The term “Organic” is often used when discussing Fashion design. It can refer to subjects such as the fibers of the material, the way a garment is constructed, or the expression of an artwork. This collection investigates what an organic expression can look like by working with knit, print, and collage. The materials are based on photos that showcase potentially organic objects which are digitally collaged into artworks that are printed or knitted. To get an understanding of how the prints and knits should be placed and combined, the materials are cut and draped on a body or a mannequin. At last, the fabrics are collaged in Photoshop to finalize a sketch that can be constructed into combinatory outfits. The result is a collection that shows organic shapes, structures, and toned-down colors.

This work investigates the expressive quality of the negative form of ready-made garments through the method of making impressions. The work aims to explore how imprints of garments created in alternative materials such as flour and plaster could be used as a trompe l’oeil print motif in fashion design. It is an exploration about how our pre-existing perception of archetypal garments expands when the garments are represented through their imprint in a new material, colour and slightly different form. The study was conducted using experimental methods such as making impressions of garments in a layer of flour or capturing their negative form in plaster or clay. The created impressions were photographed and then digitally printed on different textile qualities with sublimation or reactive dyes. The printed fabrics were then transformed into three-dimensional garments through the technique of draping and with consideration of the garment’s traditional placement. Selected imprints were altered in scale or printed as a fragment, that in turn, affected the final form of these garments. What is presented in this work is a variety of garments that demonstrate how negative impressions of archetypal garments are used as a decorative visual texture as well as a suggestion for form.

This work investigates the expressive quality of the negative form of ready-made garments through the method of making impressions. The work aims to explore how imprints of garments created in alternative materials such as flour and plaster could be used as a trompe l’oeil print motif in fashion design. It is an exploration about how our pre-existing perception of archetypal garments expands when the garments are represented through their imprint in a new material, colour and slightly different form. The study was conducted using experimental methods such as making impressions of garments in a layer of flour or capturing their negative form in plaster or clay. The created impressions were photographed and then digitally printed on different textile qualities with sublimation or reactive dyes. The printed fabrics were then transformed into three-dimensional garments through the technique of draping and with consideration of the garment’s traditional placement. Selected imprints were altered in scale or printed as a fragment, that in turn, affected the final form of these garments. What is presented in this work is a variety of garments that demonstrate how negative impressions of archetypal garments are used as a decorative visual texture as well as a suggestion for form.

With the growing interest in gender-neutral fashion, an increasing number of companies have included gender-neutral fashion collections in their ranges. Despite this progress, the fashion market still shows clear signs of being characterized by gender binarism and traditional gender norms. Against this background, the following study aims to investigate consumers' perceptions of gender-neutral fashion in marketing. The study uses a qualitative method with an inductive research approach. A total of nine semi-structured interviews were conducted where people belonging to Generation Z were selected to analyze gender-neutral advertising campaigns. When analyzing the empirical data, the study's purpose and questions were taken into account, as well as previous research and the theoretical framework consisting of Erving Goffman's theory of how gender is presented in advertising. The results of the study showed that gender-neutral fashion in marketing is not only about the garment itself but also the surrounding circumstances of the image. Consumers' perceptions of whether something is gender neutral or not are influenced by various factors. It appears that consumers mostly associate gender-neutral fashion with male style and that gender stereotypes still influence marketing in the fashion industry. The gender composition of models in advertising images is another factor that influences consumer perception. Furthermore, the results show that respondents describe gender-neutral fashion as both unique and at the same time boring, which creates a paradox. These findings are of practical relevance for fashion entrepreneurs who need to make strategic decisions in their marketing. The research paper is written in swedish. 

The growing population in Sweden has led to the great need for new housing construction in the last decade. Consequently, new housing construction has increased substantially. To meet the capacity requirement, large investments are required from the electricity grid companies to connect the newly built residential areas and to enable the development of new infrastructure. The expansion opportunities that have arisen in the current municipality have led to the expansion of the grid for a new residential area. The purpose of the project is to find a rational solution to provide an exploitation area of 19 homes with electricity. To achieve a desirable result with the distribution planning, corporate guidelines and industry standards have been used. The projected distribution network is designed by a radial system, which means that power supply takes place only from one direction. The distribution network is made up of two different distribution systems: TN-S and TN-C. The distribution planning also includes network calculations carried out with both optimization software NetBas and manually. The parameters that have been calculated are voltage drops, short-circuit currents and short-circuiting time. The dimension of the distribution network, is calculated only through NetBas, it resulted in the installation of a network station, five cable cabinet, 0.9 kilometers low voltage cable and 0.13 kilometers high voltage cable. The project's total investment cost has approximately been estimated at 568 000 Swedish crowns.

Logistics has long been a topic for discussion that has recently gained more attention. In order for the supervisor to develop a logistics organization that works more than well, this always means that the internal logistics routines are well functioning. The procedures should work on guidelines and support for the supervisor in all types of projects. The study aims to study NCC-projects that use and / or do not use the new tool, release calendar, to identify its positive results. The study uses a qualitative method in which the author conducts interviews with 4 respondents within NCC. The result consists of three main categories processing collected data, these categories are: Efficiency, documentation and Support for work management. Electronic logistics tools like the unloading calendar are of great importance to the supervisor and can be decisive in the quality of all construction projects.

Codimension two Artinian algebras have the strong and weak Lefschetz propertiesprovided the characteristic is zero or greater than the socle degree. It is open to whatextent such results might extend to codimension three Artinian Gorenstein algebras. De-spite much work, the strong Lefschetz property for codimension three Artinian Gorensteinalgebra has remained largely mysterious; our results build on and strengthen some of theprevious results. We here show that every standard-graded codimension three ArtinianGorenstein algebra A having maximum value of the Hilbert function at most six has thestrong Lefschetz property, provided that the characteristic is zero. When the characteris-tic is greater than the socle degree of A, we show that A is almost strong Lefschetz, theyare strong Lefschetz except in the extremal pair of degrees.

