Consumer perceptions of greenwashing: lessons learned from the fashion sector in the UAE

IF 1.9 Q2 ETHICS

Asian Journal of Business Ethics Pub Date : 2022-01-11 DOI:10.1007/s13520-021-00140-z

Sufia Munir, Vivek Mohan

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引用次数: 4

Abstract

The practice of ‘greenwashing’ may be characterized as the fabrication of green claims by organizations to portray a positive image. Greenwashing has not been examined in the United Arab Emirates, and the fashion sector is considered the second largest consumer of harmful chemicals, excessive water use, and non-compliant waste management practices behind the oil and gas sector. Using in-depth semi-structured interviews with fast fashion consumers in the UAE, an exploratory qualitative inquiry was conducted with a focus on the ‘seven sins of greenwashing’ and ‘competitive altruism’ theories and the consumer perceptions of green claims made by major apparel manufacturing and retail firms in the UAE were investigated. A conceptual framework was developed to better understand the nature of corporate altruistic behavior and perceived advantages of green initiatives. The exploratory qualitative inquiry used for this study provided a great opportunity for gathering detailed information on consumer perceptions of greenwashing practices in the UAE. Future research and statistical representation are needed to cross reference the data and test the framework suggested here.

查看原文本刊更多论文

消费者对“漂绿”的看法:从阿联酋时尚界吸取的教训

“洗绿”的做法可以被描述为组织捏造绿色主张，以塑造积极形象。阿拉伯联合酋长国尚未对“漂绿”进行调查，时尚行业被认为是有害化学品、过度用水和不合规废物管理做法的第二大消费者，仅次于石油和天然气行业。通过对阿联酋快时尚消费者进行深入的半结构化访谈，进行了一项探索性定性调查，重点关注“洗绿七宗罪”和“竞争性利他主义”理论，并调查了消费者对阿联酋主要服装制造和零售公司所做绿色声明的看法。为了更好地理解企业利他行为的本质和绿色倡议的感知优势，开发了一个概念框架。本研究使用的探索性定性调查提供了一个很好的机会，可以收集有关阿联酋消费者对“漂绿”做法的看法的详细信息。未来的研究和统计表示需要交叉参考数据和检验本文提出的框架。

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

Asian Journal of Business Ethics ETHICS-

CiteScore

2.60

自引率

38.50%

发文量

期刊介绍： The Asian Journal of Business Ethics (AJBE) publishes original articles from a wide variety of methodological and disciplinary perspectives concerning ethical issues related to business in Asia, including East, Southeast and South-central Asia. Like its well-known sister publication Journal of Business Ethics, AJBE examines the moral dimensions of production, consumption, labour relations, and organizational behavior, while taking into account the unique societal and ethical perspectives of the Asian region. The term ''business'' is understood in a wide sense to include all systems involved in the exchange of goods and services, while ''ethics'' is understood as applying to all human action aimed at securing a good life. We believe that issues concerning corporate responsibility are within the scope of ethics broadly construed. Systems of production, consumption, marketing, advertising, social and economic accounting, labour relations, public relations and organizational behaviour will be analyzed from a moral or ethical point of view. The style and level of dialogue involve all who are interested in business ethics - the business community, universities, government agencies, non-government organizations and consumer groups.The AJBE viewpoint is especially relevant today, as global business initiatives bring eastern and western companies together in new and ever more complex patterns of cooperation and competition.