No End in Sight? A Greenwash Review and Research Agenda

Abstract

Greenwashing is more virulent than ever. A profusion of ESG and net zero commitments are becoming fraught with questionable and misleading claims. At the same time, we are no closer to solving the pressing environmental and social issues of our time. In this review we seek to examine this shift and summarize changes in greenwash research across time into a framework, identifying three key phases: 1.0 Where We Started; 2.0 Where We Are; and, 3.0 Where Next? We analyze current key areas of developing literature and point to numerous open questions for future research. Next, we go beyond much of the published work to examine emerging issues and lay out a forward-looking agenda for future research. We also propose a model of Corporate Miscommunication, integrating various streams in greenwash research. In doing so, we seek to lay a pathway for greenwashing researchers to finally find that elusive “end” to greenwashing