Varför certifieringar? En marknadsföringsmässig undersökning kring syftet med certifieringar

Sammanfattning: Corporate social responsibility, also known as CSR, is the responsibility companies have regarding its societal impact within the area in which they operate. Companies often choose to market their social responsibility which results in increased consumer loyalty and thus an increased competitive advantage. To communicate their CSR initiatives, companies may use various certifications such as MSC and KRAV within the food industry. The purpose of this essay is to investigate and analyze how certifications are being used from a marketing perspective, and therefore examine how companies justify their use of certifications. When companies market themselves through tactical positioning based on their CSR-work, the marketing incorporates the CSR-work to attract the attention of stakeholders and the willingness to act ethically; but the underlying motive to present themselves as a good citizen is difficult to comprehend To investigate and exemplify what was just mentioned above, a survey is made of sustainability reports written by Swedish companies that sell products with both MSC- and KRAV-certifications. The sustainability reports emphasize that the products that are being sold are certified, but the reason is not clear. After a careful analysis, it seems that the sustainability reports lack CSR-promoting actions, and the underlying motive for the report tends to be based on legal coercion rather than a desire to be transparent. One central conclusion is that certifications are largely used for marketing purpose, with the hope of convincing the customer or stakeholder that a sustainable purchase has been made when buying a product; unfortunately, the underlying motive is to generate profit, according to the Stakeholder Theories, rather than to achieve the philanthropic stage in Carroll’s pyramid.