Consumer Perception of Greenwashing and Its Influence on Trust: The Cases of Matriket and ICA Kvantum

Sammanfattning

Greenwashing is becoming a major area of interest for both marketing researchers and consumer behaviour. This research aimed at understanding how greenwashing is perceived by consumers and whether such perceptions influence their trust towards Sweden’s food industry. Based upon the Trust and Commitment Theory developed by Morgan and Hunt (1994) and utilising the terms green trust and green consumer confusion created by Chen and Chang (2013), the study uses a qualitative, exploratory approach consisting of two focus groups with seven Swedish consumers and utilising thematic analysis as described by Braun and Clarke (2006). The results showed that low levels of green trust typically occur before exposure to greenwashing, rather than being caused by it. The type and level of consumer distrust depend on the type of environmental claim. However, exposure to perceived greenwashing does not necessarily affect a consumer’s purchasing behaviour due to the difference between brand trust and green trust. Both companies and marketers can use the data from this research to better understand that vague, non-verifiable environmental claims do not only have a strong likelihood of being rejected by consumers but also increase pre-existing scepticism and thus create greater opportunities for building meaningful levels of green trust through clear, evidence-based communications.