We classify the orbits of nets of conics under the action of the projective linear group and we determine the specializations of these orbits, using geometric and algebraic methods. We study related geometric questions, as the parametrization of planar cubics. We show that Artinian algebras of Hilbert function H=(1,3,3,0) determined by nets, can be smoothed—deformed to a direct sum of fields; and that algebras of Hilbert function H=(1,r,2,0), determined by pencils of quadrics, can also be smoothed. This portion is a translation and update of a 1977 version, a typescript by the second two authors that was distributed as a preprint of University of Paris VII. In a new Historical Appendix A we describe related work prior to 1977. In an Update Appendix B we survey some developments since 1977 concerning nets of conics, related geometry, and deformations of Artinian algebras of small length.

Let R= k [x, y, z], the polynomial ring over a field k. Several of the authors previously classified nets of ternary conics and their specializations over an algebraically closed field, Abdallah et al. (Eur J Math 9(2), Art. No. 22, 2023). We here show that when k is algebraically closed, and considering the Hilbert function sequence T =(1,3(k),1), k >= 2 (i.e. T = (1, 3, 3, ... , 3, 1) where k is the multiplicity of 3), then the family GT parametrizing graded Artinian algebra quotients A = R/I of R having Hilbert function T is irreducible, and G(T) is the closure of the family Gor(T) of Artinian Gorenstein algebras of Hilbert function T. We then classify up to isomorphism the elements of these families Gor(T) and of G(T). Finally, we give examples of codimension 3 Gorenstein sequences, such as (1, 3, 5, 3, 1), for which G(T) has several irreducible components, one being the Zariski closure of Gor(T).

In (Stanley, 1978), Stanley constructs an example of an Artinian Gorenstein (AG) ring A with non-unimodal H-vector (1,13,12,13,1). Migliore-Zanello show in (Migliore and Zanello, 2017) that for regularity r=4, Stanley's example has the smallest possible codimension c for an AG ring with non-unimodal H-vector.

The weak Lefschetz property (WLP) has been much studied for AG rings; it is easy to show that an AG ring with non-unimodal H-vector fails to have WLP. In codimension c=3 it is conjectured that all AG rings have WLP. For c=4, Gondim shows in (Gondim, 2017) that WLP always holds for r≤4 and gives a family where WLP fails for any r≥7, building on Ikeda's example (Ikeda, 1996) of failure for r=5. In this note we study the minimal free resolution of A and relation to Lefschetz properties (both weak and strong) and Jordan type for c=4 and r≤6.

A net in P^2 is a configuration of lines A and points X satisfying certain incidence properties. Nets appear in a variety of settings, ranging from quasigroups to combinatorial design to classification of Kac–Moody algebras to cohomology jump loci of hyperplane arrangements. For a matroid M and rank r, we associate a monomial ideal (a monomial variant of the Orlik–Solomon ideal) to the set of flats of M of rank ≤r. In the context of line arrangements in P^2, applying Alexander duality to the resulting ideal yields insight into the combinatorial structure of nets.

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the number of followers affects an influencer's credibility using Ohanian's credibility model (1990). The study contributes to an understanding of how the size of influencers affects the followers' intake of information from influencers. To address the purpose of this study, the following question was analyzed: How does the size of influencers affect their credibility? A qualitative study has been conducted and empirical material has been collected to fulfill the purpose and answer the question of how the number of followers affects the credibility of influencers. To get an answer to the question, nine semi-structured individual interviews were conducted where the sample was women aged 18-24. The theoretical starting point in this study is Ohanian's credibility model (1990), where the focus is on credibility which consists of five different terms; honesty, trustworthiness, sincerity, credibility, and reliability. The study shows that the majority agree that smaller influencers are perceived as more credible. The result is mainly due to the fact that smaller influencers are considered to have higher levels of all five credibility terms. For followers to interpret influencers as credible sources, it is important to do parts that are part of Ohanian's credibility model (1990). This study shows that a factor that affects influencer credibility is the number of followers. 

The purpose of the study was to develop sustainability factors and investigate how transport companies can achieve a good interaction between sustainable development and profitability. Based on this purpose, improvement proposals and achievable solutions were developed with consideration to requirements from customers, authorities and the EU.

The used method was qualitative in which respondents from the company and authorities participated in semi-structured interviews. In addition, a literature study was also conducted to map information from more perspectives than just the respondents. During the course of the study, other methods were also used where they were suitable to strengthen the results.

The results presented several sustainability factors in a transport company that must be taken into account, where, among other things, the choice of fuel, demands from politicians and customers were different factors. To report the results, different types of analysis were done, such as SWOT and ABC analysis.

Finally, based on the method, the information gathered and an analysis and discussion, the sustainability factors were developed. They were analyzed and examined for future improvements. The study of the company has shown that a combination of better sustainability and a positive financial advantage can be found and balanced. A company can invest in becoming more sustainable and more profitable.

Digitization is a global phenomenon that has changed the everyday life, both workwise and privately. Digitization has become a central part in almost everything you do today. New effective methods to provide services have been created with the help of automatization, which has introduced the audit world to a transformation process. The work process has become more digital, which has led to a higher demand in expectations on the agencies.The purpose of this study is to describe and identify possible impacts that digitization might have on the auditing work practice and “the big four” competitiveness. The study will focus on two different perspectives, the agencies and the clients, where we will examine the general view on the digital services that are being offered and what pros or cons these services bring. In order to achieve the purpose of this study, every “big four” accounting firm and a couple of customers will be interviewed. After the interviews were completed, they were analyzed by applying relevant theories. The methodology of the study has a qualitative character with inductive character.The empirical findings of the study indicate that digitization has created a more effective work practice where you have more access to data. Digitization is necessary for the agencies if they want to maintain legitimacy and be able to compete with one another, because every customer has an expectation that the agencies will have developed digitized utilities to support their work process. Furthermore, the findings show that the human interaction has decreased because of digitization, since the work has become more independent with less requirements on communication.Finally, the study shows that all agencies are aware that digitization is the main force on their market and that huge investments are being made to follow the development and to compete for the customers.

