This case study sets out to gain an understanding of the complexities involved in promoting sustainable consumption by looking at Malmö Fairtrade City’s communication approach and the challenges it faces. Analyzing empirical data from in-depth interview and archival documentation, the results show that Malmö Fairtrade City uses a mix of multi-step and network approaches in its communication. Although its way of promoting Fairtrade consumption displays some features of social marketing, it is not yet an ideal premise for the approach unless it aims explicitly at changing behaviour. Despite having the municipality as a power and credible sender, it still has to overcome hurdles such as getting people interested in Fairtrade and operating with little resources. It is hoped that results from this study could provide insights for communities interested in becoming Fairtrade Cities and programmes that aim at promoting sustainable consumption. / Award-winning Master thesis for the academic year 2010-2011.

The purpose of this thesis is to deepen our understanding of sustainable  consumption behavior and provide valuable insights that can inform efforts to  promote sustainability at both individual and societal levels. Through focus group interviews and a comparative analysis of diverse socio-cultural contexts,  this study aims to contribute to ongoing discussions and initiatives aimed at   achieving a more sustainable world.

Denna studie syftar till att utforska hur konsumtionsmönster och varumärkespreferenser påverkar individuell och kollektiv identitet hos unga kvinnor, med fokus på de sociologiska dynamikerna kring hållbar konsumtion. Uppsatsen undersöker hur individernas val formar sin självbild och hur samhällets normer för det ‘’perfekta livet’’ kolliderar med en hållbar livsstil. Genom att identifiera faktorer som påverkar varumärkespreferenser och konsumtionsmönster samt analysera kollisionen mellan samhällets ideal och hållbar konsumtion, strävar studien efter att förstå de komplexa sambanden mellan individens konsumtionsval, identitet och samhällets förväntningar. Utmaningen är att balansera konsumtionens roll som identitetsskapande med behovet av hållbarhet, i en tid där överflöd och materiell framgång ofta idealiseras. Det empiriska materialet baseras på åtta kvalitativa intervjuer med unga kvinnor i åldern 18–30 år. Det teoretiska ramverket utgörs av konsumtionssamhället samt symbolisk interaktionism av Mead och Goffman. Uppsatsens huvudsakliga insikter omfattar hur unga kvinnors konsumtionsval inte bara uttrycker deras personliga preferenser, utan också formar deras identitet. Genom att prioritera kvalitet, hållbarhet och medvetna val använder de konsumtion som ett verktyg för självpresentation. Konsumtion blir därmed en dynamisk balansakt mellan att följa trender och att göra hållbara val, där individerna förhandlar mellan samhällets normer och förväntningar. / This study aims to explore how consumption patterns and brand preferences affect individual and collective identity among young women, with a focus on the sociological dynamics surrounding sustainable consumption. The paper investigates how individuals' choices shape their self-image and how societal norms regarding the "perfect life" collide with a sustainable lifestyle. By identifying factors influencing brand preferences, consumption patterns and analyzing the collision between societal ideals and sustainable consumption, the study seeks to understand the complex relationships between individuals' consumption choices, identity, and societal expectations. The challenge lies in balancing consumption's role in identity formation with the need for sustainability, in an era where abundance and material success are often idealized.The empirical data is based on eight qualitative interviews with young women aged 18-30 years. The sociological theoretical framework consists of Mead's and Goffman's theory of symbolic interactionism and Bauman´s consumer society. The main insights of the paper include how young women's consumption choices not only express their personal preferences but also shape their identity. By prioritizing quality, sustainability, and conscious choices, they use consumption as a tool for self-presentation. Consumption thus becomes a dynamic balancing act between following trends and making sustainable choices, where individuals negotiate between societal norms and expectations.