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Greenwashing: A Proposal To Restrict Its Spread

Author

Listed:
  • DAVID MARKHAM

    (Faculty of Business, Athabasca University, St. Albert, Alberta, Canada)

  • ANSHUMAN KHARE

    (Faculty of Business, Athabasca University, St. Albert, Alberta, Canada)

  • TERRY BECKMAN

    (Faculty of Business, Athabasca University, St. Albert, Alberta, Canada)

Abstract

Recent years have seen a rapid rise in the number of firms publicly touting the environmental merits of their products or their operational practices. This is driven by the changing societal concern and public discourse around environmental issues. What was once an infrequent conversation has emerged as a moral obligation. While the number of "green" products available in the market has grown, these conditions have also resulted in firms deliberately misleading consumers about their environmental performance or the environmental benefits of their products, a condition commonly known as "greenwashing."This paper will argue that the urgency to address our rapidly deteriorating environment requires that tangible steps be taken to control incidents of greenwashing. It examines the merits and drawbacks associated with government's taking an active role in the regulation of greenwashing and argues that the current regulatory instruments being used by governments to address greenwashing are not likely to be successful in addressing the problem. Finally, the paper proposes a new regulatory instrument where governments and interested stakeholders work together to collect and disseminate information on sustainable business practices and the impact of goods and service production on the environment.

Suggested Citation

  • David Markham & Anshuman Khare & Terry Beckman, 2014. "Greenwashing: A Proposal To Restrict Its Spread," Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management (JEAPM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 16(04), pages 1-16.
  • Handle: RePEc:wsi:jeapmx:v:16:y:2014:i:04:n:s1464333214500306
    DOI: 10.1142/S1464333214500306
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Ravi Dutta‐Powell & Joshua J. Rhee & Saul Wodak, 2024. "Two interventions for mitigating the harms of greenwashing on consumer perceptions," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(2), pages 882-903, February.
    2. Svetlana Ratner & Konstantin Gomonov & Svetlana Revinova & Inna Lazanyuk, 2021. "Ecolabeling as a Policy Instrument for More Sustainable Development: The Evidence of Supply and Demand Interactions from Russia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-21, August.
    3. Ronald J. Ferguson & Kaspar Schattke & Michèle Paulin, 2021. "Persuasions by Corporate and Activist NGO Strategic Website Communications: Impacts on Perceptions of Sustainability Messages and Greenwashing," Humanistic Management Journal, Springer, vol. 6(1), pages 117-131, April.
    4. Bazlur RAHMAN, & Idris ALI, & Alexandru Mircea NEDELEA, 2017. "Greenwashing In Canadian Firms: An Assessment Of Environmental Claimsgreenwashing In Canadian Firms: An Assessment Of Environmental Claims," EcoForum, "Stefan cel Mare" University of Suceava, Romania, Faculty of Economics and Public Administration - Economy, Business Administration and Tourism Department., vol. 6(2), pages 1-8, july.
    5. Hans Verboven & Lise Vanherck, 2016. "Sustainability management of SMEs and the UN Sustainable Development Goals," Sustainability Nexus Forum, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 165-178, November.
    6. Jun Zhao & Jianda Wang & Kangyin Dong, 2023. "The role of green finance in eradicating energy poverty: ways to realize green economic recovery in the post-COVID-19 era," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 56(6), pages 3757-3785, December.

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