Demand for housing has been at a high level in Gothenburg for a long time now. The population of Gothenburg is growing as it reached one million inhabitants about two years ago. There will also be more and more students in the city, the lack of student housing is very extensive in Gothenburg. The situation seems to be improving, but in the long term, there are currently 9,000 student residences in Gothenburg, but more than 12,000 students only attend the University of Gothenburg. The Gothenburg housing student foundation states that more than 7,000 student housing must be built until 2026 to cover the need. At the same time, the queue time is more than one and a half years for a student residence. The new production of student housing has not increased significantly during the last few years, despite the fact that ordinary housing is being built, but not for students. Continuing this, more students will choose to study in another place where they get housing immediately. There, conversion of old premises to student housing comes in. This could have been a good alternative, but it has not been researched enough if it can be a good complement. This bachelor thesis aims to review whether one can find a good complement to the lack of student housing crisis in Gothenburg. A number of factors have been developed that prevent conversions today. The planning process system is one of the major problems that hinders conversions of premises to student housing. Lead times are also a big problem for implementing conversions, had more officials been available so it would be faster to get through plans. The building rules are also a major problem that prevents conversions. Similar building rules apply to a new production as for a conversion of a building. Regulations and laws must be adapted more to a building of student housing. Costs that are unforeseen will always be a big problem, builders who have carefully examined an object to be converted and have experience run less risk of unforeseen costs. Different contribution schemes as a subsidy system prevent a natural development of the market and are not a good alternative.

Purpose: This research examines the evolving landscape of circular fashion within the retail sector, with a specific focus on young Swedish consumers in the fashion industry and their perceptions and behaviors regarding clothing rental services and repair-remake models. By delving into the attitudes and preferences of these young consumers, the study aims to shed light on the factors driving the adoption of sustainable fashion practices in Sweden. 

Methodology: Employing a qualitative abductive approach, this study conducts in-depth semi-structured interviews with young Swedish consumers in the fashion industry aged 20-30, selected through purposive sampling. These interviews are complemented by a thorough review of existing literature, theory, institutional reports, and empirical data to provide a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter. 

Findings: The research uncovers varied attitudes and behavioral patterns among young Swedish consumers in the fashion industry towards clothing rental services and repair-remake models. Factors such as environmental consciousness, economic considerations, and emotional attachment to garments emerge as influential determinants in consumer decision-making processes. Moreover, the study identifies challenges and opportunities inherent in the adoption of circular fashion practices, highlighting the need for tailored strategies to enhance consumer engagement. 

Implications: The findings of this study hold implications for both industry stakeholders and policymakers seeking to promote sustainable fashion practices in Sweden. By elucidating consumer perceptions and behavioral patterns, the research offers valuable insights into the development of effective marketing strategies, service enhancements, and policy interventions aimed at fostering a circular economy within the fashion retail sector. 

Value: This research contributes to the growing discourse on circularity in fashion retail by offering empirical evidence and insights specific to the Swedish context. The study bridges existing gaps in the literature by providing a nuanced understanding of young consumers' attitudes towards clothing rental services and repair-remake models, thereby informing future research endeavors and decision-making processes within the industry. 

There is a great need for a well-functioning communication in the construction industry, with the reason that it is an extensive industry where many different professional roles are involved. Communication can be lacking in many areas and can turn into negative effects on a project. In the construction industry, unpredictable changes often occur, which can make effective communication more difficult to achieve.

This study is about understanding how communication can be challenging and affect construction projects during production. The purpose of this study is to find measures to prevent lack of communication and carefully study whether it can increase involvement, community, and motivation on a construction site, by examining and analyzing how information is disseminated among involved parties in a project under production.

The study answers the following questions:

• How do you communicate on a construction site?
• Does communication increase involvement, community, and motivation on a construction site?
• Can you save money by increasing communication skills at the construction site?

Qualitative interviews were conducted on some employees at GH Olofsson Bygg & Entreprenad AB to create an idea of how communication works and is experienced in their workplace.

The result of the interviews showed that communication was in some cases less good and that misunderstandings arose many times. The study delves into how communication is experienced and processed and how to make it more efficient. It also delves into which communication methods are used and which are most suitable in different situations. The results indicate that the most appreciated way to communicate is face-to-face meetings. However, it turned out that this method of communication is not always appropriate as factors such as time pressure or sudden changes may occur.

One measure that is discussed in the study is, among other things, that all employees at the company must complete a course that deals with the value of communication and how it can be applied in a way to reduce misunderstandings. By implementing that measure, communication deficiencies can be prevented from the beginning. As a result of this measure, money can be saved in the long run even though it can be costly in the beginning.

The main subject in this research study is to try to understand the link between legitimacy upholding and CSR reporting, which in this case is sustainability reporting. In this research study we examine how companies’ legitimacy can be damaged by a scandal. This essay takes a closer look at 8 companies that have been through a scandal and this study aims to evaluate how and why they try to re-legitimize themselves after a scandal has happened. The study uses a qualitative content analysis where we have examined companies’ sustainability reports as a basis. We codified the sustainability reports are searched for underlying themes through an abductive analysis that could be used for evaluation. Our results suggest that organizations aim move from a symbolic to a substantial management style after a scandal with a concentration being on stakeholder appeals. Responsibility for the scandal can also deviate depending how big the scandals are as per our results. Our results are however highly anecdotal yet they provide a base for further research. Our results had been analyzed with the help of legitimacy theory, CSR in theory and stakeholder theory.

Bank meetings in person have decreased in the last few years because of the increased digitalization of the Swedish banks. Personal meetings have previously been regarded as important to create and maintain trust and previous research have shown that a decline in physical meetings leads to a decrease in trust. The Covid-19 pandemic has dramatically sped up the digitalization, partially because of new services but also due to the fact that the customers now use the previous services provided to a greater extent. A survey that was conducted during the pandemic showed that the trust in banks had decreased. The purpose of this study is to examine whether digitalization and service affects trust and whether trust affects the loyalty to the banks. This study is a cross-sectional study, based on a quantitative method with a deductive approach, where we gather survey data at one point in time. Our results showed that service and digitalization have an effect on trust for the Swedish banks and furthermore that trust has an effect on the loyalty. Our sample is based on students from the University of Borås and 104 people responded to our survey. The rest of this essay is written in Swedish. 

