IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/bstrat/v35y2026i5p6846-6865.html

Communication of Business‐Nonprofit Collaborations and Environmental Legitimacy: Exploratory Insights From Italian Firms

Author

Listed:
  • Andrea Rizzuni
  • Daniel Lundgaard
  • Maria Alejandra Torres‐Cuello
  • Steen Vallentin

Abstract

Collaborations with nonprofits can enhance firms' legitimacy, yet the relationship between their communication and corporate environmental legitimacy remains poorly understood. Furthermore, research lacks an analysis of the communication of business‐nonprofit collaborations through multiple actors' perspectives. Employing a mixed‐methods content analysis, we analyze 440 firm, nonprofit and media communications on 91 business‐nonprofit collaborations involving Italian firms in environmentally sensitive industries. Our exploratory results indicate that firms' communication is influenced by their environmental legitimacy—firms with stronger environmental legitimacy tend to frame collaborations as substantive rather than symbolic efforts. Furthermore, the media, unlike nonprofit partners, emphasize the symbolic nature of corporate involvement and adopt a negative tone when covering collaborations by firms with weaker environmental legitimacy. Interpreting our findings, we propose that less legitimate firms prioritize pragmatic rather than moral forms of legitimacy in their communication, and vice versa. Our results contribute to research and inform practice by deepening the empirical and conceptual understanding of the relationship between corporate environmental legitimacy, strategic legitimation objectives, and the framing of sustainability communication.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrea Rizzuni & Daniel Lundgaard & Maria Alejandra Torres‐Cuello & Steen Vallentin, 2026. "Communication of Business‐Nonprofit Collaborations and Environmental Legitimacy: Exploratory Insights From Italian Firms," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(5), pages 6846-6865, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:35:y:2026:i:5:p:6846-6865
    DOI: 10.1002/bse.70519
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.70519
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/bse.70519?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Pascual Berrone & Andrea Fosfuri & Liliana Gelabert, 2017. "Does Greenwashing Pay Off? Understanding the Relationship Between Environmental Actions and Environmental Legitimacy," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 144(2), pages 363-379, August.
    2. Dima Jamali & Tamar Keshishian, 2009. "Uneasy Alliances: Lessons Learned from Partnerships Between Businesses and NGOs in the context of CSR," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 84(2), pages 277-295, January.
    3. Miotto, Giorgia & Del-Castillo-Feito, Cristina & Blanco-González, Alicia, 2020. "Reputation and legitimacy: Key factors for Higher Education Institutions’ sustained competitive advantage," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 342-353.
    4. Juelin Yin, 2021. "How multinational corporations and nonprofits collaborate for sustainability: assessing social partnerships from China," Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 12(6), pages 1289-1311, January.
    5. Riccardo Torelli & Federica Balluchi & Arianna Lazzini, 2020. "Greenwashing and environmental communication: Effects on stakeholders' perceptions," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(2), pages 407-421, February.
    6. Cecília Carmo & Mercedes Miguéis, 2022. "Voluntary Sustainability Disclosures in Non-Listed Companies: An Exploratory Study on Motives and Practices," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-22, June.
    7. Juelin Yin, 2021. "How multinational corporations and nonprofits collaborate for sustainability: assessing social partnerships from China," Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 12(6), pages 1289-1311, January.
    8. Frances Bowen, 2019. "Marking Their Own Homework: The Pragmatic and Moral Legitimacy of Industry Self-Regulation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 156(1), pages 257-272, April.
    9. Grimmer, Justin & Stewart, Brandon M., 2013. "Text as Data: The Promise and Pitfalls of Automatic Content Analysis Methods for Political Texts," Political Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 21(3), pages 267-297, July.
    10. Patrick Haack & Michael D. Pfarrer & Andreas Georg Scherer, 2014. "Legitimacy-as-Feeling: How Affect Leads to Vertical Legitimacy Spillovers in Transnational Governance," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(4), pages 634-666, June.
    11. Matthew Murphy & François Perrot & Miguel Rivera-Santos, 2012. "New perspectives on learning and innovation in cross-sector collaborations," Post-Print hal-02313075, HAL.
    12. Patrick Haack & Oliver Schilke & Lynne Zucker, 2021. "Legitimacy Revisited: Disentangling Propriety, Validity, and Consensus," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(3), pages 749-781, May.
    13. Murphy, Matthew & Perrot, Francois & Rivera-Santos, Miguel, 2012. "New perspectives on learning and innovation in cross-sector collaborations," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 65(12), pages 1700-1709.
    14. Ulrich Wassmer & Raymond Paquin & Sanjay Sharma, 2014. "The Engagement of Firms in Environmental Collaborations : Existing Contributions and Future Directions," Post-Print hal-02313050, HAL.
    15. O'Dwyer, Brendan & Owen, David & Unerman, Jeffrey, 2011. "Seeking legitimacy for new assurance forms: The case of assurance on sustainability reporting," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 36(1), pages 31-52, January.
    16. Brice Foulon & Sylvain Marsat, 2023. "Does environmental footprint influence the resilience of firms facing environmental penalties?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(8), pages 6154-6168, December.
