Research Article
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Unveiling Greenwashing Strategies: A Comprehensive Analysis of Impacts on Consumer Trust and Environmental Sustainability

Year 2024, Volume: 8 Issue: 3, 164 - 181

Hafize Nurgül Durmuş Şenyapar

https://doi.org/10.30521/jes.1436875

Abstract

This document explores the phenomenon of greenwashing, a deceptive practice where companies project an environmentally responsible image without substantial environmental benefits that involve strategies like misleading labels, vague claims, and irrelevant or false assertions to appeal to eco-conscious consumers. The research aims to unravel the deceptive strategies employed by companies across various industries, understand the implications of these practices on consumers, investors, and the environment, and assess the effectiveness of current regulatory frameworks in mitigating these activities. This qualitative study employs a thematic analysis of the literature to categorize greenwashing strategies and assess their impacts on consumer trust, environmental sustainability, and corporate accountability. The findings reveal that greenwashing undermines consumer trust, genuine sustainability efforts, and informed decision-making. The study seeks to offer actionable insights for policymakers, businesses, and consumers to address and mitigate the effects of greenwashing. It emphasizes the need for stricter regulations and consumer education to counteract greenwashing. The study also highlights the role of technological advancements like blockchain and IoT in enhancing transparency. The study calls for a multifaceted strategy to address greenwashing, focusing on transparency, accountability, and genuine environmental responsibility.

Keywords

Consumer trust Corporate environmental responsibility Detecting deceptive claims Environmental sustainability ethics Greenwashing strategies Sustainable marketing

References

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Year 2024, Volume: 8 Issue: 3, 164 - 181