Employability among newly graduated students, a concept that is being discussed more as of late, as well as it is growing. The interesting aspect of the concept is how you, as an individual, can contribute in order to better your employability skill or competence. Additional interesting aspects subsists of which factors within employability that are interesting among the employers and what the government, different organizations or education can do to contribute for a greater employability skill set. However, this thesis mainly focuses on what it actually means to be employable. This study is based on an analysis between two groups, one study group and one control group. The study concludes whether newly graduated students from two different groups feel that it is somewhat difficult to enter the labor market, where the study group have had some kind of connection with different business companies, through experience or shorter internships. How well do the individuals within these two different groups know their own employability? The aim of the study is to analyze whether there is a difference between the newly graduated students, within the two different groups, regarding their employability. Moreover, whether the students from the study group with internship experiences within their degree, have better employability competence or not. In order to reach out to a larger group, which we decided to define to no later graduation than five years prior to this study, we decided to use a quantitative method. A questionnaire survey was conducted where the survey was based on fixed options with possibility for voluntary supplementary comments. Furthermore, the choice of a questionnaire fell naturally because of the time limit as well as the need of a large amount of answers to reach the purpose of the study. A total of 183 answers were obtained where 1213 questionnaire were sent out, giving a response rate of 15, 09 percent and a loss of 84, 9 percent in the study. Based on the respondents results on their estimation of their different characteristics, which were in connection with the different employability factors, has the following concluding results been drawn: When it comes to the respondents’ estimation of themselves in the survey, the three most common options, which they consider to have acquired their characteristics from, are: education, family / upbringing and previous employment. The research group and the control group showed similar values and results, with no major differences. However, some interesting relations were found.

Sweden produces large amount of fly ash from waste combustion annually. Combustion the

waste generates two types of ashes, bottom ash/slag, and fly ash. Bottom ash is considered to

be more environmentally friendly and has a wide area of application such as road

constructions on landfills. While the fly ash has high level of heavy metals and for instance

dioxines which are harmful for the environment. This type of ash are deposited in a landfill

and gets classified as a hazardous waste which is expensive given that the deposit fee is high.

The fact that fly ash contains valuable metals as zinc, methods of recovering it are being

developed such as acid leaching. This is a promising method as the leachate used are acid

process water making the usage of the chemicals substantially lower which makes it

financially viable.

Waste incinerators in Sweden produce approximately 200 000 tons of fly ash annually and the

majority of it is transfered to Norway to get treated and put on a landfill. Some waste

management companies, e.g. Renova, are using another method called “the Bamberg method”

where fly ash is mixed with sludge to form a cake and put in the company’s own landfill.

The projects goal is to leach the fly ash by using acidic process water to obtain the metallic

substance particularly zinc making it easier and cheaper to landfill the ash and also to

optimize this method to get the most zinc out of the ash using minimum amount of the acidic

process water (5% HCI).

The laboratory work took place in the University of Borås. Fly ash and the acid process water

which were used under the laboratory work was obtained from RenovaAB.

The results shows that leaching the fly ash with acidic process water gave different release of

zinc but was 88% at most. The variation in the results depends on a few factors such as

amount of acidic process water, pH, time, blending time and the ashes content.

This project took environment and access to acidic water in consideration, which optimized

the method of using less amount of acid process water to get the most zinc as possible.

The results shows that leaching fly ash with acid process water is cost efficient and easy way

to recover zinc, which satisfy the goals of the project.

Rice straw was successfully converted to ethanol by separate enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation by Mucor indicus, Rhizopus oryzae, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The hydrolysis temperature and pH of commercial cellulase and β-glucosidase enzymes were first investigated and their best performance obtained at 45 °C and pH 5.0. The pretreatment of the straw with dilute-acid hydrolysis resulted in 0.72 g g-1 sugar yield during 48 h enzymatic hydrolysis, which was higher than steam-pretreated (0.60 g g-1) and untreated straw (0.46 g g-1). Furthermore, increasing the concentration of the dilute-acid pretreated straw from 20 to 50 and 100 g L-1 resulted in 13% and 16% lower sugar yield, respectively. Anaerobic cultivation of the hydrolyzates with M. indicus resulted in 0.36-0.43 g g-1 ethanol, 0.11-0.17 g g-1 biomass, and 0.04-0.06 g g-1 glycerol, which is comparable with the corresponding yields by S. cerevisiae (0.37-0.45 g g-1 ethanol, 0.04-0.10 g g-1 biomass and 0.05-0.07 glycerol). These two fungi produced no other major metabolite from the straw and completed the cultivation in less than 25 h. However, R. oryzae produced lactic acid as the major by-product with yield of 0.05-0.09 g g-1. This fungus had ethanol, biomass and glycerol yields of 0.33-0.41, 0.06-0.12, and 0.03-0.04 g g-1, respectively. 

The report shows how extensive the tender process is and what factors to consider in order tosubmit a winning bid. It highlights the different parts of the tender process and makes adeeper analysis of some of the most important factors. Bidding is not just about value whatsomething will cost. Because companies rarely are alone, they are finding ways and solutionsthat make the offer competitive. There is a high pace in the construction industry andconstruction companies currently have a lot to do.The report is written together with RO-Gruppen and a survey is the basis for the analysis. Thegoal was to describe RO-Gruppens work and to find possible improvement potential.As specifications, customers and procurement variations vary, it’s difficult to always followthe same template. Transparency and flexibility is required to analyze what exactly the clientis looking for. Experience proved to be a decisive factor, both according to the literature andthe questionnaire survey.

This paper presents needs and potentials for wearable sensors inoccupational healthcare. In addition, it presents ongoing European and Swedishprojects for developing personalized, and pervasive wearable systems for assessingrisks of developing musculoskeletal disorders and cardiovascular diseases at work.Occupational healthcare should benefit in preventing diseases and disorders byproviding the right feedback at the right time to the right person. Collected datafrom workers can provide evidence supporting the ergonomic and industrial tasksof redesigning the working environment to reduce the risks.

In order to fulfill the intention of the thesis, three questions have been developed. To answer these questions, data collection has been done which has consisted of a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. Qualitative method was carried out in the form of semi- structured interviews to investigate respondents' views on the process and identify problems. Quantitative method was carried out in the form of scientific articles, documentation and literature study to collect data in the form of relevant theories and examine internal documents from the company.

