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CSR and Greenwashing: A Matter of Perception in the Search of Legitimacy

In: Accounting, Accountability and Society

Author

Listed:
  • Federica Balluchi

    (University of Parma)

  • Arianna Lazzini

    (Modena and Reggio Emilia University)

  • Riccardo Torelli

    (University of Parma)

Abstract

In recent decades, corporate communication has undergone significant changes in terms of channel, content and receivers. To be accountable, companies are called upon to satisfy a plurality of stakeholders who are increasingly interested in non-financial information. In addition, the type and scope of information can significantly influence the competitive advantage of the company and especially, its credibility and reputation. Today, companies are required to engage in corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives to give response to the call for action from their stakeholders and society. However, some companies engage in CSR initiatives with the aim of only achieving or increasing their level of legitimacy. When companies offer misleading communication and then try to influence the perceptions of their stakeholders, they incur the phenomenon known in literature as “greenwashing”. Thus, the aim of this work is to analyse the phenomenon of greenwashing, tracing its evolution in the extant literature. Greenwashing will then be analysed through the lens of the legitimacy theory and starting from Habermas’s communication theory to define and broaden the relationships between the concepts of disclosure, credibility, legitimacy, perception and greenwashing.

Suggested Citation

  • Federica Balluchi & Arianna Lazzini & Riccardo Torelli, 2020. "CSR and Greenwashing: A Matter of Perception in the Search of Legitimacy," CSR, Sustainability, Ethics & Governance, in: Mara Del Baldo & Jesse Dillard & Maria-Gabriella Baldarelli & Massimo Ciambotti (ed.), Accounting, Accountability and Society, pages 151-166, Springer.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:csrchp:978-3-030-41142-8_8
    DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-41142-8_8
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Massimiliano Cerciello & Francesco Busato & Simone Taddeo, 2023. "The effect of sustainable business practices on profitability. Accounting for strategic disclosure," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(2), pages 802-819, March.
    2. Jiawen Chen & Tong Xiao & Feng Zhang, 2023. "Paradox of CSR distinctiveness: The tension between stakeholder legitimacy evaluation and stakeholder integration efficiency," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(6), pages 2906-2923, November.
    3. Barić, Andrija, 2022. "The Role of Social Responsibility in Company Strategy," Proceedings of the ENTRENOVA - ENTerprise REsearch InNOVAtion Conference (2022), Hybrid Conference, Opatija, Croatia, in: Proceedings of the ENTRENOVA - ENTerprise REsearch InNOVAtion Conference, Hybrid Conference, Opatija, Croatia, 17-18 June 2022, pages 390-405, IRENET - Society for Advancing Innovation and Research in Economy, Zagreb.
    4. Yanhong Tang & Rui Yang & Yingwen Chen & Mengjin Du & Yichen Yang & Xin Miao, 2020. "Greenwashing of Local Government: The Human-Caused Risks in the Process of Environmental Information Disclosure in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-14, August.

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