Different shades of green deception. Greenwashing’s adverse effects on corporate image and credibility

IF 4.1 3区管理学 Q2 BUSINESS

Public Relations Review Pub Date : 2024-11-22 DOI:10.1016/j.pubrev.2024.102521

Thomas Koch, Nora Denner

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Climate change poses one of today’s greatest challenges, compelling organizations to adopt sustainable practices, which are frequently communicated to bolster their image and credibility. However, some organizations tend to exaggerate their green commitment, resulting in a perceived disparity between their environmental claims and actions, which is commonly referred to as greenwashing. This study examines the impact of different levels of greenwashing on corporate image and credibility. Through a 4×2 between-subjects experiment, participants were exposed to a publishing company’s promise to use 90 % recycled paper, followed by the revelation that the actual amount of recycled paper used was either 90 %, 86 %, 54 %, or 23 %. Additionally, the pre-image of the company was manipulated by portraying it as either a popular or an unpopular employer. Results indicate that even small discrepancies lead to a decrease in image perception and credibility, with motivated reasoning and expectation violation mediating these effects. However, these effects were not influenced by a positive or negative pre-image of the company. Overall, this research highlights the importance of honest and transparent communication of CSR activities.

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不同色调的绿色欺骗。绿色清洗对企业形象和信誉的不利影响

气候变化是当今最大的挑战之一，迫使各组织采取可持续的做法，并经常进行宣传，以提高其形象和信誉。然而，一些组织往往夸大其绿色承诺，导致人们认为其环保主张与行动之间存在差距，这就是通常所说的 "洗绿"。本研究探讨了不同程度的 "洗绿 "行为对企业形象和信誉的影响。通过一个 4×2 的主体间实验，让参与者看到一家出版公司承诺使用 90% 的再生纸，然后揭示实际使用的再生纸量是 90%、86%、54% 或 23%。此外，通过将该公司描绘成受欢迎或不受欢迎的雇主，对该公司的前期形象进行了操纵。结果表明，即使是很小的差异也会导致形象感知和可信度的下降，而动机推理和期望违背则是这些效应的中介。然而，这些影响并不受公司正面或负面预设形象的影响。总之，这项研究强调了企业社会责任活动诚实透明沟通的重要性。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Public Relations Review Multiple-

CiteScore

8.00

自引率

19.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： The Public Relations Review is the oldest journal devoted to articles that examine public relations in depth, and commentaries by specialists in the field. Most of the articles are based on empirical research undertaken by professionals and academics in the field. In addition to research articles and commentaries, The Review publishes invited research in brief, and book reviews in the fields of public relations, mass communications, organizational communications, public opinion formations, social science research and evaluation, marketing, management and public policy formation.