Title :
Greenwashing impacts on consumer attitudes and behaviours
Thesis start date :
01 Octobre 2024
Name of the thesis supervisor(s) :
Catherine VIOT
Abstract :
Over the last few decades, greenwashing practices have tended to increase both in volume and in the forms deployed by brands. These are practices in which companies use corporate social responsibility (CSR) as camouflage’ to paint a misleading brand image with the aim of attracting more potential customers and investors. Simply put, greenwashing is the unethical marketing practice of exaggerating (or misrepresenting) or selectively disclosing the eco-responsible attributes of products and brands, while keeping quiet about those that are not. Objective The aim of the research, which is rooted in signal theory, is to examine the effects of greenwashing on consumers’ cognitive, affective and conative responses. Cognitive responses will be considered in terms of brand equity from the consumer’s point of view, affective responses in terms of brand trust and conative responses in terms of purchase intention, brand switching and word of mouth. Moderators such as consumer scepticism and/or environmental concerns will be incorporated into the model. Research questions The research questions we have identified are as follows: a) To what extent does greenwashing affect consumer behaviour? b) What are the effects of greenwashing on brand equity, consumer trust in the brand and future purchasing behaviour? b) Do the effects differ according to the form of greenwashing? c) What are the effects of scepticism about green marketing and consumer environmental concerns on consumer reactions? Methodology The thesis will adopt a mixed qualitative approach in the form of individual interviews and a quantitative approach. During the quantitative phase, experiments will be envisaged in which the form that greenwashing takes will be manipulated. To date the field of research envisaged is that of food products and/or cosmetics, as these are product categories where environmental claims are very numerous and they are also sectors that are fairly well represented in the regional industrial fabric. Expected results and research contributions The expected theoretical contributions are to improve knowledge of consumer reactions to greenwashing. The literature review reveals a lack of empirical research simultaneously studying the effects of different forms of greenwashing on a broad spectrum of consumer responses, including cognitive, affective and conative aspects. Most studies focus on a single form of greenwashing and/or a single type of consumer response. The expected managerial implications mainly concern awareness of the risks that brands and organisations run by practising greenwashing. The first of these risks is the dilution of their brand equity. Other risks include loss of brand trust, negative word-of-mouth and falling sales. This research could encourage companies to take a more sincere approach in terms of their environmental commitment. Originality In recent years, the number of references to greenwashing in the literature has increased rapidly. However, little research has been devoted to the effects of greenwashing on consumer behaviour at the cognitive (green brand image/green brand fairness), emotional (brand trust and consumer scepticism) and behavioural (green purchasing behaviour/intention to change) levels. This study therefore aims to make a contribution to knowledge by filling in the gaps in research on the effects of greenwashing on consumer behaviour from these different angles.
