Greenwashing vs. greenhushing: How to communicate sustainability without damaging the brand?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34630/tth.v1i5.6247Keywords:
Greenwashing, Greenhushing, Corporate Reputation, Sustainable Communication, ESG, SustainabilityAbstract
This article will analyze greenwashing and greenhushing. These two practices influence the communication of sustainability by brands and undermine the credibility of companies. While greenwashing refers to the act of exaggerating or falsifying environmental commitments, greenhushing is based on omitting sustainable information for fear of publico r legal criticism. The impacts of these means on consumer perception and corporate reputation will be explored through research, as well as the choice of the best strategies for communicating transparently. The methodology includes a literature review and analysis of real cases, in order to identify guidelines that support credible sustainable communication. The conclusion is that brands must be able to combine transparency in uniformity with prudence, in order to avoid excesses that compromise consumer confidence.
References
Andrus, J. L., Callery, P. J., & Grandy, J. B. (2023). The uneven returns of transparency in voluntary nonfinancial disclosures. Organization & Environment, 36(1), 39–68. https://doi.org/10.1177/10860266221083338
Auger, P., Burke, P., Devinney, T. M., et al. (2003). What Will Consumers Pay for Social Product Features? Journal of Business Ethics, 42, 281–304. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022212816261
Bae, H., Wilcoxen, P., & Popp, D. (2010). Information disclosure policy: Do state data processing efforts help more than the information disclosure itself? Journal of Policy Analysis Management, 29(1), 163-182. https://doi.org/10.1002/pam.20483
Bagdare, S. (2018). Marketing communications for sustainable consumption: A conceptual framework. International Journal of Marketing and Business Communication, 7(4), 45–49. Recuperado de: http://publishingindia.com/ijmbc/
Cremasco, C., & Boni, L. (2022). Is the European Union (EU) Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) effective in shaping sustainability objectives? An analysis of investment funds’ behaviour. Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment, 14(4), 1018–1036. https://doi.org/10.1080/20430795.2022.2124838
Ettinger, A., Grabner-Kräuter, S., Okazaki, S., & Terlutter, R. (2020). The Desirability of CSR Communication versus Greenhushing in the Hospitality Industry: The Customers’ Perspective. Journal of Travel Research, 60(3), 618-638. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287520930087 (Original work published 2021)
Fischer, D., Reinermann, J.-L., Guillen Mandujano, G., DesRoches, C. T., Diddi, S., & Vergragt, P. J. (2021). Sustainable consumption communication: A review of an emerging field of research. Journal of Cleaner Production, 300, 126880. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126880
Greenpeace. (2023). Greenwash danger zone: 10 years after Rana Plaza, fashion labels conceal a broken system. Greenpeace Germany. Recuperado de: https://www.greenpeace.de/publikationen/Greenpeace_Report_Greenwash_Danger_Zone.pdf
Griffith, L. (2023, dezembro 7). Tesla and greenwashing. GW Law: PointSource. Recuperado de: https://blogs.gwu.edu/law-gwpointsource/2023/12/07/tesla-and-greenwashing/
Lunde, M. B. (2018). Sustainability in marketing: a systematic review unifying 20 years of theoretical and substantive contributions (1997–2016). AMS Review, 8(1–2), 85–110. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13162-018-0124-0
McGrath, P., McCarthy, L., Marshall, D., & Rehme, J. (2021). Tools and technologies of transparency in sustainable global supply chains. California Management Review, 64(1), 67–89. https://doi.org/10.1177/00081256211045993
Netto, S. V. F., Sobral, M. F. F., Ribeiro, A. R. B., & Soares, G. R. L. (2020). Concepts and forms of greenwashing: A systematic review. Environmental Sciences Europe, 32, 19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-020-0300-3
Nichols, D. (2024, agosto). Impacto ambiental de las baterías para vehículos eléctricos. GreenCars. Recuperado de: https://www.greencars.com/es-us/greencars-101/impacto-ambiental-de-las-baterias-para-vehiculos-electricos
Nyagadza, B. (2021). When corporate brands tell stories: A signalling theory perspective. Cogent Business & Management, 8(1), 1897063. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2021.1897063
Oxford University Press. (2018). Greenwashing. In Oxford English Dictionary (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. Recuperado de: https://www.oed.com/
Philippe, D., & Durand, R. (2011). The impact of norm-conforming behaviors on firm reputation. Strategic Management Journal, 32(9), 969–993. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.919
Rashid, W., Ghani, U., Khan, K., & Usman, M. (2023). If you care I care: Role of Green Human Resource Management in employees' green behaviors. Cogent Business & Management, 10(1), 2189768. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2023.2189768
Renewable Matter. (2023, setembro 12). Unsustainable fashion: H&M is being sued for greenwashing. Renewable Matter. Recuperado de: https://www.renewablematter.eu/en/unsustainable-fashion-h-and-m-is-being-sued-for-greenwashing
Singh, J., Iglesias, O., & Batista-Foguet, J. M. (2017). Does having an ethical brand matter? The influence of consumer perceived ethicality on trust, affect and loyalty. Journal of Business Ethics, 144(4), 685-701. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2594-4
Stål, H. I., & Corvellec, H. (2021). Organizing means–ends decoupling: Core–compartment separations in fast fashion. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 91, 101223. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aos.2021.101223
Tesla, Inc. (2023). 2022 Tesla Impact Report. Tesla, Inc. Recuperado de: https://www.tesla.com/ns_videos/2022-tesla-impact-report.pdf
Viciunaite, V. (2022). Communicating sustainable business models to consumers: A translation theory perspective. Organization & Environment, 35(2), 233–251. https://doi.org/10.1177/1086026620953448
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 The Trends Hub

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.