The results of the study show that the CE marking process is made up of several interdependent steps. LEAN tools and methods can be applied in the process to achieve efficiency. In addition, the participation and involvement of project team members can contribute to an improvement in the flow of information and better quality of information exchanged during the process.

This work contributes theoretically by applying the LEAN philosophy to the CE marking process and practically by suggesting methods to make the process more effective and minimize the remaining work for CE marking at the customer. What is unique about this study is the application of the LEAN philosophy to the CE marking process in the automation industry, which opens new opportunities for improvements and increased efficiency in the field.

Fashion advertising has long been repudiated for fostering narrow and stereotypical imagery of women. Today consumers demand advertisements to be inclusive and real in their portrayals. As a result, there is an increasingly visible marketing phenomenon, called Femvertising, which merges the feministic ideology of empowerment and liberty with brand image and sales. The purpose of the study is to explore consumers’ opinions about femvertising by fashion brands. Within this, the thesis seeks to explore how consumers feel about these advertisements and the outcome they perceive these to have. Through snowballed sampling focused on reaching diverse people connected via social media, a wide array of thoughts and perspectives on femvertising is sought to fulfill the purpose.

The research employs a mixed method with a deductive approach to analyze its findings in relation to literatures and theories reviewed. The study used an open-ended online questionnaire designed through literature review and advertising theories and distributed it electronically to collect data. Using snowball sampling, the respondents were gathered via social media, who further distributed the questionnaire.

The findings demonstrated that our sampling mainly expressed positive responses to the femvertising due to its inclusive, diverse and empowering portrayals. Moreover, these advertisements were viewed as a harbinger of change within the fashion industry. They also, generally view the media and advertising to shape people’s perception about gender roles, albeit if femvertising and its ideals are implemented for the long-term. Within this, respondents also urged brands to ‘walk the talk’ and implement the portrayed ideals within their own businesses’ functioning for larger impact. The findings are useful for fashion marketers and researchers, by showing how femvertising within popular media culture is expected to push forward ideals of feminism both within the fashion industry and society. This thesis contributes to the knowledge of consumers’ opinions and perspectives on femvertising and its potential to profit brands and engender more empowerment and liberty to female gender-based roles.

Sammanfattning Dagens klädkonsumtion sammankopplas ofta med hållbarhet framförallt gällande materialets miljöpåverkan och arbetsförhållanden i produktionen. Kläder massproduceras och tillverkas därför inte med hållbarhet i fokus. Företag kommer undan med att erbjuda icke hållbara kläder eftersom konsumenter främst fokuserar på utseende och pris istället för hållbarhet i sitt konsumentbeteende. Tidigare forskning beskriver att konsumenter har en negativ attityd till klädindustrins påverkan på hållbarhet men att de inte konsumerar hållbart på grund av kunskapsbrist. Denna brist på kunskap skapar ett gap mellan konsumenters attityd till hållbar klädkonsumtion och deras konsumentbeteende. Problemet med ökad konsumtion och hållbarhet kan kopplas till sociala medier. Sociala medier används bland annat för att hitta lättillgänglig och okomplicerad information om kläder. Tidigare forskning menar att sociala medier påverkar konsumentbeteendet genom att skapa ett behov för produkter man tidigare inte tänkt köpa. Vidare visar forskning att konsumenter påverkas mer av produktinformation från en tredje part så som vänner, familj eller referensgrupper. Vår undersökning grundar sig därför i sociala mediers stora inflytande på konsumenter och gapet mellan konsumenters attityd till och beteende vid hållbar klädkonsumtion. Uppsatsens syfte är därför att undersöka om sociala medier kan öka intresset för hållbara kläder hos yngre konsumenter. Vi fokuserar på yngre konsumenter eftersom de är uppväxta med datorer och internet samt är den grupp som flitigast använder sociala medier. I studien användes en kvalitativ metod där empiri samlades in genom fokusgrupper. Avsikten var att få en djupare förståelse för deltagarnas åsikter och idéer kring våra teman: hållbara kläder, konsumentbeteende, konsumentattityder och sociala medier. Tidigare forskning stämde överens med resultatet i vår studie där deltagarna beskrev att de inte hade möjlighet att konsumera hållbart eftersom de inte hade kunskapen om vad hållbara kläder faktiskt är. Där även textilstudenter som hade mer kunskap ansåg att det krävdes mer information för att de skulle kunna agera mer hållbart. Vidare visade även vår studie att sociala medier har en stor påverkan på ett konsumentbeteende. Genom att applicera vår empiri på ABC model of Attitudes kunde vi även se att sociala medier influerar konsumenters uppfattning, känsla och beteende vilket påverkar deras konsumentattityd. Alla deltagare i vår undersökning önskade mer lättillgänglig information om hållbara kläder i sociala medier eftersom det är en kanal de alla påverkas av. Ytterligare argumenterade de för att det krävs att fler personer tar sitt ansvar och delar kunskap om hållbara kläder för att skapa ett ökat intresse och tillslut ett förändrat beteende. Slutsatsen kunde därför dras att sociala medier kan vara ett verktyg för att öka intresset för hållbara kläder hos yngre konsumenter. Genom vår studie vill vi bidra till en djupare förståelse av konsumentbeteende samt konsumenternas attityder till hållbara kläder och sociala medier.