Hafize Nurgül Durmuş Şenyapar

https://doi.org/10.30521/jes.1436875

Abstract

References

  • [1] Arbolino R, De Simone L, Carlucci F, Yigitcanlar T, Ioppolo G. Towards a sustainable industrial ecology: Implementation of a novel approach in the performance evaluation of Italian regions. Journal of Cleaner Production 2018; 178:220–36.
  • [2] Moodaley W, Telukdarie A. Greenwashing, Sustainability Reporting, and Artificial Intelligence: A Systematic Literature Review. Sustainability 2023; 15 (2):1481.
  • [3] Santos C, Coelho A, Marques A. A systematic literature review on greenwashing and its relationship to stakeholders: state of the art and future research agenda. Manag Rev Q 2023.
  • [4] Chen P, Dagestani AA. Greenwashing behavior and firm value – From the perspective of board characteristics. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management 2023; 30 (5):2330–43.
  • [5] Galletta S, Mazzù S, Naciti V, Paltrinieri A. A PRISMA systematic review of greenwashing in the banking industry: A call for action. Research in International Business and Finance 2024; 69:102262.
  • [6] Stocking H, Leonard JP. Fingering the Bad Guys: Ironies in Environmental Journalism. Newspaper Research Journal 1990; 11 (4):2–11.
  • [7] Zhang D. Can environmental monitoring power transition curb corporate greenwashing behavior? Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization 2023; 212:199–218.
  • [8] Xia F, Chen J, Yang X, Li X, Zhang B. Financial constraints and corporate greenwashing strategies in China. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management 2023; 30 (4):1770–81.
  • [9] Andreoli TP, Minciotti SA, Batista LL. Attention and Skepticism: Influence on Ad Evaluation with Greenwashing. BBR 2024:e20231539.
  • [10] Andreoli TP, Minciotti SA. Attention and skepticism to greenwashing: analysis of influence on consumer behavior. Rev Adm UFSM 2024; 16:e6.
  • [11] Nakaishi T, Chapman A. Eco-labels as a communication and policy tool: A comprehensive review of academic literature and global label initiatives. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2024; 202:114708.
  • [12] Nagyova L. Talk is cheap: Coca Cola’s use of greenwashing, slacktivism and virtue signalling, Institute of Art, Design + Technology, 2024; Undergraduate Dissertation, Url: https://illustro-iadt.figshare.com/articles/thesis/Talk_is_cheap_Coca_Cola_s_use_of_greenwashing_slacktivism_and_virtue_signalling/25211945/1
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  • [14] Kwon K, Lee J, Wang C, Diwanji VS. From green advertising to greenwashing: content analysis of global corporations’ green advertising on social media. International Journal of Advertising 2024; 43 (1):97–124.
  • [15] Park K. Green trade marks and the risk of greenwashing. Intellectual Property Forum: Journal of the Intellectual and Industrial Property Society of Australia and New Zealand 2023; (131):54–6.
  • [16] Farbacher T. The Federal Trade Commission’s Green Guides: Failing the American Consumer and the Planet. Loy Consumer L Rev 2023; 36:136.
  • [17] Zhu Q, Zhao X, Wu M. Third-party certification: how to effectively prevent greenwash in green bond market? –analysis based on signalling game. Environ Dev Sustain 2024; 26 (6):16173–99.
  • [18] Álvarez-García O, Sureda-Negre J. Greenwashing and education: An evidence-based approach. The Journal of Environmental Education 2023; 54 (4):265–77.
  • [19] Santos C, Coelho A, Marques A. The greenwashing effects on corporate reputation and brand hate, through environmental performance and green perceived risk. Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration 2023; 16 (3):655–76.
  • [20] Boni L, Chiodo V, Gerli F, Toschi L. Do prosocial-certified companies walk the talk? An analysis of B Corps’ contributions to Sustainable Development Goals. Business Strategy and the Environment 2024; 33 (3):2518–32.
  • [21] Sooter NM, Tudor MC, Bernardic U, Ugazio G. Public perceptions and consumer preferences for B Corps - greenwashing or trustworthy novel philanthropic actors? 2023.
  • [22] Hasan HR, Musamih A, Salah K, et al. Smart agriculture assurance: IoT and blockchain for trusted sustainable produce. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 2024; 224:109184.
  • [23] Parguel B, Johnson G. Beyond greenwashing: Addressing ‘the great illusion’ of green advertising. Revue de l’organisation responsable 2021; 16 (2):59–66.
  • [24] Pendse MK, Nerlekar VS, Darda P. A comprehensive look at Greenwashing from 1996 to 2021: a bibliometric analysis. Journal of Indian Business Research 2022; 15 (1):157–86.
  • [25] Majeed S, Kim WG. A reflection of greenwashing practices in the hospitality industry: a scoping review. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management 2022; 35 (3):1125–46.
  • [26] Slusher E. Makeup Your Mind: A Consumer Guide to Cosmetic Greenwashing in the United States, Texas State University, 2021; Honors Thesis. Url: https://digital.library.txst.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/88c3ac70-36b3-44ce-b1e1-a37d5a70dc3c/content
  • [27] Deka A, Dube S. Analyzing the causal relationship between exchange rate, renewable energy and inflation of Mexico (1990–2019) with ARDL bounds test approach. Renewable Energy Focus 2021; 37:78–83.
  • [28] Can M, Ahmed Z, Mercan M, Kalugina OA. The role of trading environment-friendly goods in environmental sustainability: Does green openness matter for OECD countries? Journal of Environmental Management 2021; 295:113038.
  • [29] Adekanye OG, Davis A, Azevedo IL. Federal policy, local policy, and green building certifications in the U.S. Energy and Buildings 2020; 209:109700.
  • [30] Pham DH, Kim B, Lee J, Ahn Y. An Investigation of the Selection of LEED Version 4 Credits for Sustainable Building Projects. Applied Sciences 2020; 10 (20):7081.
  • [31] Azadi M, Northey SA, Ali SH, Edraki M. Transparency on greenhouse gas emissions from mining to enable climate change mitigation. Nat Geosci 2020; 13 (2):100–4.
