When green claims backfire: How consumer distrust fuels boycotts against greenwashers

Greenwashing – the practice of disseminating exaggerated or false sustainability claims – represents a critical challenge to consumer trust and the integrity of environmental marketing. This research employs three complementary studies to comprehensively examine how greenwashing tactics influence consumer boycott intentions. Grounded in cognitive dissonance theory, trust violation and repair theory, our investigation reveals that consumers exhibit differential responses to greenwashing severity, with overt deceptions eliciting significantly stronger boycott reactions. Study 1 not only confirms that greenwashing provokes intention to boycott but further demonstrates that egregious tactics such as “fibbing” and “false labels” generate particularly strong intentions to boycott. Study 2's mediation-moderation analysis establishes that perceived manipulation level fully mediates, while perceived severity partially mediates the greenwashing-intention to boycott relationship. Study 3, utilizing structural equation modeling, reveals that perceived manipulation level indirectly intensifies boycott intentions by eroding brand trust through heightened concern over deception. These findings collectively underscore the substantial reputational risks associated with greenwashing, providing empirical evidence that deceptive sustainability claims amplify consumer backlash. The study contributes to marketing ethics literature by elucidating the psychological mechanisms underlying boycott behavior, while offering practical implications for sustainable marketing practices.