To achieve the Global Goals 2030, we as a society will need to significantly reduce our global ecological footprint. The textile industry of today accounts for a significant part of this ecological footprint both through use of land, climate-affecting emissions, soil- and water pollution and more. This has led to an increasing demand for more sustainable solutions in the textile industry. There are a number of types of yarn that have a lower environmental impact. Many of them however have quite a lower market share today. One of these materials that we chose to take a closer look at was paper yarn, which in it’s production consumes significantly less resources than other usual yarns on the market (Fakirov 2015). However, the development of use of paper yarn has so far been limited by its rigidity and poor knitability. This project has aimed to try to reduce the stiffness of the paper yarn and increase its knitability. This was done by twisting different numbers of twist/meter of viscose yarn, around the paper yarn. We twisted a single-threaded 17 tex hemp viscose yarn around the paper yarn at 100, 300 and 500 twist/meter with the core-spun method. Then the yarn was treated with fatty acid to counteract the brittleness and prepare it for knitting. The yarn was knitted on a circular knitting machine with a single jersey stitch. Tests done on yarn were tensile testing and friction testing. The tricot also was subjected to tensile testing (rupture), stiffness testing and abrasion testing. Viscose mixed yarn knitwear was found to have a softer feeling of the fabric compared to just knitted paper yarn. During tensile testing of tricot, it was found that a larger proportion of viscose adds more strength as higher pressure was needed as well as time to achieve a stretch in the tricot. Twisting with different twists of viscose yarn has been shown to cause small differences in knitability as there were occasional holes in the paper yarn knit during the knitting process. Yarns of 300 and 500 twist/meter, however, had the most weak points without showing visible holes on the fabric. Differences in the stiffness of the tricot were noticeable between all the fabrics, however, it was not possible to obtain useful results from the stiffness tester as this test method was probably unsuitable for the selected tricot binding because the fabric rolled. 

Inefficient material handling has a direct impact on the company's costs, so it is important to map different processes in the business. The unnecessary activities contribute to the need to implement continuous improvements. Based on the theories on which the study is based, it consists of Logistics, Lean, Materials Management, Warehouse Layout and ABC analysis. The goal is to find improvement suggestions that are linked to waste. Initially, a material flow chart was performed at the goods reception to investigate what processes look like in operations using standard symbols and figures used in logistics contexts.

The focus is on utilizing storage areas and the waste that arises in the event of obstacles. The implementation of the study could be performed with interviews and observations that contributed to a more constructive work. There was a standardized way of working the doll was the bearing surface and the waste that was the problem. The studied area in the goods reception had four wastes that were identified. These are the following transports, rework, movements and warehouses. ABC analysis was performed to give the company a good knowledge of material handling.

Using data from the company designed an ABC classification to help with inventory management. The A-classification accounts for 70.42% of the total articles, B accounts for 24.47% and C which stands for 5.11%. It turned out that the C-items are not very important, while A and B are in-demand items that quickly disappear from stock. The study concludes with improvement proposals linked to the two issues that enable cost savings from an efficiency perspective.

The authors' conclusion of the study is that there are good conditions for the company to implement the improvement proposals.

Microplastics have been found in all aquatic environments and once they entered they cannot be removed. This has put new focus on the sources of microplastics where the textile industry has gained large attention. Much consideration has been given to the production of fleece fabric and the use of polyester but this report aims to explore the whole design- and production process and mapping those activities which has a large impact on microplastic release. Together with participants from five (5) Swedish Outdoor Brands and seven (7) field experts has this report mapped possible challenges and solutions. Main findings are 20 different challenging areas with 19 suggested solutions on how to prevent microplastic pollution. The result is the first in its kind doing a comprehensive study of the whole textile design- and production process and provides a broad foundation for further research. As there still is a considerable lack of knowledge about many of the issues that were brought up, both within the design- and production processes, has a shared responsibility among companies, organizations, universities and private persons been raised. Through common platforms are inspiration and awareness spread and this report aims to contribute to the gap in the current knowledge.

This study aims to investigate how Swedish destination companies work with strategies to manage seasonal variations. The study is based on three different strategies; event strategies, collaboration strategies and marketing strategies. These strategies have been seen as complementary to each other and a separate model has been designed with these as a starting point. The material has been collected through seven semi-structured interviews with Swedish destination companies in southern and northern Sweden. The informants needed to acquire knowledge in their work with strategies in areas such as destination development, events, seasonal variations or marketing. The study’s model has then been applied as an instrument to analyze the results. The result shows that Swedish destination companies work with event strategies, cooperation strategies and marketing strategies. This study highlights that event and marketing strategies are the most prominent strategies during the off-season. This study is written in Swedish

What if fibres were strings of numbers, arrays of digits turned into threads, not taking a specific form but constantly evolving. An increasing online presence and virtual experiences are shifting the understanding and definition of materiality. This work starts with a focus on textile expressions in a virtual world. It is built on new ideas on material thinking, with an emphasis on the divergence of aesthetic expressions. It explores the crossing between traditional craft and complex computer-generated structures. The idea is to reimagine how textiles are designed and made. The aim is to broaden the textile design field by exploring the definition of textiles through digital materiality, focusing on computer-generated images and surfaces in 3d software. 

The composites of Ni–Cu oxides with gadolinium doped ceria (GDC) are emerging as highly proficient anode catalysts, owing to their remarkable performance for solid oxide fuel cells operated with biogas. In this context, the nanocomposite catalysts (1 – x)NiO-xCuO/yGDC (x = 0.2–0.8; y = 1,1.3) are synthesized using a solid-state reaction route. The cubic and monoclinic structures are observed for NiO and CuO phases, respectively, while CeO2 showed cubic fluorite structure. The scanning electron microscopic images revealed a rise in the particle size with an increase in the copper and GDC concentration. The optical band gap values are calculated in the range 2.82–2.33 eV from UV–visible analysis. The Raman spectra confirmed the presence of vibration modes of CeO2 and NiO. The electrical conductivity of the nanocomposite anodes is increased as the concentration of copper and GDC increased and reached at 9.48 S cm–1 for 0.2NiO-0.8CuO/1.3GDC composition at 650 °C. The electrochemical performance of (1 – x)NiO-xCuO/yGDC (x = 0.2–0.8; y = 1,1.3)-based fuel cells is investigated with biogas fuel at 650 °C. Among all of the as-synthesized anodes, the fuel cell with composition 0.2NiO-0.8CuO/1.3GDC showed the best performance, such as an open circuit voltage of 0.84 V and peak power density of 72 mW cm–2. However, from these findings, it can be inferred that among all other compositions, the 0.2NiO-0.8CuO/1.3GDC anode is a superior combination for the high electrochemical performance of solid oxide fuel cells fueled with biogas.

