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Sustainability and organics : an explorative case study of the Swedish organic dairy sector from a sustainability marketing perspective

Bhagat, Sarita LU (2012) In Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Sciences MESM01 20121
LUCSUS (Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies)
Abstract
Organic farming, considered as an agricultural practice, is supported by the CAP as an initiation for promoting environmental friendly method. The CAP supports the growth of a consumer-driven organic market. Organic farming is a sustainable practise that benefits the environment; market
supports economic growth and society benefits in terms of health and quality of food. A large number of Swedish organic farmers have adopted organic farming practices, which is evident by large
number of utilized agricultural land under organic farming. The Swedish dairy sector plays a dual role
of maintaining a varied landscape and at the same time contributing to the nations’ economy.Moreover, the organic dairy products are the largest consumable... (More)
Organic farming, considered as an agricultural practice, is supported by the CAP as an initiation for promoting environmental friendly method. The CAP supports the growth of a consumer-driven organic market. Organic farming is a sustainable practise that benefits the environment; market
supports economic growth and society benefits in terms of health and quality of food. A large number of Swedish organic farmers have adopted organic farming practices, which is evident by large
number of utilized agricultural land under organic farming. The Swedish dairy sector plays a dual role
of maintaining a varied landscape and at the same time contributing to the nations’ economy.Moreover, the organic dairy products are the largest consumable organic products in Sweden.

An attempt has been made to explore the organic development in Europe, by considering the
Swedish organic dairy sector as a case-study. The policies and regulations framed under the EU have been scrutinized to understand the organic development. Further, a study and analysis of the various organisations involved in the Swedish organic dairy sector leads to the conclusion that the organizations are very much collaborated with each other and the market is dominated largely by two dairy companies, Arla Foods and Skånemejerier. However, this collaboration and exchange of information is limited only till the production side. There is a communication gap between the consumers and producers, that only a limited group of dedicated green consumers purchase organic products. Thus, the marketing strategy needs to be improved that shall ensure the involvement of all important stakeholders, like retailers in the decision-making process.

Market orientation model has been used for analysis. It is observed that the Swedish organic dairy
sector truly fits into the market orientation model, which is generally adopted by companies as an important corporate marketing tool. The author suggests that the companies need to adopt a sustainability marketing approach that includes all the stakeholders while encompassing the triple
bottom line approach. A market-focused sustainability framework has been proposed in this regard. This framework helps the companies to devise marketing steps that take into consideration the social and ecological systems. Such an integrated approach is a necessity to ensure a sustainable organic system. The framework is just a small step to bridge the gap between the consumption and production sides, but in the end, purchasing behaviour is based on ethical motivations of consumers. (Less)
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author
Bhagat, Sarita LU
supervisor
organization
course
MESM01 20121
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
sustainbility sciences, sustainable marketing, market orientation, organic dairy production, Sweden
publication/series
Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Sciences
report number
2012:031
language
English
id
3602638
date added to LUP
2013-03-20 14:14:59
date last changed
2013-03-20 14:14:59
@misc{3602638,
  abstract     = {{Organic farming, considered as an agricultural practice, is supported by the CAP as an initiation for promoting environmental friendly method. The CAP supports the growth of a consumer-driven organic market. Organic farming is a sustainable practise that benefits the environment; market
supports economic growth and society benefits in terms of health and quality of food. A large number of Swedish organic farmers have adopted organic farming practices, which is evident by large
number of utilized agricultural land under organic farming. The Swedish dairy sector plays a dual role
of maintaining a varied landscape and at the same time contributing to the nations’ economy.Moreover, the organic dairy products are the largest consumable organic products in Sweden.

An attempt has been made to explore the organic development in Europe, by considering the
Swedish organic dairy sector as a case-study. The policies and regulations framed under the EU have been scrutinized to understand the organic development. Further, a study and analysis of the various organisations involved in the Swedish organic dairy sector leads to the conclusion that the organizations are very much collaborated with each other and the market is dominated largely by two dairy companies, Arla Foods and Skånemejerier. However, this collaboration and exchange of information is limited only till the production side. There is a communication gap between the consumers and producers, that only a limited group of dedicated green consumers purchase organic products. Thus, the marketing strategy needs to be improved that shall ensure the involvement of all important stakeholders, like retailers in the decision-making process.

Market orientation model has been used for analysis. It is observed that the Swedish organic dairy
sector truly fits into the market orientation model, which is generally adopted by companies as an important corporate marketing tool. The author suggests that the companies need to adopt a sustainability marketing approach that includes all the stakeholders while encompassing the triple
bottom line approach. A market-focused sustainability framework has been proposed in this regard. This framework helps the companies to devise marketing steps that take into consideration the social and ecological systems. Such an integrated approach is a necessity to ensure a sustainable organic system. The framework is just a small step to bridge the gap between the consumption and production sides, but in the end, purchasing behaviour is based on ethical motivations of consumers.}},
  author       = {{Bhagat, Sarita}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  series       = {{Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Sciences}},
  title        = {{Sustainability and organics : an explorative case study of the Swedish organic dairy sector from a sustainability marketing perspective}},
  year         = {{2012}},
}