Course Name: Research in Sustainable Marketing
Time and place: course dates 7.-11.9.2026; Aalto University campus
Learning goal and objectives
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs): After participating in this course, the students will be able to:
(1) Critically analyze, assess, and apply the key concepts, theories, and paradigms of sustainable marketing, for multiple actors, scales, and contexts (e.g., consumer fashion choices, food branding practices, or transport market systems).
(2) Evaluate the theories, methods, and datasets underpinning sustainability claims, in academic papers, brand or government communications, and consumer-generated content. They will also be able to reflect critically on how their own biography affects their interpretations of these.
(3) Produce independent academic research (individually and in teams) on market sustainability, communicating it effectively in written and oral forms.
(4) Reflect on their own work and the work of others, including practicing how to write and respond to constructive reviews as part of an iterative review process.
(5) Advocate for their chosen approach to sustainable marketing in relation to their own project, adapting this for different target journals and non-academic outlets (e.g. policy recommendations, media briefings, or brand newsletters), and defending their positions (e.g. for reviewers or audiences).
Credits: 6 ECTS
Course Completion:
Pre-course work: Reading articles assigned by the course teachers and reflecting each article to one’s own research. Preparation of a group presentation, which is presented during the course. Students will be assigned to groups shortly after being accepted to the course.
Work during the course: Active participation in five course days, participation in the group presentation.
Final assignment: Learning portfolio based on the learnings from the course.
Grading: Pass / fail.
All assignments must be completed and accepted to pass the course.
Prerequisites:
Prospective students must be active PhD students in a PhD program.
Admittance:
A maximum of 25 students are admitted to the course.
Prospective students are asked to submit the following information to the course coordinator via email by July 15, 2026:
Course application form:
• Name
• E-mail
• University
• Department
• Discipline/major
• Year in doctoral programme
• Research topic
• An extended abstract of research proposal (approx. 750-1000 words), including: a short introduction to the.problem background, research gap, and main research objective, a brief literature review explicating and further justifying this introduction, and a methodology with expected findings.
Short CV:
• Relevant education
• Relevant work experience
• Relevant skills
• List of journal publications, conference proceedings, books / book chapters, and working papers.
The applicants will be notified of their acceptance to the course by July 30, 2026.
Instructors:
Jack Waverley, Associate Professor, University of Manchester (jack.waverley@manchester.ac.uk). Dr. Jack Waverley is an internationally recognized scholar specializing in sustainable marketing, consumer culture, and ethical consumption. His research critically examines the systemic barriers to ethical consumption, and he has recently introduced novel and important concepts into sustainable marketing debates like the “ethical consumption cap” and “mean market morality”. In recent years, he has been active in conducting outreach to sustainability-oriented NGOs such as animal rights and vegan organizations.
Course coordinator and contact information:
Henri Weijo (henri.weijo@aalto.fi), Associate Professor, Aalto University.
Course Description
Markets are increasingly called to be sustainable. But, what are markets? What is sustainability? Despite both terms being widely used, there is still much debate over what market sustainability is, how it relates to sustainable marketing, and how these various concepts should be defined, developed, or deployed.
Many questions remain. Does sustainability focus only on environmental issues, or should social issues also be included? Should we care about animals and other nonhumans, or just sustaining human health and wealth? Is degrowth preferable to sustainable growth, or does sustainability require degrowing economies? Can we reimagine economies as eco-economies, posthuman economies, or something else? If so, what is the role of the market in these proposed futures?
Such questions highlight how doctoral projects studying the relationships between sustainability and marketing are more interesting and important than ever. This course works to provide you with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to navigate this rich intellectual, ideological, and impactful space. It should be of interest to students of markets and marketing, but also branding, advertising, business management, and consumer research, as all of these disciplines (and more) are affected by the interplay of markets and sustainability. All these disciplines also have an important role to play in addressing the most burning challenges of our shared world, from climate change and microplastics through social inequities and public health risks to animal rights and the rise of Generative AI.
Content-wise, the course is structured to work upward from first principles, with an emphasis on tailoring general lessons to each student’s own projects. All sessions are interactive, but student involvement increases in the afternoon and in the latter stages of the week.