The Millennial Mind : A qualitative study on how to communicate sustainability to reduce consumption

Sammanfattning: Background: The discourse of sustainable development has over the recent years become increasingly vital, due to the fashion industry´s over lyexcessive use of natural resources and contribution to hyperconsumption. Hyper-consumption is part of the consequences of marketing, and consumers regard marketing of sustainability to be unreliable. Previous research has highlighted how communicating sustainability can increase sustainable consumption, however the realissue lies within reducing consumption overall. Using marketing to reduce consumption within the consumer is intricate, but in the light of this the generational segment female Millennials have shown to be prone towards reducing consumption. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to explore female millennials mind and values, mainly to be able to identify and form a way of communicating sustainability with the intent of reducing consumption, that is applicable for this segment. The aim is further to propose how this then can be applied and in what way it best should be implemented to finally reduce overall fashion consumption. Design/methodology/approach: This thesis uses an abductive research approach and a qualitative method. The research question is answered by conducting focus groups and illuminates the core determinants which are to be used as part of the development of the communication. Findings: The findings suggest that female millennials need to be motivated into realizing how reduced consumption can be a core value of them. A form of social marketing program is what has been determined to be a viable form of communication since it aligned with the social communicative ways that female millennials are receptive to. Originality/value: This thesis contributes by highlighting and identifying the underlying values and motivations which female millennials have towards sustainability marketing. Moreover, the results imply that female millennials are of valuable consideration for future research of how to communicate sustainability with the intention to reduce fashion consumption. Marketer can specifically learn what the determinants to include in a social benefit program and thereby create valuable concrete results in terms.