The Drivers of Greenwashing
California Management Review
38 Pages Posted: 2 Dec 2011
Date Written: November 30, 2011
Abstract
More and more firms are engaging in greenwashing, misleading consumers about firm environmental performance or the environmental benefits of a product or service. The skyrocketing incidence of greenwashing can have profound negative effects on consumer and investor confidence in environmentally friendly firms and products. Mitigating greenwashing is particularly challenging in a context of limited and uncertain regulation. This article examine the external (both institutional and market), organizational and individual drivers of greenwashing and offers recommendations for managers, policymakers, and NGOs to decrease its prevalence.
Keywords: greenwashing, environmental performance, symbolic management, institutional pressures, corporate social responsibility, environmental policy, green marketing
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