Cellulosans polymerisationsgrad (DP) är en viktig faktor vid utvärdering av möjligheterna till både mekanisk och kemisk återvinning av bomull. Enligt flera studier leder lägre DP till svagare fibrer. I denna rapport har DP hos bomullsfibrer från begagnade jeans undersökts före och efter mekanisk återvinning för att se om återvinningsprocessen eller graden av slitage på de ingående fibrerna har en påverkan på DP. Även möjligheten att spinna garn med de mekaniskt återvunna fibrerna utblandade med jungfruliga bomullsfibrer har undersökts för att se hur andelen återvunna fibrer och graden av slitage på dessa påverkar garnets styrka. Konsumentavfall i form av bomullsjeans, före och efter mekanisk återvinning,  har lösts i  bis(etylendiamin)kopparhydroxidlösning (Cuen). Viskositeten har mätts och cellulosans polymerisationsgrad har beräknats. Eftersom fibrerna inte löstes upp helt var cellulosakoncentrationen i lösningarna okänd. Därför kunde inga klara slutsatser dras om huruvida den mekaniska återvinningen eller graden av slitage på det ingående materialet hade någon påverkan på DP, även om den statistiska analysen visade på att båda variablerna hade en signifikant påverkan. DP hos återvunna fibrer från begagnade jeans är högre än vad som krävs för framställning av både viskos och lyocell, vilket gör att kemisk återvinning av denna form av konsumentavfall kan vara möjlig att utveckla industriellt. Jungfrulig bomull har ringspunnits tillsammans med 20 % och 50 % återvunna fibrer. Spinningen av garn med 50 % återvunna fibrer var på grund av upprepade garnbrott alltför tidskrävande för vara lämlig för storskalig produktion. Dragstyrkan hos ett ringspunnet bomullsgarn med 20 % återvunna fibrer försämrades inte jämfört med ett garn av 100 % jungfrulig bomull, utan kunde tvärtemot förbättras beroende på spinninställningar och kvaliteten på de återvunna fibrerna. Inblandning av 20 % mindre slitna fibrer gav ett starkare garn än 20 % slitna fibrer. Dock spanns endast en bobin av varje garn och därför krävs en större studie för att få ett större statistiskt underlag innan några mer generella slutsatser kan dras.

In this work, rhamnolipid biosurfactant as an eco-friendly and biodegradable cleaning agent was produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria and was used to evaluate the chemical cleaning efficiency of whey fouled ultrafiltration membranes. Thin layer chromatography (TLC) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the successful synthesis of rhamnolipid. The produced rhamnolipid was compared to chemical cleaners including sodium hydroxide (NaOH), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and Tween 20. Ultrafiltration membranes used for fouling and cleaning analysis were prepared using phase inversion via immersion precipitation technique. For studying the fouling mechanisms, Hermia's model adapted to cross-flow was used. From the fouling mechanism experiments, it was found that the complete blocking and cake formation were the dominant fouling mechanisms. The highest values of cleaning efficiency were achieved using rhamnolipid and NaOH as cleaning agents with the flux recovery of 100%, but with considering the low concentration of the rhamnolipid used in the cleaning solution compared to NaOH (0.3 versus 4 g/L for NaOH), its application is preferred. 

There is an increased awareness of the textile dyeing and finishing sector’s high impact on the environment due to high water consumption, polluted wastewater, and inefficient use of energy. To reduce environmental impacts, researchers propose the use of dyes from natural sources. The purpose of using these is to impart new attributes to textiles without compromising on environmental sustainability. The attributes given to the textile can be color and/or other characteristics. A drawback however, is that the use of bio-sourced dyes is not free from environmental concerns. Thus, it becomes paramount to assess the environmental impacts from using them and improve the environmental profile, but studies on this topic are generally absent.

The research presented in this thesis has included environmental impact assessment, using the life cycle assessment (LCA) tool, in the design process of a multifunctional polyester (PET) fabric using natural anthraquinones. By doing so an eco-design approach has been applied, with the intention to pave the way towards eco-sustainable bio-functionalization of textiles.

The anthraquinones were obtained from the root extracts of the madder plant (Rubia tinctorum L.), referred to as madder dye. The research questions were therefore formulated related to the use of madder dye. Three research questions have been answered: (I) Can madder dye serve as a multifunctional species onto a PET woven fabric? (II) How does the environmental profile of the dyeing process of PET with madder dye look like, and how can it be improved? (III) What are the main challenges in using LCA to assess the environmental impacts of textile dyeing with plant-based dyes?

It is concluded that there is a potential for the madder dye to serve as a multifunctional species onto PET. Based on the encouraging result, a recommendation for future work would be to focus on the durability of the functionalities presented and their improvement potential, both in exhaustion dyeing and pad-dyeing. LCA driven process optimization of the exhaustion dyeing enabled improvement in every impact category studied. However, several challenges have been identified which need to be overcome for the LCA to contribute to the sustainable use of multifunctional plant-based species in textile dyeing. The main challenges are the lack of available data at the research stage and the interdisciplinary nature of the research arena. It is envisaged that if these challenges are addressed, LCA can contribute towards sustainable bio-functionalization of textiles. 

Pulp and paper manufacturing ranks as one of the most water and energy-intensive sectors globally, invariablyleading to significant environmental pollution e.g. issues related to air pollution and waste disposal. Also, asglobal competition intensifies, prices of forest products are expected to keep decreasing. To ensure their viability,traditional producers must augment their revenue streams by diversifying into the production of bioenergy andbiomaterials, alongside traditional wood, pulp, and paper products. A feasible solution is the integrated productsbiorefineries which provide a distinctive chance to pulp and paper industry to enhance revenues as well asreduce their environmental impact. Since pulp and paper stands as the predominant industry in Sweden, thisreview article explores the emerging biorefinery process options and main technological pathways beingdeveloped within Swedish pulp and paper mills. It also delves into the significant challenges that are beingencountered in this evolving landscape and what possibilities lie ahead for responsible and sustainable pulp andpaper operations. 

