Beyond the green facade: does the CEO’s green experience affect corporate ESG greenwashing?

Amidst the rising global prominence of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles, the issue of ESG greenwashing is emerging as an urgent matter. Against this backdrop, this study aims to delve into the influence of the chief executive officer’s (CEO) green experience on ESG greenwashing. Utilizing data from Chinese listed enterprises (2012–2022), this study reveals that a CEO’s green experience significantly reduces corporate ESG greenwashing. Furthermore, this effect is stronger when media coverage is high and environmental uncertainty is low. Moreover, our analysis reveals that the enhancement of ethical commitment and risk-taking capacity functions as a crucial underlying mechanism through which CEOs’ green experience curbs ESG greenwashing. This study enriches the existing literature on ESG greenwashing and upper echelons theory by revealing the unique role of CEO green experience in mitigating symbolic environmental behaviors, emphasizing the indispensability of firms’ and policymakers’ endeavors to curb greenwashing practices.