Sustainable marketing vs. greenwashing: What distinguishes a truly sustainable brand?

Abstract

Consumers are becoming more and more aware of the goods they buy, becoming more attentive to the values of brands and their practices. This paradigm has generated growing pressure on brands, which are being forced to reformulate their approaches. In this context, two phenomena stand out - sustainable marketing and greenwashing. Sustainable marketing is associated with good practices, a real and genuine effort on the part of companies to adopt strategies that have a positive impact on the environment and society. Greenwashing, on the other hand, is associated with deceptive practices, where brands try to deceive consumers by appropriating environmentalist virtues without making a real effort. The purpose of this article is to draw parallels between these two phenomena, exploring in detail their differences, their impact and their consequences. To this end, cases of brands that stand out both positively and negatively will be presented and analyzed.