Green Marketing or Greenwashing? Examining the Sequential Mediating Roles of Perceived Greenwashing and Green Trust on Green Purchase Intention

The aim of this study is to examine the relationships between perceived green marketing, perceived greenwashing, green trust, and green purchase intention.Furthermore, another objective is to test the sequential mediating roles of perceived greenwashing and green trust in these relationships.Research data was collected from the Belek tourism region of Antalya, a major tourism area in Türkiye.Data was collected from 593 tourists vacationing in this region using face-to-face surveys.Hierarchical regression analysis and the Hayes Process Macro Model 6 were used to analyse the dataset.The findings indicate that perceived green marketing has a positive and significant effect on green purchase intention.However, it was determined that the effect of perceived green marketing is stronger indirectly rather than directly.Specifically, it was found that perceived greenwashing has a negative effect on green trust, while green trust has a strong and positive effect on green purchase intention.Additionally, it was determined that the effect of perceived green marketing on green purchase intention occurs sequentially through perceived greenwashing and green trust.The research results show that consumers, when evaluating environmentally friendly marketing messages, value not only the content, but also the credibility of these messages.In this context, it has been concluded that transparency and building trust are critically important in sustainable marketing strategies for businesses.Furthermore, the findings contribute to the growing body of knowledge on how greenwashing, as a form of corporate misinformation and environmental disinformation, influences consumer perceptions, trust formation, and decision-making processes.