CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 36Environmental Sustainability in BusinessConsumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and IdentificationSustainable Supply Chain Management

Role of greenwashing in influencing brand attitude and consumption: identifying sustainable business strategies

Open access
Rehman, Anis Ur, Kumar, Sushant, Alghafes, Rsha, Broccardo, Laura, Patel, Ajay Kumar·2025·Business Strategy and the Environment
DOI 10.1002/bse.4300
Open this paper in CoChat — free accountOpen PDF

Abstract

With firms' increasing adoption of green marketing strategies, greenwashing is also becoming more prevalent. Despite the negative consequences of greenwashing, limited studies have investigated its impact on attitude and consumption. Earlier studies have used greenwashing as a one‐dimensional construct and do not distinguish between different greenwashing practices. Based on the integrated framework of the Attribution Theory and the elaboration likelihood model, this study examines the effects of situational involvement with greenwashing practices on perceived greenwashing, green skepticism, and ultimately, brand attitude and purchase intention. Additionally, it investigates the moderating effect of environmental knowledge. Using a cross‐sectional research design, the study uses structural equation modeling to analyze the data collected from 353 US consumers. Findings suggest that greenwashing practices influence attitude and purchase intentions. The mediating role of green skepticism was also established. Additionally, the study highlights environmental knowledge's moderating role in the relationships studied. The results have implications for sustainable business practices and improving positive brand attitudes and green consumption by understanding customer perception of greenwashing.

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1002/bse.4300

Cites

Statistics

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • This dual-skepticism framework aids in reconciling inconsistent findings in the literature by differentiating state suspicion regarding a particular post (PGR) from trait resistance grounded in previous experience (PGE).

    “This dual-skepticism framework aids in reconciling inconsistent findings in the literature by differentiating state suspicion regarding a particular post (PGR) from trait resistance grounded in previous experience (PGE) (de Sio et al., 2022;Nazish et al., 2025;Rehman et al., 2025;Skordoulis et al., 2025).”

    From Cross-national evidence on influencer-driven green choice: a moderated-mediation model of authenticity, parasocial ties, and greenwashing exposure (2026) · cites this paper as Rehman et al., 2025

    The Discussion and Implications section discusses green skepticism and perceived greenwashing, and Table 5 identifies them as separate variables. Our copy does not describe a dual-skepticism framework, define PGR and PGE as suspicion about a post versus resistance from prior experience, or say that such a distinction reconciles inconsistent findings (searched: PGR, PGE, dual-skepticism, state and trait). (LLM, conf=0.76)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

