We have a combined 30 years of experience studying corporate greenwashing. Our work has informed investigative journalism, lawsuits, policy, and genuine sustainable business efforts.
To support your learning, we provide free, full-text access to all of our research. If you do use our work, please cite us. If you have questions not covered here, don’t hesitate to email us.
A new report outlines the evolution of corporate greenwashing and approaches for addressing the issue.
Greenwashing tactics have evolved over time. In this review article, you’ll learn about:
(1) The three approaches companies have taken to greenwashing over time – static communication, dynamic management, and narratives about the future.
(2) A model of Corporate Miscommunication, which defines how firms miscommunicate with different stakeholders and which stakeholders are most at risk of deception.
Employees are increasingly seeking employers with good environmental performance, and using employee activism to push for change. This research explores the impact of greenwashing on employees, including:
(1) How greenwashing leads to employee mistrust and, in turn, higher turnover.
(2) How an employee’s level of environmental education moderates their reactions to greenwashing.
It can be difficult to determine whether a specific practice or communication is greenwashing or not. This research offers a framework to help you:
(1) Assess the legitimacy of green claims from various actors, including companies, government agencies, non-profits, and international pledges.
(2) Assess the legitimacy of net zero commitments and actions.
(3) Avoid greenwashing in your own practices and communication.
The number of environmental claims that companies make has increased rapidly in recent years – so has the occurrence of greenwashing. This review article will help you understand:
(1) The definition of greenwashing.
(2) A range of practices that companies use to greenwash.
To truly understand greenwashing, one must understand what motivates corporate disclosure decisions. This article:
(1) Describes and tests factors that motivate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosure. Those factors include output growth, deregulation, profit, and external scrutiny.
(2) Identifies a new phenomenon, called brownwashing, whereby companies are deliberately modest in their ESG disclosure.
Social media is profoundly different than traditional media, and can be a powerful tool to fight greenwashing. In this article, we explore the role of social media in stopping greenwashing, including:
(1) How social media functions differently than traditional media in anti-greenwashing efforts.
(2) The ways social media pressure can influence corporate greenwashing decisions.
Environmental disclosures can be mandatory or voluntary. This article explores voluntary disclosures, particularly in the context of greenhouse gas emissions disclosure to the US government. You’ll discover:
(1) What motivates firms to report voluntarily and how reporting impacts those firms.
(2) How companies engage in selective disclosure, which allows them to increase emissions but report reductions.
(3) That non-participants actually reduce their emissions more than participants.
Auditing is a tool used to bring accountability to corporate reporting. In this research, we explore how auditing affects greenwashing. You’ll learn:
(1) Why activist auditing reduces greenwashing, but also reduces overall environmental disclosure.
(2) How environmental management systems discourage unsustainable companies from attempting to greenwash.
