Consumption Research Norway (SIFO) is a non-profit, transdisciplinary research institute at the Centre for welfare- and labor Research (SVA) at OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University.
SIFOs research aims to:
- understand the role of consumption and consumers in society
- provide the knowledge basis for public consumer policy in Norway
SIFOs research is financed partly by a state budget grant, partly through project grants from Norwegian Research Council and the EU (Horizon Europe). Most of SIFOs research goes on in commissioned projects, acquired through tender competition. SIFO has currently 50 employees, 40 of which are researchers.
SIFO have a history way back into the 1930's and the birth of home economics. Until recently laboratory work and product testing was a central part of the institute's operations. Today there are no laboratories left and the institute staff consists mainly of social scientists. Some of them though have double competences, e.g. in ethnography and textile sciences, or in sociology and engineering.
Core research areas
- Market based welfare, focusing on financialization processes, consumer debt and non-state procurement of welfare services.
- Sustainable consumption, centering on environmental impacts of consumption and consumers' participation in a green transition.
- Technology and digitalization, looking at consumption of and through digital media,
- Clothing and textiles, looking at consumption history and culture, procurement processes and consumption practices related to these product groups.
- Food, nutrition and food culture.
