Doing good or just looking good in the fashion industry? Motive attributions and the psychological mechanisms behind green trust

Purpose This study aims to examine how perceived greenwashing and internal and external motivations undermine green trust through two distinct psychological mechanisms: green skepticism and perceived brand hypocrisy. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative research design was employed using survey data collected from Generation Z consumers in Vietnam. Findings Perceived greenwashing increases both green skepticism and perceived brand hypocrisy, which are in turn negatively associated with green trust. Green skepticism and perceived brand hypocrisy operate as two distinct but parallel pathways (cognitive doubt and moral judgment) through which trust erodes, and these two mediating pathways are comparable in overall magnitude rather than one being dominant. Furthermore, perceived internal motivation reduces both green skepticism and brand hypocrisy, whereas perceived external motivation increases green skepticism and indirectly weakens green trust. Originality/value This study establishes green skepticism and perceived brand hypocrisy as empirically distinct yet co-occurring cognitive and moral pathways of green trust erosion, rather than treating skepticism as the default mediator. It further shows that internal and external motive attributions map asymmetrically onto these two pathways, refining how attribution theory and Expectancy Disconfirmation Theory are applied to sustainability communication.