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:16:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 3629.pdf: 1387256 bytes, checksum: ea3d881fec62d1975b0af6bd8e403f6a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-02-24 / Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos / Modern society has assumed over the years a consumption behavior pattern incompatible with a limited resources planet. In response to the consumerism negative impacts initiatives emerges to promote different standards and levels of consumption, contributing to sustainable consumption strengthening. Sustainable consumption is a controversial concept when appears in both academic and media texts. The sustainable consumption promotion requires action from civil society, governments, research centers, companies and industries. This research (a) discussed the meaning of sustainable consumption ; (b) investigated if there are civil society organizations engaged in publics and collectives actions to promote new standards and levels of consumption; (c) and examined the profile of these organizations called sustainable consumption organizations. We used a descriptive research to answer these questions that (a) sought to understand the meaning of sustainable consumption from a literature review; (b) gathered public information about civil organizations in five different sources of data collection on the internet and evaluated if these organizations were sustainable consumption organizations using ten pre-established guidelines criteria; (c) and drew these organizations profiles using five categories of analysis. The results showed that sustainable consumption is configured as a broader concept than other related terms such as green consumption, conscious consumption, ethical and solidarity consumption and responsible consumption. The results also showed that the sustainable consumption requires policy and collective actions from consumers (in this case citizens); involves the ecological, social, economic and political sustainability dimensions and focuses technological innovations followed by changes in individual behavior of consumption. We identified seventy-two sustainable consumption organizations. Analyzing the profile of forty of them it was possible to point out that sustainable consumption organizations have a close relationship with Solidarity Economy and Agroecology Movements. It was also possible to check that the political activity of these organizations takes place predominantly through the realization of sustainable collective purchasing and awareness jobs. We conclude that while is not possible to say whether the number of sustainable consumption organizations is representative, central themes to the promotion of sustainable consumption patterns must be discussed in depth within civil society. / A sociedade atual vem assumindo ao longo dos anos um padrão de comportamento de consumo incompatível com um planeta de recursos limitados. Em resposta aos impactos negativos provocados pelo consumismo surgem iniciativas que visam promover padrões e níveis diferenciados de consumo, contribuindo assim para o fortalecimento do chamado consumo sustentável; conceito controverso quando aparece em textos tanto acadêmicos quanto midiáticos. A promoção do consumo sustentável demanda atuação da sociedade civil, governos, centros de pesquisa, empresas e indústrias. O trabalho (a) buscou discutir o significado do termo consumo sustentável ; (b) investigou se existem organizações da sociedade civil empenhadas em agir coletiva e publicamente na promoção de novos padrões e níveis de consumo; (c) bem como analisou o perfil dessas organizações, chamadas de empreendimentos em consumo sustentável. Para responder tais questões, utilizou-se uma pesquisa descritiva que, (a) a partir de uma revisão bibliográfica, buscou apreender o significado do que é consumo sustentável; (b) coletou informações públicas sobre organizações civis em cinco diferentes fontes de coleta de dados disponíveis na internet avaliando se estas organizações se tratavam de empreendimentos em consumo sustentável a partir da utilização de dez critérios de enquadramento pré-determinados; (c) e, a partir de cinco categorias de análise, traçou o perfil desses empreendimentos, novamente por meio de informações públicas disponíveis nas fontes de coleta de dados pré-selecionadas. Os resultados mostraram que o consumo sustentável se configura como um conceito mais abrangente que outros termos correlatos como consumo verde, consumo consciente, consumo responsável e consumo ético e solidário; envolve ações que consideram as dimensões ecológica, social, política e econômica da sustentabilidade; demanda atuação pública e coletiva de consumidores (que assim são promovidos a cidadãos) e foca inovações tecnológicas acompanhadas de mudanças nas atitudes individuais de consumo. Foi possível também apontar que a sociedade civil se mobiliza coletiva e politicamente em empreendimentos em consumo sustentável com o objetivo de promover mudanças nos padrões e níveis de consumo, uma vez que identificou-se 72 empreendimentos. Analisando o perfil de 40 destes, os quais apresentavam informações suficientes para proceder à análise, é possível apontar que os empreendimentos em consumo sustentável mantêm estreita relação com os movimentos da Economia Solidária e Agroecologia e sua atuação política se dá predominantemente através da realização de compras coletivas sustentáveis e trabalhos de conscientização junto a diversos públicos. Conclui-se que mesmo não sendo possível afirmar se o número de empreendimentos que atuam no sentido de promover mudanças nos padrões e níveis de consumo é representativo, temas essenciais para a promoção do consumo sustentável ainda precisam ser discutidos de forma aprofundada no âmbito da sociedade civil.