Sustainable provision of chemicals and materials is undoubtedly a defining factor in guaranteeing economic, environmental, and social stability of future societies. Among the most sought-after chemical building blocks are volatile fatty acids (VFAs). VFAs such as acetic, propionic, and butyric acids have numerous industrial applications supporting from food and pharmaceuticals industries to wastewater treatment. The fact that VFAs can be produced synthetically from petrochemical derivatives and also through biological routes, for example, anaerobic digestion of organic mixed waste highlights their provision flexibility and sustainability. In this regard, this review presents a detailed overview of the applications associated with petrochemically and biologically generated VFAs, individually or in mixture, in industrial and laboratory scale, conventional and novel applications.

Secured traceability implies not only the ability to identify, capture, and share required information on product transformation throughout the supply chain (SC), but also the ability to ensure the security of the traceability data. Due to information asymmetry and lack of transparency, textile and clothing (T&C) industries often face challenges in implementing and maintaining sufficient traceability. The SC actors find it difficult to identify and track the suppliers and sub-suppliers involved. Additionally, the opaque and largely untraceable structure of the SC has enabled the easy intrusion of counterfeits. Hence, a secured traceability system is imperative to ensure that the required traceability data are captured and shared among SC actors, thereby allowing the tracking and tracing of the products in the SC. Further, a secured traceability system helps organizations in various decision-making processes and protects customers from counterfeits. This thesis contributes to the development of a secured traceability system for the T&C sector. It examines traceability at product and information levels, based on the system-of systems approach. At the product level, the thesis introduces a secured traceability tag that can be printed on the textile surface. The secured tag is hard to copy and is durable enough to withstand normal textile use, thus providing sufficient security besides product tagging for traceability implementation. At the information level, the thesis explores and classifies traceability data that can be shared at business-to-business and business-to customer levels for the implementation of secured traceability. Subsequently, a block chain-based traceability framework is proposed for the T&C supply chain to systematically capture and share data in the supply chain network. The proposed framework demonstrates the applicability of shared data infrastructure to traceability without a central authority and develops technology-based trust among the supply chain actors. It relies on no central authority, and has customized data privacy and accessibility rules, thus providing a unique opportunity, flexibility, and authority to all supply chain actors to trace their supply chains and create transparent and sustainable supply chain networks.

Product security is one of the major concerns in the textile industry. Every year, fashion brands suffer significant loss due to counterfeit products. Addressing this, the paper introduces a secured tag for traceability and security of textile products. The proposed tag is unclonable, which can be manufactured using conventional screen-printing process. Further, it can be read using a smartphone camera to authenticate the product and trace its history. Consequently, imparting additional functionality to the textile through surface modification. To validate its applicability, the study experimentally investigates the durability and readability of the developed secured tag using three different binders on polyester and cotton textiles substrates. A comparison is presented with an in-depth analysis of surfaces and binders interaction at different stages of the secured tag lifecycle, i.e. before print, after print, after wash and after abrasion cycles. The methodology and findings of the study can also be useful for other manufacturing domains dealing with the printing process.

Textile and clothing industry is one of the oldest manufacturing industries and is a major contributor in the economic growth of developing countries. However, from past few decades, it has been criticised for its opaque, unsecured and untraceable nature of supply chain. Addressing these challenges, the paper proposes a system approach to introduce an item-centric secured traceability concept to monitor and control manufacturing processes and supply chain activities. In order to implement such secured traceability system, the paper describes the process for manufacturing, encoding and validating an innovative two-factor secured tag based on particle randomness that is printed on the surface of textile. Being micro-sized, the particles are easy to read and validate with pattern recognition. Further, as achieved through an uncontrolled manufacturing process, the randomness is unclonable to produce counterfeit tags. Furthermore, a sequence of experimental analyses has been conducted using various simulated scenarios to verify its applicability. A secured tag can be a low-cost and durable substitute for detachable, unsecured identifiers commercially available in the market.

Cryptographic tags are an important entity for tracking and authentication of a product in the today's global supply chain. They act as carriers which map the information with physical product. Further, their importance in Textile and Clothing industry has significantly enhanced due to increased counterfeit activities and complex supply-chain networks. In this context, this paper describes various existing cryptography methods and tags, scope for improvement and possible solutions for their use in Textile and Clothing supply-chain traceability.

Supply chain traceability has emerged as a prime requirement for multi-tier supply chains. It not only enables the supply chain visibility but also caters to the consumer requirements related to transparency, quality assurance, and production tracking. Nonwoven supply chain is one such example that particularly requires traceability implementation due to prevailing problems related to information asymmetry and complex supply chain networks. Conversely, it is challenging for supply chain partners to share all the competitive information in the unsecure environment. In this context, in line with Industry 4.0, this study investigates blockchain technology, which uses a shared and secured data infrastructure to keep track of information about assets and requires no central authority to function. It further proposes a blockchain-based traceability framework that explains supply chain partner interaction and network architecture at organizational level and smart contract and transaction validation rules at the operational level. In order to illustrate the application of the framework, the study presents an example of a nonwoven supply chain to track the nonwoven manufacturing and distribution processes. The proposed system can build a technology-based trust among the supply chain actors, where the distributed ledger would be used to store and authenticate of supply chain transactions.

Traceability has emerged as a prime requirement for a multi-tier and multi-site production. It enables visibility and caters to the consumer requirements of transparency and quality assurance. Textile and clothing industry is one such example that requires traceability implementation to address prevailing problems of information asymmetry and low visibility. Customers find it difficult to access product data that can facilitate ethical buying practices or assure product authenticity. Besides, it is challenging for stakeholders to share crucial information in an insecure environment with risk of data manipulations and fear of losing information advantage. In this context, this study investigates and proposes a blockchain-based traceability framework for traceability in multi-tier textile and clothing supply chain. It conceptualizes the interaction of supply chain partners, and related network architecture at the organizational level and smart contract and transaction validation rules at the operational level. To illustrate the application of the proposed framework, the study presents an example of organic cotton supply chain using blockchain with customized smart contract and transaction rules. It finally demonstrates the applicability of the developed blockchain by testing it under two parameters. The proposed system can build a technology-based trust among the supply chain partners, where the distributed ledger can be used to store and authenticate supply chain transactions. Further, the blockchain-based traceability system would provide a unique opportunity, flexibility, and authority to all partners to trace-back their supply network and create transparent and sustainable supply chain.