To read this content please select one of the options below:

Understanding Greenwashing

Agostino Vollero (Università degli Studi di Salerno, Italy)

Greenwashing

ISBN: 978-1-80117-967-6, eISBN: 978-1-80117-966-9

Publication date: 23 May 2022

Abstract

The chapter begins the analysis by showing how the wider concept of ethical behaviour in organisations can be considered as the starting point to interpret the rise of environmental concerns in business operations as well as of greenwashing, primarily seen as a form of business misconduct. The focus on corporate environmentalism, intended as the deliberate process by which companies assimilate environmental concerns into their decision-making, provides the proper background to examine the birth of the concept of greenwashing. The discussion about ever-growing ethical issues, such as the conflict between private gain and public good, the tension between moral principles and profits, intertwines with the discourse on corporate sustainability and corporate social responsibility. Specifically, a distinction is made between mandatory and voluntary CSR disclosures, with the aim of elucidating further reasons behind greenwashing temptations. Lastly, the chapter concludes with the discussion of deceptive communication activities of companies that are described as different forms of identity-washing.

Keywords

Citation

Vollero, A. (2022), "Understanding Greenwashing", Greenwashing, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80117-966-920221001

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2022 Agostino Vollero. Published under exclusive licence by Emerald Publishing Limited