How to promote active and conscious choices regarding sustainability amongst e-commerce customers

This study aims to investigate how to work with sustainability in e-commerce, with a focus on making information available to the consumer as well as how this could be conceptualized. This requires a multidisciplinary approach, with domain knowledge based on environmental science and additional knowledge in information and computer science. In the time we live in now, we see an increased need to think sustainably and act for it in society. Consumption of products or services has a great impact on this and to a large extent via e-commerce today where consumers often find themselves confused in how to make a sustainable choice. We must work towards a more sustainable society and living. If we continue to utilize our planet's resources and assets without letting nature recover, we will probably end up in an unsustainable situation. Previous research shows the complexity in terms of sustainability, the definition as such but also how to assess it, a lack of regulated standards complicates the unified picture of what is actually sustainable. Creating an index or some form of standard for sustainability is not possible for us in relation to the time frame and scope of this study. An attempt to clarify what one can do with a focus on the consumer and how he or she can access information that is available or could be, is for us interesting to investigate. What made this possible was an extensive literature study to acquire the domain knowledge required to be able to understand what we needed to focus on, the literature study itself provided good insights and a good foundation as a starting point. By following a work process based on Design Science Research Methodology and with the opportunity to collaborate with an established company that works to guide consumers in e-commerce, we have been able to work in a concrete and relevant context and thus had the opportunity to test our concepts based on a literature study and data collection methods, consisting of questionnaires and interviews. Key findings from the study were that consumers wanted to know more about sustainability as well as the importance of involving the consumer in the process. Based on a literature study and the data collections, a basic data model for sustainability was developed. Companies in e-commerce should take the initiative to support sustainable online consumption. The task is difficult, but doing so could provide a competetive advantage among the companies and at the same time it contributes to a good cause.