Sustainable development has for a long time been a much spoken topic worldwide and so in Sweden. Sustainable development is about creating a social economic and cultural development and to ensure human well-being in balance with the earth´s ecological system. Nowadays sustainable consumption is also a much spoken topic. Sustainable consumption is about how humans consume, what humans consume and in what way. This means that we carefully need to choose what products to buy and use them as long as they are still alive. Because of human’s unsustainable way of using the resources from earth, we now need to stop using the linear economy and start using the circular economy. This will lower the environmental effect. This study aimed to investigate how AB Småland, a company in Malmö, can get customers to hand in furniture to the store for reusing. The company wants to expand their business by collecting second-hand furniture from costumers. In turn, they will sell these furniture at the company’s own auctions. The students' work was to help AB Småland to see what is required of them to get this process working, to get a flow with recycled furniture. The study included an investigation of the Miljönär-Vänlig labels’ options to facilitate consumers to make better choices for a more sustainable consumption in the future. To do research on how consumers think and act was relevant to understand why these behaviors occur in order to understand the value of marketing sustainability. The study also included previous research in the area. The study’s two issues: [1] How can AB Småland get customers to hand in furniture to the store for recycling? [2] Can a label like Miljönär-Vänlig help consumers to understand the concept for stores that work with sustainability? To answer the first issue of the study the students gathered data through interviews with companies that work with the durability to take note of how they solved it. To be able to answer the second issue of the study the students carried out a web survey in which the purpose was to gather information about consumers' attitudes to sustainability and their consequences of consuming. In order to underpin both issues, literatures were used and were carefully chosen to answer the purpose of the study. The report presents the results for the study’s two issues that both have all three data collection methods proving them. The result from the study’s’ first issue shows that AB Småland should focus a lot on the preparatory work and strategies that will be required to get their new part of the business to be profitable. They have got help with some parts through the proposal of a business model, SWOT analysis, competitive analysis, how to design the "Re-Mill tab" on the website, which the students produced. The result from the study’s’ second issue shows that Miljönär-Vänlig is a label that is not suitable for AB Småland in the current situation because it is for those operations where the main part of the business is about "fix, borrow and reuse" in order to minimize waste. It can be a good tool for stores, which work with environmental issues, in order to help the consumer make better choices. But AB Småland can create an own label that shows customers how the company works with sustainable products. To get AB Smålands new part of the business profitable, they should consider that it requires thorough preparation. Time is of essence and other resources are needed and the work should not be rushed. Before they start this process, AB Småland should establish and clearly review policies and their business model so everyone in the company can be initiated. The students have come to the conclusion that AB Småland has to work with their marketing in order to reach consumers and help them understand the company’s values and concepts. / Hållbar utveckling har varit ett omtalat ämne, internationellt men så även i Sverige, under en längre tid. Hållbar utveckling handlar om att skapa en fungerande samhällelig ekonomisk och kulturell utveckling samt att säkerställa mänskligt välbefinnande- i balans med jordens ekologiska system. Nu är även hållbar konsumtion ett mycket omtalat ämne. Med detta menas hur och vad vi konsumerar men också på vilket sätt, vilket innebär att vi måste välja rätt vara, som ska användas på rätt sätt under tillräckligt lång tid. Vi behöver övergå från de linjära materialflöden vi har idag, där produkter tillverkas för att användas och sedan kasseras, till cirkulära flöden där vi förlänger produkter livscykel och på så sätt minskar miljöpåverkan eftersom vi använder jordens resurser på ett sätt som inte är hållbart. Den här undersökningen syftade till att undersöka hur AB Småland (hädan efter kallat ABS), ett företag med butik i Malmö, kan få