Consumer demand is the vital internal link to a circular economy – negative reactions to greenwashing shift consumer behavior
João M. Lopes et al, 2023 - Miguel Torga Institute of Higher Education & NECE-UBI—Research Unit in Business Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal “The Dark Side of Green Marketing: How Greenwashing Affects Circular Consumption?” Sustainability 2023, 15, 11649. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151511649 //DH
Furthermore, the study introduces sustainable information collection as an intermediary between greenwashing and circular consumption intention. This presents a valuable addition to the discourse on sustainable consumption, as it highlights the importance of information accessibility in sustainable decision-making. Our results lend support to the hypothesis that consumers who are aware of greenwashing tactics are not passively influenced by them but instead respond by actively seeking more reliable information about the products or services. The more they engage in sustainable information collection, the more likely they are to intend to participate in circular consumption behaviors. This reinforces the idea that information seeking is a powerful tool consumers can utilize to make more sustainable decisions [54,55]. Therefore, understanding the mediating role of sustainable information collection provides valuable insights into how consumers process and respond to greenwashing. It indicates that consumer empowerment, through the provision and active seeking of reliable sustainability information, could be a potent mechanism to mitigate the negative effects of greenwashing and promote circular consumption.