A Systematic Review of Literature on Greenwashing*

Abstract

Purpose: The study focusses on the systematic review of the greenwashing literature to present the research gaps to researchers for future studies.

Design/methodology/approach: The systematic review has been used to analyse past studies on ‘greenwashing’. The 325 research articles of the previous 10 years (2014–2023) were downloaded from the Scopus-indexed database using the keyword ‘greenwashing’.

The findings: There is a need for a study on greenwashing in developing countries like India. An attempt should be made to analyse the research with a large sample size.

Research limitations: The scope of the data used in this study is limited by the source of retrieval, that is, the Scopus. The current source adequately serves the study’s purpose, as the Scopus database is one of the most significant citation databases. This study analyses data from the years 2014 to 2023 to improve credibility and reduce biases.

Practical implications: The research findings will significantly help researchers, green marketers, and practitioners be aware of the emerging markets of greenwashing and consumers’ rising greenwashing perception of green products.

Originality/value: This study is a novel attempt to explore a better understanding of greenwashing for researchers. The study is original; work has yet to be performed on this topic.

Citation

Gupta, K. and Singh, N. (2024), "A Systematic Review of Literature on Greenwashing*", Taneja, S., Kumar, P., Reepu, Balusamy, B., Sood, K. and Grima, S. (Ed.) Sustainability Development through Green Economics (Contemporary Studies in Economic and Financial Analysis, Vol. 114), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 75-90. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1569-375920240000114005