Transparens: konsumenters inblick i den textila branschen : Ett medel för att öka medvetenhet?

Sammanfattning: Transparency is a business approach which has become more and more popular for fashion companies to apply in recent years. The purpose of transparency is to publish internal company information for stakeholders. Most often, the information is about how companies act socially, environmentally and economically. This study investigates consumer attitudes towards fashion companies that have chosen to apply transparency in their business practices. In order to explicate previous research, the study also examines how consumers want this information assigned along with what specific information consumers’ request. The study’s empirical data is based on nine qualitative interviews conducted with female consumers of different ages. The result of the study shows that consumers in general have no deeper knowledge or awareness of transparency or corporate social responsibility. This unconsciousness proved to have a major impact on the consumer's behavior, attitude and preferences towards transparency. Even though all respondents have a positive attitude towards the idea of transparency, there is some skepticism about the concept. The intentions of applying transparency and the content that is being conveyed are questioned. Respondents believe that the content can easily be manipulated in order to make companies appear better than they actually are. However, this skepticism can be reduced if an external party can control and review the company's transparency. This study also shows that consumers are happy to see that companies publish and convey internal information. The information should be brief, straightforward and easy to understand. It should be assigned to the consumers, instead of asking the consumers to search for it themselves. Perceptions of how the information should be conveyed differ greatly among respondents depending on age and amount of prior knowledge. Therefore it is crucial for companies to adapt the content and pick an appropriate platform for their customers. By understanding the target group's preferences, companies can more easily find a starting point in their work with corporate social responsibility and more effectively to convey it to stakeholders. However, there is a need to raise general awareness of the industry's problems. A way to do this is by discussing the subject in broader channels. This study is written in Swedish.