.

Child Health Services (CHS) in Sweden are offered free of charge to all Swedish parents with children 0-5 years of age.  The regular service schedule includes home visits, health examinations, vaccinations and participation in parenting groups. The CHS should pay extra attention to disadvantaged families. The aim of this thesis was to investigate to what extent the CHS reaches groups of families with special needs, e.g. immigrant families, low income families, young and single mothers, with universal or selective measures, as well as to investigate the variation of two determinants of child health, second hand smoke and breastfeeding, in these groups of families. The thesis also aimed at investigating validity of data in the county CHS quality database (Basta). The thesis is based on data from Basta together with several national registers. The CHS equally reached all families with infants with the universal program except for participation in parenting group. Foreign born, young, single and low-income mothers had lower participation rates. Smoking rates were lower in foreign-born than in Swedish-born mothers and higher for foreign-born than in Swedish-born fathers. Smoking was more common among single and low income parents and young mothers. Young and single mothers had lower breastfeeding rates at 6 months. At 12 months the breastfeeding rates were higher among foreign-born mothers. The validity test of data in the Basta database showed sensitivity values for immunizations, breastfeeding and smoking at 90-100 % and for any home visit, participation in parenting group at any time, a minimum number of 6 visits at the Child Health Centre (CHC) and a minimum number of 11 visits at the CHC at 88 - 96 %. The sensitivity value for the exact match of number of CHC visits (+/- 3 visits) was 88 %. Conclusions: The universal programme was equally distributed in different immigrant and socio-demographic populations. However, the results did not indicate equality according to the assumption that some families need more input than others in order to achieve equity of outcome. Individual data routinely collected from CHS records to a quality database provides data of good quality that can be used for both quality surveillance and research.