kunder att lämna in möbler till butiken för återbruk. Företaget vill utöka sin verksamhet genom att ta in begagnade möbler från kunder, som de i sin tur ska sälja vidare på företagens auktionstillfällen. Det var här studenternas arbete blev relevant, att hjälpa ABS att se vad som krävs av dem för att få ett bra flöde med återvunna möbler. Att undersöka möjligheterna för hur en märkning som Miljönär-Vänlig påverkar konsumenters inställning till mer hållbara konsumtionsval, blev intressant för att se hur ett företag som ABS bör marknadsföra sig. Här blev det relevant att undersöka hur konsumenter tänker och agerar. Vad vet konsumenter om hållbarhet idag? Studiens två frågeställningar är: [1] Hur kan ABS få kunder att lämna in möbler till butiken för återbruk? [2] Kan en märkning som Miljönär-Vänlig hjälpa konsumenter att förstå konceptet hos butiker som arbetar med hållbarhet? För att besvara studiens första frågeställning samlade studenterna in data genom intervjuer, med företag som arbetar med återbruk, för att ta del av hur de arbetar med detta. Vidare genomfördes en webbenkätsundersökning där syftet var att samla information kring konsumenters inställning till hållbar konsumtion för att besvara frågeställning två. För att stärka båda frågeställningarna, användes även litteratur som var noga utvald för att besvara studiens syfte. I rapporten presenteras resultat under studiens två frågeställningar som båda har samtliga tre datainsamlingsmetoder, webbenkätundersökning, intervjuer och litteraturstudier som styrker dem. Resultat till frågeställning ett visar att ABS bör arbeta mycket med förarbete, så som SWOTanalys, konkurrensanalys, marknadsföring och strategier för att få deras nya del i verksamheten att bli lönsam. De har som hjälp fått ta del av förslag till en affärsmodell, där SWOT-analys och konkurrensanalys tagits fram som underlag till detta. Studenterna har även utformat ”Återbruks-fliken” som är tänkt att finnas på företagets hemsida. Detta för att visa på ett förslag hur ABS kan marknadsföra sitt arbete. Resultatet under frågeställning två visar att Miljönär-Vänlig är en märkning som inte lämpar sig för ABS i dagsläget då märkningen är till för de verksamheter där huvuddelen handlar om ”laga, fixa, låna och återanvända”. Dock kan märkningen vara ett bra verktyg för butiker i handeln som arbetar med miljöfrågor i syfte att hjälpa konsumenter. ABS bör beakta att det krävs gedigna förberedelser för att få arbetet med återbruk lönsamt. De bör även ta hänsyn till att arbetet kommer kräva olika resurser och tiden är inte att underskatta. De borde tydligt gå igenom strategier och de delar som studenterna arbetet fram för att sedan utveckla detta med sin kompletterade kunskap. Studenterna har även kommit fram till att ABS bör arbeta mycket med sin marknadsföring till konsument för att de ska få upp ögonen för företaget och förstå deras nya koncept. I nuläget blir det inte aktuellt för ABS att märka sig med Miljönär-Vänlig men de kan däremot skapa en egen ”märkning” som visar hur företaget arbetar med hållbarhetsfrågan.

Šiuolaikinės visuomenės plėtra neįmanoma be darnaus vystymosi. Darnus vystymasis, orientuotas į vystymąsi be augimo ir aplinkos tausojimą ateities kartoms, tampa kertine visuomenės vystymosi ašimi, todėl darnaus vartojimo tendencijų ir perspektyvų analizė yra aktuali, atsižvelgiant į tai, kad ekonominės, ekologinės ir socialinės problemos ateityje tik dar labiau aštrės, o jų efektyvus sprendimas bus neveiksmingas, jeigu nebus įgyvendinami veiksmai, pagrįsti darnaus vartojimo koncepcija. Šis darbas susideda iš dviejų dalių, išvadų, rekomendacijų, literatūros sąrašo ir priedų. Darbą sudaro teorinė ir tiriamoji dalys. Teorinėje dalyje yra atskleidžiamas poreikis darniam vartojimui šiuolaikinėmis sąlygomis, nagrinėjama darnaus vystymosi koncepcija, analizuojami darnaus vartojimo tendencijas atspindintys rodikliai, atskleidžiamos darnaus vartojimo perspektyvos teoriniu aspektu. Tiriamojoje dalyje atliekama darnaus vartojimo rodiklių analizė Lietuvos tendencijų kitimo kontekste ir Europos Sąjungoje. Remiantis mokslinių, statistinių duomenų ir palyginamosiomis analizėmis, parengtas darnaus vartojimo rodiklių modelis, atspindintis darnaus vartojimo strategijos įgyvendinimą Lietuvoje. Taip pat pateikti pasiūlymai darnaus vystymosi strategijos įgyvendinimo didinimo sprendimai, kurie realiai gali būti pritaikyti praktiktiniame darnaus vystymosi strategijos įgyvendinime. / Development of modern society is not possible without cohesive development. Cohesive development focused on the development without growing and environmental protection for future generations becomes the cornestone for the social development and therefore the analysis of cohesive consumption tendencies and perspectives