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Cited by 249Environmental Sustainability in BusinessCorporate Social Responsibility ReportingSustainable Supply Chain Management

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 69 of the 70 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Making Green Stuff? Effects of Corporate Greenwashing on Consumers

Open access
De Jong, Menno D. T., Harkink, Karen M., Barth, Susanne·2018·Journal of Business and Technical Communication
DOI 10.1177/1050651917729863PMC PMC6044111
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Abstract

The marketing success of green products has spawned the phenomenon of greenwashing, but studies on the effects of greenwashing on consumers are still limited. Using a 4 × 2 randomized experimental design, this study examines such effects by determining whether consumers respond differently to greenwashing, silent brown, vocal green, and silent green organizations selling hedonic products (perfume) or utilitarian products (detergent). The results show that consumers recognized the green claims in the greenwashing condition, which led to an environmental performance impression in between green and brown organizations but also to more negative judgments about the integrity of communication. Regarding purchase interest, greenwashing organizations performed similarly as silent brown organizations, with significantly lower scores than those of vocal green and silent green organizations. No significant effects of product type and no interaction effects were found. Overall, greenwashing has only limited benefits (perceived environmental performance), poses a major threat (perceived integrity), and has no true competitive advantage (purchase interest).

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Crossref · 10.1177/1050651917729863

Cites

69 of 69 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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Figures

Figure 1. Typology of environmental strategies (Delmas & Burbano, 2011).
Figure 1. Typology of environmental strategies (Delmas & Burbano, 2011).CC BY-NC · PubMed Central
Figure 2. Possible mechanism for the lack of effect of greenwashed communication on consumer purchase interest: weaker effects on perceptions of environmental performance.
Figure 2. Possible mechanism for the lack of effect of greenwashed communication on consumer purchase interest: weaker effects on perceptions of environmental performance.CC BY-NC · PubMed Central
Figure 3. Possible mechanism for the lack of effect of greenwashed communication on consumer purchase interest: moderating role of organizational credibility.
Figure 3. Possible mechanism for the lack of effect of greenwashed communication on consumer purchase interest: moderating role of organizational credibility.CC BY-NC · PubMed Central
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Research works printed but not linked: 4

  1. Alves I. M., 2009, Journal of Global Change and Governance, 2, 1
  2. Elving W., 2011, Akademija MM (Slovenian Journal of Marketing), 10, 49
  3. 10.1017/S183336720000290X · DOI
  4. TerraChoice. (2010). The sins of greenwashing. Home and family edition 2010: Report on environmental claims made in the North American consumer market. Retrieved from http://sinsofgreenwashing.com/index35c6.pdf

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Metadata

Authors
De Jong, M. D. T., Harkink, K. M., & Barth, S.
Affiliations
University of Twente (NL)
Corresponding author
De Jong, Menno D. T.
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2017-09-25
Volume
32
Issue
1
Pages
77-112
ISSN
  • 0892-5720 (ISSN-L)
  • 1050-6519
  • 1552-4574
DOI
10.1177/1050651917729863
PMC
PMC6044111
OpenAlex
W2757956424
Cited by
249
References
70
Citations by year
2026: 26 · 2025: 59 · 2024: 41 · 2023: 34 · 2022: 27 · 2021: 32 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 1
FWCI
14.85
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Journal of Business and Technical Communication (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • University of Twente Research Information (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Environmental Sustainability in Business
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Sustainable Supply Chain Management
Keywords
greenwashing, corporate greenwashing, consumer response, environmental claims, purchase interest, hedonic products, utilitarian products, green marketing

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