The citation lists haven’t been fetched yet

References 93 · Cited by 36

Research works printed but not linked: 57

  1. Aureliano-Silva, L., X. Leung, and E. E. Spers. 2021. "The Effect of Online Reviews on Restaurant Visit Intentions: Applying Signaling and Involvement Theories." Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology 12, no. 4: 672-688.
  2. Banik, S. 2021. "Exploring the Involvement-Patronage Link in the Phygital Retail Experiences." Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 63: 1-12.
  3. Behera, R. K., A. Rehman, M. S. Islam, F. A. Abbasi, and A. Imtiaz. 2024. "Intelligent Machines as Information and Communication Technology and Their Influence on Sustainable Marketing Practices for Beneficial Impact on Business Performance: A Conceptual Framework." Journal of Cleaner Production 475: 143676.
  4. Chakraborty, D., A. Siddiqui, M. Siddiqui, N. P. Rana, and G. Dash. 2022. "Mobile Payment Apps Filling Value Gaps: Integrating Consumption Values With Initial Trust and Customer Involvement." Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 66: 102946.
  5. Chin, W. W. 2009. "How to Write Up and Report PLS Analyses." In Handbook of Partial Least Squares: Concepts, Methods and Applications, 655-690. Springer Berlin Heidelberg.
  6. Cohen, J. 2013. Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences. Routledge Academic.
  7. Das, M., and M. Ramalingam. 2022. "What Drives Product Involvement and Satisfaction With OFDs Amid COVID-19?" Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 68: 103063.
  8. de Sio, S., A. Zamagni, G. Casu, and P. Gremigni. 2022. "Green Trust as a Mediator in the Relationship Between Green Advertising Skepticism, Environmental Knowledge, and Intention to Buy Green Food." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, no. 24: 16757.
  9. Dutta-Powell, R., J. J. Rhee, and S. Wodak. 2024. "Two Interventions for Mitigating the Harms of Greenwashing on Consumer Perceptions." Business Strategy and the Environment 33, no. 2: 882-903. https:// doi. org/ 10. 1002/ bse. 3520. · DOI
  10. Fella, S., and E. Bausa. 2024. "Green or Greenwashed? Examining Consumers' Ability to Identify Greenwashing." Journal of Environmental Psychology 95: 102281.
  11. Fornell, C., and D. F. Larcker. 1981. "Evaluating Structural Equation Models With Unobservable Variables and Measurement Error." Journal of Marketing Research 18, no. 1: 39-50.
  12. Fuller, C. M., M. J. Simmering, G. Atinc, Y. Atinc, and B. J. Babin. 2016. "Common Methods Variance Detection in Business Research." Journal of Business Research 69, no. 8: 3192-3198.
  13. Gatti, L., P. Seele, and L. Rademacher. 2019. "Grey Zone In-Greenwash Out. A Review of Greenwashing Research and Implications for the Voluntary-Mandatory Transition of CSR." International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility 4, no. 1: 1-15.
  14. Goh, S. K., and M. S. Balaji. 2016. "Linking Green Skepticism to Green Purchase Behavior." Journal of Cleaner Production 131: 629-638.
  15. Hair, J. F., J. J. Risher, M. Sarstedt, and C. M. Ringle. 2019. "When to use and how to Report the Results of PLS-SEM." European Business Review 31, no. 1: 2-24.
  16. Heider, F. 1958. The Psychology of Interpersonal Relations. Wiley.
  17. Henseler, J., C. M. Ringle, and R. R. Sinkovics. 2009. "The Use of Partial Least Squares Path Modeling in International Marketing." In New Challenges to International Marketing, vol. 20, 277-319. Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
  18. Hwang, J., and S. O. Lyu. 2020. "Relationships Among Green Image, Consumer Attitudes, Desire, and Customer Citizenship Behavior in the Airline Industry." International Journal of Sustainable Transportation 14, no. 6: 437-447.
  19. Javed, U., M. A. Rashid, G. Hussain, and S. Shafique. 2024. "Consumers' Perception of Green Brand Attributes and Its Outcomes: A Sustainable Perspective." Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 67, no. 8: 1655-1677.
  20. Kock, N. 2015. "Common Method Bias in PLS-SEM: A Full Collinearity Assessment Approach." International Journal of e-Collaboration 11, no. 4: 1-10.
  21. Kumar, S., and J. K. Hsieh. 2024. "How Social Media Marketing Activities Affect Brand Loyalty? Mediating Role of Brand Experience." Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics 36, no. 10: 2300-2323.
  22. Kumar, S., C. Jebarajakirthy, and M. Das. 2022. "Building Trust Among Channel Members via Power Sources." Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing 37, no. 9: 1802-1817.