is rather topical, considering the fact that economic, ecologic and social problems in the future would only become sharper and their effective solution would not be efficient without the realisation of actions based on the conception of cohesive consumption. This paper comprises two chapters, conclusions, recommendations, list of references and appendices. The paper consists of theoretical and exploratory chapters. In the theoretical chapter, the need for cohesive consumption under modern conditions is revealed, the conception of cohesive development is discussed, indicators reflecting the tendencies of cohesive consumption are analysed, perspectives of cohesive consumption from theoretical aspect are revealed. In the exploratory chapter, the analysis of cohesive consumption indicators is performed in the context of tendency alteration in Lithuania and the European Union. Referring to scientific, statistical data and comparative analyses, the model of cohesive consumption indicators was prepared reflecting the implementation of cohesive consumption strategy in Lithuania. In addition to that, solutions related to increase in the implementation of cohesive... [to full text]

Currently our world consumes the equivalent of 1.6 earths per year. Although the production has become resource-efficient by using fewer natural resources to produce one dollar of GDP, per-capita consumption in the US firmly increases. Individuals consume an ever-increasing quantity of goods and services which inevitably leads to environmental damages in terms of pollution, deforestation, climate change and psychological disorders such as reduced wellbeing, unhappiness, and anxiety. Past research has suggested that embracing sustainable consumption - where consumption of products and services have minimal impact on the environment, and improvement in society's wellbeing-might mitigate the detrimental effects of over-consumption. Increasingly studies in this stream propose that adopting a psychological approach, specifically by enhancing individuals' inherent capability known as mindfulness may aid in boosting sustainable consumption behaviors. However, only few studies have investigated the decision-making processes associated with mindfulness that could show a detailed picture of how mindfulness - receptive attention to and present moment awareness is positively associated with sustainable consumption behaviors. Conceptual model for this study was built based on mindfulness-related mechanisms, namely re-perceiving, systematic processing, and ability to overcome need for fulfillment. Using a four-step conceptual model: mindfulness-cognitive personality variables-values and beliefs variables-sustainable consumption behaviors, this research empirically examines how trait mindfulness is associated with sustainable consumption behaviors. Embracing a broad definition of sustainable consumption in terms of its impact on environment (composition) and level of consumption (volume), this research includes both pro-environmental and downshifting consumption behaviors. By utilizing an online survey method, data was collected from 1005 respondents in Amazon Mechanical Turk (Mturk). Findings from self-reported measures suggested that while mindfulness directly and positively associated with sustainable behaviors, significant indirect relationships are explained by cognitive personality variables such as cognitive flexibility, need for cognition, attention based self-regulatory control, and values/beliefs namely altruistic values, self-acceptance values, materialistic values, and perceived consumer effectiveness. Comparing empirical models using measures of both socio-cognitive based mindfulness and meditation based mindfulness demonstrated that the former has both direct and indirect relationships with sustainable behaviors while the latter showed only indirect relationships through cognitive personality variables and values/beliefs. By identifying cognitive personality variables that are closely associated with mindfulness, this research teases out the tenets of mindfulness that are more relevant for sustainable consumption behaviors. Also, the recognized cognitive personality variables in this research have been rigorously studied in consumer behavior research, hence finding their relationships with mindfulness might help uncover applications of mindfulness in mainstream consumer behavior research. In addition, by supporting relationships involving cognitive personality variables and values/beliefs relevant for sustainable consumption, this study may offer insights for policy makers and practitioners in maneuvering consumers' mindfulness and their sustainable behaviors to bring about change in their sustainable consumption behaviors.

