Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to examine how companies can favorablycommunicate their sustainable practices in a transparent way in order tobe perceived as trustworthy so that a competitive advantage canperhaps be achieved. Further, it will be investigated if transparencywithin the supply chain can be used as a fundament for being perceivedas credible by consumers.
Method: The method will be qualitative with an inductive approach. Theresearch will consist of forming a case study based on the companyPatagonia, where primary data will consist of interviews with multipleexperts on the topic. Besides, secondary data will consist of books,journal articles, conference material and information from the websiteof Patagonia.
Conclusion: In this research it was found that transparent communication aboutsustainable business practices can increase the trust in brands and canthus deliver a competitive advantage. Hence, companies need to solelyfocus on the core customer, integrate the customer in thecommunication process and deliver easy and clear information. Thisinformation should educate the customer and thus be perceived asvaluable and trustworthy.