  23. Kumar, S., and P. Sadarangani. 2021. "An Empirical Study on Shopping Motivation Among Generation Y Indian." Global Business Review 22, no. 2: 500-516.
  24. Kumar, S., and P. H. Sadarangani. 2019. "Impact of Power on Channel Members' Behavior: Evidence From India." Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing 34, no. 5: 931-947.
  25. Kumar, S., and A. Shah. 2021. "Revisiting Food Delivery Apps During COVID-19 Pandemic? Investigating the Role of Emotions." Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 62: 102595.
  26. Kumar, S., S. Talwar, S. Krishnan, P. Kaur, and A. Dhir. 2021. "Purchasing Natural Personal Care Products in the era of Fake News? The Moderation Effect of Brand Trust." Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 63: 102668.
  27. Kumar, S., and R. Yadav. 2021. "The Impact of Shopping Motivation on Sustainable Consumption: A Study in the Context of Green Apparel." Journal of Cleaner Production 295: 126239.
  28. Lee, M. T., and R. L. Raschke. 2023. "Stakeholder Legitimacy in Firm Greening and Financial Performance: What About Greenwashing Temptations?" Journal of Business Research 155: 113393.
  29. Leonidou, C. N., and D. Skarmeas. 2017. "Gray Shades of Green: Causes and Consequences of Green Skepticism." Journal of Business Ethics 144: 401-415.
  30. Li, H., and E. W. See-To. 2024. "Source Credibility Plays the Central Route: An Elaboration Likelihood Model Exploration in Social Media Environment With Demographic Profile Analysis." Journal of Electronic Business & Digital Economics 3, no. 1: 36-60.
  31. Liao, Y., and L. Wu. 2024. "The Influence of Brand Greenwashing on EV Purchase Intention: The Moderating Role of Consumer Innovativeness and Peer Brand Attitude." World Electric Vehicle Journal 15, no. 7: 313.
  32. Luo, B., Y. Sun, J. Shen, and L. Xia. 2020. "How Does Green Advertising Skepticism on Social Media Affect Consumer Intention to Purchase Green Products?" Journal of Consumer Behaviour 19, no. 4: 371-381.
  33. Mostafa, M. M. 2007. "Gender Differences in Egyptian Consumers' Green Purchase Behaviour: The Effects of Environmental Knowledge, Concern and Attitude." International Journal of Consumer Studies 31, no. 3: 220-229.
  34. Nazish, M., Z. Khan, A. Khan, M. Naved Khan, and H. Ramkissoon. 2024. ""Green Intentions, Green Actions": The Power of Social Media and the Perils of Greenwashing." Journal of Global Marketing: 1-20.
  35. Nimri, R., A. Kralj, F. Shishan, and N. Suheimat. 2024. "To 'Green Dine' or Not to 'Green Dine'? Assessing the Impact of Beliefs and Altruism." Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 77: 103680.
  36. Nygaard, A., and R. Silkoset. 2022. "Sustainable Development and Greenwashing: How Blockchain Technology Information Can Empower Green Consumers." Business Strategy and the Environment 32: 3801-3813. https:// doi. org/ 10. 1002/ bse. 3338. · DOI
  37. Patwary, A. K., S. M. Rasoolimanesh, M. K. Rabiul, R. C. Aziz, and M. H. Hanafiah. 2022. "Linking Environmental Knowledge, Environmental Responsibility, Altruism, and Intention Toward Green Hotels Through Ecocentric and Anthropocentric Attitudes." International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management 34, no. 12: 4653-4673.
  38. Petty, R., and J. Cacioppo. 1986. "The Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion." Advances in Experimental Social Psychology 19: 123-205. https:// doi. org/ 10. 1016/ S0065 -2601(08) 60214 -2. · DOI · Paper page
  39. Policarpo, M. C., V. Apaolaza, P. Hartmann, M. R. Paredes, and C. D'Souza. 2023. "Social Cynicism, Greenwashing, and Trust in Green Clothing Brands." International Journal of Consumer Studies 47, no. 5: 1950-1961.
  40. Rehman, A. U. 2017. "Green Values and Buying Behaviour of Consumers in Saudi Arabia: An Empirical Study." International Journal of Green Economics 11, no. 2: 154-164.
  41. Rehman, A. U., S. Al Shammari, and Y. H. Al-Mamary. 2022. "Role of Religiosity and the Mediating Effect of Luxury Value Perception in Luxury Purchase Intention: A Cross-Cultural Examination." Journal of Islamic Marketing 13, no. 4: 975-995. https:// doi. org/ 10. 1108/ JIMA-03-2021-0091. · DOI
  42. Rehman, A. U., and Y. A. Elahi. 2024. "How Semiotic Product Packaging, Brand Image, Perceived Brand Quality Influence Brand Loyalty and Purchase Intention: A Stimulus-Organism-Response Perspective." Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics 36, no. 11: 3043-3060.
  43. Richins, M. L., and P. H. Bloch. 1986. "After the New Wears Off: The Temporal Context of Product Involvement." Journal of Consumer Research 13, no. 2: 280-285.
