Title: The importance of business management in the fashion industry to handle increased demands for ecological sustainability, price and profitability - a qualitative study of how business management is used in a larger fast fashion company.

Authors: Catrine Gustafsson och Hanna Lydell

Supervisor: Jan-Olof Eriksson

Background: As sustainability has taken a greater place in society, the fashion industry is changing. In recent years, fast fashion has been a large part of the fashion industry as a result of consumers' rapid demand and demands for low prices. Along with the increased costs that follow with sustainability, companies are now forced to raise their prices and move towards a slower fashion. Companies in the industry need to find a profitable way to meet this change and a key to this can be a well-developed business management.

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to describe how companies in fast fashion, with the help of business management, can work to achieve the company's requirements for profitability while the demands for ecological sustainability and low prices increase from consumers.

Research question: How does fast fashion company work with business management to achieve the organization's requirements for profitability and at the same time meet the demands of ecological sustainability and low prices from consumers?

Methodology: The study is based on a qualitative and abductive research approach. We have conducted semi-structured interviews at a large company in the industry and a generalizability can be made to industry companies that go through the same strategic change. The selection of respondents was based on their competence. 

Conclusion: The conclusion shows that the company works with value-based, interactive and diagnostic control systems and a control package is designed based on this. Related to the change in the industry, consumers’ sustainability requirements are expressed through sustainable production and other visible attributes that symbolize sustainability för the consumer. Today, the requirements for low prices are about affordable fashion and the organization’s internal requirements for profitability are shown through budget targets and margins. Practical implications are also presented to fashion companies that go through the same change.