  • [32] Bowen G, Appiah D, Okafor S. The Influence of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Social Media on the Strategy Formulation Process. Sustainability 2020; 12 (15):6057.
  • [33] Baldi F, Pandimiglio A. The role of ESG scoring and greenwashing risk in explaining the yields of green bonds: A conceptual framework and an econometric analysis. Global Finance Journal 2022; 52:100711.
  • [34] De Silva Lokuwaduge CS, De Silva KM. ESG Risk Disclosure and the Risk of Green Washing. AABFJ 2022; 16 (1):146–59.
  • [35] Blesserholt J, Malmén DS. The’sins’ of greenwashing: A content analysis of greenwashing’s role in the fast fashion industry. 2021.
  • [36] Penttinen E. Consumer Awareness of Greenwashing, Jamk University, 2022; Bachelor’s thesis, Url: http://www.theseus.fi/handle/10024/748285
  • [37] Butt A, Khan SN, Zakir MM, Rana W, Laila A. Firms greenwashing practices and consumers’ perception: Role of marketing and non-marketing external stake holders in firms greenwashing practices. 2021.
  • [38] Blazkova T, Pedersen ERG, Andersen KR, Rosati F. Greenwashing debates on Twitter: Stakeholders and critical topics. Journal of Cleaner Production 2023; 427:139260.
  • [39] Nishitani K, Nguyen TBH, Trinh TQ, Wu Q, Kokubu K. Are corporate environmental activities to meet sustainable development goals (SDGs) simply greenwashing? An empirical study of environmental management control systems in Vietnamese companies from the stakeholder management perspective. Journal of Environmental Management 2021; 296:113364.
  • [40] Baah C, Afum E, Agyabeng-Mensah Y, Agyeman DO. Circular Economy Principles and Responsible Manufacturing: Assessing Implications for Resource Conservation, Emission Reduction, Cost Performance, and Environmental Legitimacy. In: Erdiaw-Kwasie MO, Alam GMM, eds. Circular Economy Strategies and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Sustainable Development Goals Series. Singapore: Springer Nature, 2023:267–305.
  • [41] Balluchi F, Lazzini A, Torelli R. CSR and Greenwashing: A Matter of Perception in the Search of Legitimacy. In: Del Baldo M, Dillard J, Baldarelli M-G, Ciambotti M, eds. Accounting, Accountability and Society: Trends and Perspectives in Reporting, Management and Governance for Sustainability. CSR, Sustainability, Ethics & Governance. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2020:151–66.
  • [42] Zhou M, Govindan K, Xie X, Yan L. How to drive green innovation in China’s mining enterprises? Under the perspective of environmental legitimacy and green absorptive capacity. Resources Policy 2021; 72:102038.
  • [43] Ghosh D, Shah J, Swami S. Product greening and pricing strategies of firms under green sensitive consumer demand and environmental regulations. Ann Oper Res 2020; 290 (1):491–520.
  • [44] Sana SS. Price competition between green and non green products under corporate social responsible firm. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 2020; 55:102118.
  • [45] Szabo S, Webster J. Perceived Greenwashing: The Effects of Green Marketing on Environmental and Product Perceptions. J Bus Ethics 2021; 171 (4):719–39.
  • [46] He Q, Wang Z, Wang G, Zuo J, Wu G, Liu B. To be green or not to be: How environmental regulations shape contractor greenwashing behaviors in construction projects. Sustainable Cities and Society 2020; 63:102462.
  • [47] Zhang D. Environmental regulation and firm product quality improvement: How does the greenwashing response? International Review of Financial Analysis 2022; 80:102058.
  • [48] Chen Q, Duan Y. Impact of information disclosure on global supply chain greenwashing: Is more information transparency always better? Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review 2023; 178:103288.
  • [49] Nygaard A, Silkoset R. Sustainable development and greenwashing: How blockchain technology information can empower green consumers. Business Strategy and the Environment 2023; 32 (6):3801–13.
  • [50] Lashitew AA. Corporate uptake of the Sustainable Development Goals: Mere greenwashing or an advent of institutional change? J Int Bus Policy 2021; 4 (1):184–200.
  • [51] Wu Y, Zhang K, Xie J. Bad Greenwashing, Good Greenwashing: Corporate Social Responsibility and Information Transparency. Management Science 2020; 66 (7):3095–112.
  • [52] Martínez MP, Cremasco CP, Gabriel Filho LRA, et al. Fuzzy inference system to study the behavior of the green consumer facing the perception of greenwashing. Journal of Cleaner Production 2020; 242:116064.
  • [53] Cao J, Faff R, He J, Li Y. Who’s Greenwashing Via the Media and What are the Consequences? Evidence From China. Abacus 2022; 58 (4):759–86.
  • [54] Pizzetti M, Gatti L, Seele P. Firms Talk, Suppliers Walk: Analyzing the Locus of Greenwashing in the Blame Game and Introducing ‘Vicarious Greenwashing.’ J Bus Ethics 2021; 170 (1):21–38.
  • [55] Kleffel P, Muck M. Aggregate confusion or inner conflict? An experimental analysis of investors’ reaction to greenwashing. Finance Research Letters 2023; 53:103421.
  • [56] Peng X, Li J, Tang Q, Lan Y-C, Cui X. Do environmental scores become multinational corporations’ strategic “greenwashing” tool for window-dressing carbon reduction? A cross-cultural analysis. Business Strategy and the Environment n/a (n/a).
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Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Ecology, Sustainability and Energy
Journal Section Research Articles
Authors

Hafize Nurgül Durmuş Şenyapar 0000-0003-0927-1643

Early Pub Date September 15, 2024
Publication Date
Submission Date February 14, 2024
Acceptance Date September 8, 2024
Published in Issue Year 2024 Volume: 8 Issue: 3

Cite

Vancouver Durmuş Şenyapar HN. Unveiling Greenwashing Strategies: A Comprehensive Analysis of Impacts on Consumer Trust and Environmental Sustainability. Journal of Energy Systems. 2024;8(3):164-81.
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