    17. Brice Foulon & Sylvain Marsat, 2023. "Does environmental footprint influence the resilience of firms facing environmental penalties?," Post-Print hal-04149888, HAL.
    18. Filippo Vitolla & Nicola Raimo & Michele Rubino & Antonello Garzoni, 2019. "How pressure from stakeholders affects integrated reporting quality," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(6), pages 1591-1606, November.
    19. Watson, Rosina & Wilson, Hugh N. & Macdonald, Emma K., 2020. "Business-nonprofit engagement in sustainability-oriented innovation: What works for whom and why?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 87-98.
    20. Manpreet Hora & Ravi Subramanian, 2019. "Relationship between Positive Environmental Disclosures and Environmental Performance: An Empirical Investigation of the Greenwashing Sin of the Hidden Trade‐off," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 23(4), pages 855-868, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Juelin Yin & Dima Jamali, 2021. "Collide or Collaborate: The Interplay of Competing Logics and Institutional Work in Cross-Sector Social Partnerships," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 169(4), pages 673-694, April.
    2. Ryan, Annmarie & O’Malley, Lisa, 2016. "The role of the boundary spanner in bringing about innovation in cross-sector partnerships," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 1-9.
    3. Daniel Arenas & Pablo Sanchez & Matthew Murphy, 2013. "Different Paths to Collaboration Between Businesses and Civil Society and the Role of Third Parties," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 115(4), pages 723-739, July.
    4. Paola Garrone & Andrea Rizzuni, 2025. "Collaborations with nonprofit organizations: Signals or agents of operational change? Empirical evidence from Italian listed enterprises," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 32(1), pages 448-464, January.
    5. Min‐Jae Lee & Anna Pak & Donghwi (Josh) Seo & Taewoo Roh, 2026. "Navigating the ESG Paradox: Strategic Pathways Between Innovation and Washing Under Stakeholder Scrutiny," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(5), pages 6890-6913, July.
    6. Francesca Bernini & Fabio La Rosa, 2024. "Research in the greenwashing field: concepts, theories, and potential impacts on economic and social value," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 28(2), pages 405-444, June.
    7. Matthew Murphy & Daniel Arenas & Joan Batista, 2015. "Value Creation in Cross-Sector Collaborations: The Roles of Experience and Alignment," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 130(1), pages 145-162, August.
    8. Díez-Martín, Francisco & Miotto, Giorgia & Cachón-Rodríguez, Gabriel, 2022. "Organizational legitimacy perception: Gender and uncertainty as bias for evaluation criteria," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 426-436.
    9. Jingduan Li & Xuhui Peng & Jie Gao & Qingliang Tang, 2025. "Detecting Greenwashing Behaviour in Decarbonization Performance," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 65(4), pages 3739-3762, December.
    10. Wei Li & Weining Li & Veikko Seppänen & Timo Koivumäki, 2022. "How and when does perceived greenwashing affect employees' job performance? Evidence from China," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(5), pages 1722-1735, September.
    11. Monica Violeta Achim & Alexandra Ioana Daniela Rus & Nawazish Mirza, 2024. "How does intellectual capital spur innovation in economy? A cross-country survey," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 20(4), pages 3125-3154, December.
    12. Gao, Lifang & Yin, Heng, 2025. "Managerial myopia and greenwashing: A machine learning and text analysis approach," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    13. Watson, Rosina & Wilson, Hugh N. & Macdonald, Emma K., 2020. "Business-nonprofit engagement in sustainability-oriented innovation: What works for whom and why?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 87-98.
    14. Giuseppe Maria Bifulco & Carlo Caserio & Francesca di Donato & Sara Trucco, 2025. "Does Sustainable Performance Matter for Nonfinancial Disclosure Readability? A Fog Index Analysis on Italian‐Listed Companies," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(5), pages 5601-5623, July.
    15. Cao, June & Huang, Zijie & Shahid, Ahmad Usman, 2025. "Fostering environmental integrity via investor-focused communications: Private in-house meeting disclosures and greenwashing behaviors," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 232(C).
    16. Wang, Yuxi & Hu, Fangjia & Wang, Yunyun, 2024. "Analyst coverage and greenwashing: Evidence from Chinese A-Share listed corporations," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    17. Aurélien Décamps & Oihab Allal-Chérif & Anne Gombault, 2021. "Fostering Knowledge of the Sustainable Development Goals in Universities: The Case of Sulitest," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-17, November.
    18. Siew Peng Lee & Mansor Isa & Mohammed Sharaf Shaiban, 2025. "Corporate Governance and Greenwashing: The Moderating Role of Political Connection and Sensitive Industries," SAGE Open, , vol. 15(3), pages 21582440251, August.
    19. Arpit Singh & Ashish Dwivedi & Dindayal Agrawal & Anurag Chauhan, 2024. "A framework to model the performance indicators of resilient construction supply chain: An effort toward attaining sustainability and circular practices," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(3), pages 1688-1720, March.
    20. Francesca Bernini & Marco Giuliani & Fabio La Rosa, 2024. "Measuring greenwashing: A systematic methodological literature review," Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(4), pages 649-667, October.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:35:y:2026:i:5:p:6846-6865. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1099-0836 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.