  44. Serravalle, F., R. Vanheems, and M. Viassone. 2023. "Does Product Involvement Drive Consumer Flow State in the AR Environment? A Study on Behavioural Responses." Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 72: 103279.
  45. Sharma, P., R. Roy, and F. K. Rabbanee. 2020. "Interactive Effects of Situational and Enduring Involvement With Perceived Crowding and Time Pressure in Pay-What-You-Want (PWYW) Pricing." Journal of Business Research 109: 88-100.
  46. Sreen, N., R. Yadav, S. Kumar, and M. Gleim. 2020. "The Impact of the Institutional Environment on Green Consumption in India." Journal of Consumer Marketing 38, no. 1: 47-57.
  47. Szabo, S., and J. Webster. 2021. "Perceived Greenwashing: The Effects of Green Marketing on Environmental and Product Perceptions." Journal of Business Ethics 171: 719-739.
  48. Talwar, S., P. Kaur, S. Kumar, M. Hossain, and A. Dhir. 2021. "What Determines a Positive Attitude Towards Natural Food Products? An Expectancy Theory Approach." Journal of Cleaner Production 327: 129204.
  49. Taufique, K. M. R. 2022. "Integrating Environmental Values and Emotion in Green Marketing Communications Inducing Sustainable Consumer Behaviour." Journal of Marketing Communications 28, no. 3: 272-290.
  50. Tee, P. K., K. Y. Lim, C. P. Ng, and L. C. Wong. 2022. "Trust in Green Advertising: Mediating Role of Environmental Involvement." International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences 12, no. 1: 1771-1786.
  51. Tseng, S. L., S. Lu, D. Weathers, and V. Grover. 2023. "How Product Review Voting Is Influenced by Existing Votes, Consumer Involvement, Review Valence, and Review Diagnosticity." Decision Support Systems 172: 113981.
  52. Walters, A., and M. Long. 2012. "The Effect of Food Label Cues on Perceptions of Quality and Purchase Intentions Among High-Involvement Consumers With Varying Levels of Nutrition Knowledge." Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior 44, no. 4: 350-354.
  53. Xu, X. Y., Y. X. Gao, and Q. D. Jia. 2023. "The Role of Social Commerce for Enhancing Consumers' Involvement in the Cross-Border Product: Evidence From SEM and ANN Based on MOA Framework." Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 71: 103187.
  54. Yadav, R., M. S. Balaji, and C. Jebarajakirthy. 2019. "How Psychological and Contextual Factors Contribute to Travelers' Propensity to Choose Green Hotels?" International Journal of Hospitality Management 77: 385-395.
  55. Zaichkowsky, J. L. 1985. "Measuring the Involvement Construct." Journal of Consumer Research 12: 341-352.
  56. Zaid, A. A., S. A. Bawaqni, R. Shahwan, and F. Alnasr. 2024. "Effects of Greenwashing on Green Purchase Intention: The Mediating Role of Green Skepticism, Green Brand Love and Green Brand Loyalty." Journal of Foodservice Business Research, 1-28. https:// doi. org/ 10. 1080/ 15378 020. 2024. 2336184. · DOI
  57. Zhang, L., D. Li, C. Cao, and S. Huang. 2018. "The Influence of Greenwashing Perception on Green Purchasing Intentions: The Mediating Role of Green Word-of-Mouth and Moderating Role of Green Concern." Journal of Cleaner Production 187: 740-750.

Authors
Rehman, A. U., Kumar, S., Alghafes, R., Broccardo, L., & Patel, A. K.
Affiliations
  • University of Ha'il (SA)
  • Indian Institute of Management Lucknow (IN)
  • Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University (SA)
  • University of Turin (IT)
  • IMS Ghaziabad (IN)
Corresponding author
Broccardo, Laura
ORCID
Venue
Business Strategy and the Environment
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2025-05-01
Volume
34
Issue
6
Pages
6686-6703
ISSN
  • 0964-4733 (ISSN-L)
  • 1099-0836
DOI
10.1002/bse.4300
OpenAlex
W4409997817
Cited by
36
References
93
Citations by year
2026: 29 · 2025: 7
FWCI
63.14
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
Business Strategy and the Environment (publishedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University (PNURSP2025R541)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Environmental Sustainability in Business
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Sustainable Supply Chain Management
Keywords
greenwashing, brand attitude, purchase intention, green skepticism, environmental knowledge, situational involvement, green marketing, sustainable business practices, green consumption, consumer perception, attribution theory, elaboration likelihood model

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review