Current Projects

How do retailers design strategies that not only focus on financial profit margins, but also help us make more sustainable choices?

This research project, conducted by MMTC researchers Mart Ots Opens in new window. and Timur Uman Opens in new window., alongside Anna Blombäck External link, opens in new window. (Jönköping International Business School) and Galina Biedenbach (Umeå University External link, opens in new window.), explores how the retail sector can influence sustainable consumption through strategic decision-making. The study aims to move beyond financial profit margins, focusing on consumer-oriented sustainability strategies that drive environmentally responsible purchasing behaviour.

Funded by a SEK 6 million grant from the Marianne and Marcus Wallenberg Foundation, the project will examine the role of trade in reducing consumption-based emissions.

Background and Importance

Consumption-Based Emissions and the Role of Retail

The concept of consumption-based emissions attributes a product’s total climate impact—covering manufacturing, transportation, and usage—to the end consumer. Sweden’s per capita consumption-based emissions are high in an international comparison, and private consumption significantly contributes to global climate challenges.

The retail sector, with an annual turnover of SEK 2,500 billion, represents 11% of Sweden’s GDP and plays a crucial role in shaping consumer demand. 97% of emissions related to retail occur outside the sector itself, primarily during production and consumption. This highlights the need for system-wide strategies to reduce climate impact, especially in categories like:

• Food (which now accounts for up to 30% of consumption-based emissions)
• Clothing and footwear
• Beauty and personal care products
• Electronics

With retail companies now recognizing their influence beyond direct operations, many are adopting consumption-based sustainability goals, with some major retailers setting targets to halve customers’ climate footprints by 2030.

Research Objectives

This project seeks to answer key questions regarding strategic retail decision-making for sustainability:

✔️ How do retailers develop and implement consumer-oriented sustainability strategies?
✔️ How does a focus on sustainability affect stakeholder collaboration, including suppliers and policymakers?
✔️ What impact do pricing, assortment planning, store design, and marketing have on sustainable consumer behaviour?
✔️ How can retail companies balance profitability and environmental responsibility while driving climate-conscious consumption?

Expected Impact

The results of this research will be valuable for:

• Retail companies facing growing internal and external sustainability demands
• Suppliers adapting to future industry changes
• Legislators looking to facilitate a transition to more sustainable consumption models

By providing insights into retail’s system-wide role in climate transition, this project aims to support Sweden’s commitments under the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda.

Research Team

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Mart Ots

Co-Applicants: Timur Uman, Anna Blombäck and Galina Biedenbach (Umeå University)

Collaborating Universities: Jönköping University and Umeå University

Funding: Marianne and Marcus Wallenberg Foundation – SEK 6 million

Our main goal is to encourage social science researchers to use accessible data methods for analyzing media.

With advancements in machine learning and artificial intelligence, tools for computational linguistics, computer vision, and machine listening are faster, more accurate, and easier to apply. As an interdisciplinary group, we initiate collaborations between researchers with diverse backgrounds and complementary skills. We explore applications in various areas, including business, economics, law, media, psychology, political science, and sociology.

Data Methods Initiative offers a range of seminars which take place on Zoom and target a diverse audience with different disciplinary backgrounds and different levels of knowledge of a given research context and data method.

Contact the Organisers

In the Evolve program, participating companies will receive targeted sustainability support in areas such as innovation, digitalization, competence development, environmental development, gender equality, and green transition. This assistance is critical to their business development and future growth, as many companies face sustainability-related challenges. With the help of the program, they will receive the necessary tools to move forward and also have the opportunity to share experiences and knowledge with one another. The selected companies will receive customized support to map their individual needs, drive strategies, and achieve their goals. The program is open to logistics-intensive businesses, including logistics companies in distribution and storage, railway and contracting companies, and manufacturing companies. Nässjö's business community is renowned for its strength in these areas, and the program presents an excellent opportunity to support existing companies with the resources and expertise they need to develop in the future.

MMTC members Carla Machado Opens in new window., Leona Achtenhagen Opens in new window., and Mohammad Eslami, Opens in new window. are involved in the project.

The vast majority of companies in the world are small!

According to the EU, 99% of all European companies can be categorized as 'small and medium-sized enterprises' - or SMEs. This means that they have less than 250 employees and an annual turnover of less than 50 million Euros. Despite their small size, SMEs together have an enormous significance for the development of society. For example, 80% of all new jobs in the EU are created by the region's 23 million smaller companies. And of course, all these enterprises together create a great social and ecological imprint. So, it is very important that all these organisations operate in a sustainable manner!

 Project Aims:

Social innovation and social entrepreneurship are integrated into local and regional processes linked to business, academia, the public sector and civil society in order to help solve societal challenges in the Jönköping region. The project’s goal is to develop an effective support system and tools for social innovation, with societal challenges and issues of SME sustainability in particular focus.

The project is financed by Tillväxtverket with EU funding, and Region Jönköpings län.

Find out more details about this project here (In Swedish) External link, opens in new window.

Project Coordinator - MMTC : Duncan Levinsohn

ScreenMe is an international network of universities across Europe that aim to improve research into and teaching of entrepreneurship for the screen media industry. Together, we organise events for academics and other stakeholders. As part of the project and network output, we have developed a corresponding teaching course and will kick off research initiatives and projects on entrepreneurial activities in media organisations as well as in start-ups that offer products and services relevant to screen media.

The network is led by the Centre of Excellence in Media Innovation and Digital Culture (MEDIT)

The partner universities are:

• JÖNKÖPING UNIVERSITY (MMTC), Sweden
• TALLINN UNIVERSITY, Estonia
• AARHUS UNIVERSITY, Denmark
• ILMENAU TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY, Germany
• LUT UNIVERSITY, Finland
• MUNSTER TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY, Ireland
• VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT BRUSSEL, Belgium

Find out more details about this network and project here External link, opens in new window.

 Project Coordinator: Leona Achtenhagen Opens in new window.

Contact for the project: Thomas Cyron Opens in new window.

Women in Retail project financed by Hakan Swenson Stiftelse.

Hakan Swenson Stiftelse has approved financing of the 3 year project for a total of

3 625 274 SEK.

Project manager: Lucia Naldi