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Cognitive dissonance theory and selective information exposure literature postulate that individuals ignore preference-inconsistent information and selectively process new information. Previous studies on selective information exposure have shown that preference-inconsistent information is not persuasive for consumer decision making. Given the limited amount of past research about the effect of preference-inconsistent information on decision-making in broad domains of consumer behavior studies, the current study investigated how preference-inconsistent information can persuade consumers to switch to a sustainable product alternative. The purpose of this study is to investigate the process how preference-inconsistent sustainability-related information can be considered as important, consequently changing consumers' initial preference to green alternatives. A series of online experiments was conducted using a shampoo product category. Study 1 tested a baseline effect on whether consumers in the preference-inconsistent condition were persuaded to change their initial choice significantly compared to those in the preference-consistent condition. Study 2 tested the effect of preference-inconsistent sustainability-related information in the acceptance process, focusing on the role of brand commitment and information quality. Study 3 examined the effect of preference-inconsistent sustainability-related information in the evaluation process, investigating the impact of consumer environmental concern and PCE. Findings of Study 1 revealed that consumers in the preference-inconsistent condition were significantly persuaded to change choice to a sustainable alternative, which is not consistent with selective exposure literature. However, Study 1 findings were not sufficient to determine what specific factors influenced respondents to be persuaded, which provides justifications for Study 2 and Study 3. Findings in Study 2 and Study 3 conclusively demonstrated the importance of the credibility of preference-inconsistent information in the acceptance process. Also, findings suggested that the effect of credibility is stronger than that of brand commitment in the acceptance process. Regarding brand commitment, the results have shown that high commitment consumers had a higher acceptance of inconsistent information which is opposite to expectations. Further, the findings demonstrated the importance of environmental concern and the conditional effect of PCE in the evaluation process. Moreover, results supported that the relative weighting of sustainability attributes is driving the effects of environmental concern and PCE as a mediator on persuasion outcomes in the evaluation process. The current study contributes to understanding the process in which the preference-inconsistent information can be effective in influencing consumer choice. Moreover, findings from this research can provide implications for selective exposure literature and sustainable consumption literature. Practically, the results of the study provide implications to guide marketers and information providers in establishing effective ways to change consumers' behavior in sustainable consumption context.

Författare: Susanne Nilsson och Tova Swerlander Handledare: Christine Tidåsen och Charlotte Hahn Examinator: Christine Tidåsen Titel: Vägen mot hållbara val En studie om hållbar konsumtion och cirkulär ekonomi inom möbler och inredning Kurs: Kandidatuppsats, 15 hp. Företagsekonomi, Inrednings- och butikskommunikation, Ekonomihögskolan, Linnéuniversitetet, VT17. Problemdiskussion: Studien ämnar till att skapa förståelse kring möjligheter för en mer hållbar konsumtion inom möbler och inredning eftersom att denna kategori är en av de mest ökande. Hållbar konsumtion är en del av den cirkulära ekonomiska affärsmodellen. Syfte: Studien syftar till att skapa förståelse för vad som möjliggör en mer hållbar konsumtion av möbler och inredning. Metod: Studien har grundats på en kvalitativ forskningsmetod och forskningsansatsen har varit abduktiv. För att skapa förståelse för ämnet hållbar konsumtion och cirkulär ekonomi har vi genomfört semistrukturerade intervjuer med konsumenter, experter och företag. Slutsats: Studien tyder på att hållbar konsumtion inom möbler och inredning kan möjliggöras på flera sätt och det är många faktorer som påverkar. En omställning till cirkulär ekonomi är nödvändig för att en hållbar konsumtion ska vara möjlig fullt ut. / Authors: Susanne Nilsson och Tova Swerlander Supervisor: Christine Tidåsen och Charlotte Hahn Examiner: Christine Tidåsen Title: The way to sustainable choices A study about sustainable consumption and circular economy in furniture and interior design Subject: Bachelor thesis, 15 credits. Business Administration, Interior Design and Visual Merchandising, School of Business and Economics, Linnaeus University, Spring 17 Research: The authors wish to create an understanding of the opportunities for more sustainable consumption of furniture and interior, as this category is one of the most growing. Sustainable consumption is part of the circular economic business model. Purpose: The purpose is to create an understanding of what can contribute to a more sustainable consumption of furniture and interior. Method: This study is based on a qualitative research method and the research process has been abductive. In order to create an understanding of the topic, semi-structured interviews have been made with consumers, experts and a person from the furniture business. Conclusion: This study indicates that sustainable consumption of furniture and interior can be made in several ways and many factors affects. A switch to circular economy is necessary for sustainable consumption to be fully possible.