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How Sustainability Ratings Might Deter ‘Greenwashing’: A Closer Look at Ethical Corporate Communication

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Abstract

Of the many ethical corporate marketing practices, many firms use corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication to enhance their corporate image. Yet, consumers, overwhelmed by these more or less well-founded CSR claims, often have trouble identifying truly responsible firms. This confusion encourages ‘greenwashing’ and may make CSR initiatives less effective. On the basis of attribution theory, this study investigates the role of independent sustainability ratings on consumers’ responses to companies’ CSR communication. Experimental results indicate the negative effect of a poor sustainability rating for corporate brand evaluations in the case of CSR communication, because consumers infer less intrinsic motives by the brand. Sustainability ratings thus could act to deter ‘greenwashing’ and encourage virtuous firms to persevere in their CSR practices.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. IRG, Université Paris-Est, Créteil, France

    Béatrice Parguel

  2. DRM, Université Paris-Dauphine, Paris, France

    Florence Benoît-Moreau

  3. CNRS & DRM, Université Paris-Dauphine, Paris, France

    Fabrice Larceneux

  4. Place de la Porte des Champs, 4 route de Choisy, 94010, Créteil, France

    Béatrice Parguel

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  1. Béatrice Parguel
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  2. Florence Benoît-Moreau
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  3. Fabrice Larceneux
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Correspondence to Béatrice Parguel.

Appendices

Appendix 1

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Fig. 3
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Experimental stimuli

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Appendix 2

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Table 3 Scales
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Parguel, B., Benoît-Moreau, F. & Larceneux, F. How Sustainability Ratings Might Deter ‘Greenwashing’: A Closer Look at Ethical Corporate Communication. J Bus Ethics 102, 15–28 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-0901-2

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