According to Action Agenda 21, adopted at the Rio Conference in 1992, sustainable development should be realized as a major objective for local and global development. Economic growth, good living conditions, and protection of the earth's natural environment are very important to all people in the world. Ball et al., 2006; Marcuccio & Steccolini, 2005; Osborne and Ball, 2011; Lodhia et al., 2012 show that local government has a leading position regarding practical work and dissemination of information on sustainability among stakeholders. Schoolars like Wilmhurst & Frost, 2000; Deegan et al., 2002; Steccolini, 2004; Gonzalez and Perez-Chamorro, 2008 share the opinion that research focus mostly on content of information on sustainability, when analysing reports, brochures, or other documents, while knowledge about dissemination process of information on sustainability among stakeholders, and its effects on decision making by local authority is limited. The purpose in this paper is to compare the dissemination process of information on environmental sustainability among stakeholders and to explain its effects on decision making in two countries (Sweden and Poland). We ask: What do we know about the local governments’ practical work with the dissemination of information on environmental sustainablity among stakeholders within the Gothenburg Region in Sweden and the Lodz Region in Poland? What effects do the dissemination of such information have on decision-making by the local authority and on sustainable development in the chosen municipalities? The research is based on semi-structured interviews with key-respondents responsible for sustainable development in four municipalities in each region; homepages and official reports in the chosen municipalities, and state, regional and local regulations.

Our research indicates that the dissemination of information on environmental sustainablity among stakeholders have a positive effect on decision-making by the local authorities and sustainable development in general. The dissemination of such information in Poland is not just bleak imitations of the Swedish municipal work but it is adapted to the Polish context, financial possibilities and local specific needs. In both countries, the local authorities follow the EU:s recommendations rather strictly. In both countries innovative work is observed but also a growing awarnes among the residents and other stakeholders that improvement of sustainable development as “the must” for the future. The bigger municipalities take on greater challenges than the smaller ones. Hence their work is more intense and is a paragon for smaller municipalities. Although the production and dissemination of information on environmental sustainability is time consuming and not always proves useful in the short run, our respondents point out that in the long run, it may give surprisingly positive effects on a local sustainable development and hence, it may contribute to the improvement of global sustainable development.