Green Behavior Strategies in the Green Credit Market: Analysis of the Impacts of Enterprises’ Greenwashing and Blockchain Technology

With the degradation of the environment due to increasing ecological destruction and pollution, sustainable development has become the paramount objective of social progress. As a result, the concept of green development has garnered considerable attention, which is an important starting point for China to achieve stable economic development and sustainable ecological development. To achieve high-quality economic progress while advancing environmentally friendly practices, it is imperative to formulate and uphold a sound green credit system. However, the phenomenon of greenwashing by enterprises still exists, which compromises the efficacy of green credit and hinders the long-term sustainable and well-organized progress of green finance. Building on the background of green credit, considering the existence of blockchain and government subsidies and adopting the method of tripartite evolutionary game, this paper examines the strategic decisions made by the government, financial institutions, and small and medium-sized enterprises in the context of greenwashing. An emphasis is placed on the impact of blockchain technology on the three parties involved in the green credit market. The findings demonstrate that blockchain technology can diminish the likelihood of greenwashing by businesses and enhance the impact of government subsidies. However, it cannot replace the regulatory authority of the government in sustainable development. Moreover, excessive subsidies can stimulate more greenwashing practices, but eliminating subsidies does not eradicate the root of greenwashing. To encourage sustainable economic development and minimize corporate defaults, the government ought to reinforce supervision and establish a robust social surveillance and publicity mechanism. This paper broadens the research perspective on the effectiveness of green credit and provides some empirical and theoretical references for further promoting the green transformation of SMEs and the sustainable development of the ecological environment.