Revista de Economia e Sociologia Rural
https://revistasober.org/article/doi/10.1590/1806-9479.2021.225336
Revista de Economia e Sociologia Rural
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Greenwashing in environmental marketing strategy in the brazilian furniture market

Greenwashing em estratégia de marketing ambiental no mercado moveleiro brasileiro

Márcia Vieira de Alencar Caldas; Alípio Ramos Veiga-Neto; Luciana Gondim de Almeida Guimarães; Ahiram Brunni Cartaxo de Castro; Glauber Ruan Barbosa Pereira

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Abstract

Abstract: Environmental marketing tries to develop strategies to strengthen the entrepreneurial image and connect environmental appeal to products and brands. However, the companies’ reputation may be undermined if the green message uses false or inaccurate information, making it seem that theory and practice are far apart. As a consequence, the damage can be irreversible from the consumers’ viewpoint. This research aimed at raising and analyzing environmental marketing strategies that denote the practice of greenwashing from the point of view of consumers in the national furniture market. To reach the objective suggested, the research took place in two steps. The first step encompassed a qualitative approach, in which data were collected through interviews. The second step used the quantitative approach, a survey-collection method, and the application of questionnaires with consumers. As a result, it was possible to see that the variables concerning environmental marketing that can be perceived as greenwashing are mostly “preference for environmental products”, “interest in green information”, “brand-associated trust”, “green purchase incentive advertisement” and “a green guidebook generates environmental credibility”. The results led to the conclusion that consumers are aware of environmental issues and prefer green products, but greenwashing practices undermine the perception of the company’s image and its brands.

Keywords

environmental marketing, greenwashing, green marketing strategy, furniture market

Resumo

Resumo: O marketing ambiental busca desenvolver estratégias para fortalecer a imagem empresarial e vincular o apelo ambiental aos produtos e marcas. Contudo, a reputação das empresas pode ser prejudicada se a mensagem verde usa informações falsas ou imprecisas, deixando transparecer que o discurso e a prática estão distantes. Como consequência, o prejuízo pode ser irreversível na percepção dos consumidores. Esta pesquisa objetivou levantar e analisar estratégias de marketing ambiental que denotam a prática de greenwashing na percepção de consumidores do mercado moveleiro nacional. Para alcançar o objetivo proposto, a pesquisa ocorreu em duas fases: a primeira com abordagem qualitativa, na qual os dados foram coletados em entrevistas. A segunda fase utilizou abordagem quantitativa, método de coleta survey e aplicação de questionários com consumidores. Como resultado, verificou-se que as variáveis de marketing ambiental que podem ser percebidas como greenwashing são, predominantemente: “preferência por produtos ambientais”, “interesse pela informação verde”, “confiança associada à marca”, “divulgação incentivada de compra verde” e “guia verde gera credibilidade ambiental”. Os resultados permitiram concluir que os consumidores têm consciência sobre as questões ambientais e preferência por produtos verdes, mas práticas de greenwashing prejudicam a sua percepção da imagem da empresa e de suas marcas.
 

Palavras-chave

marketing ambiental, greenwashing, estratégia de marketing verde, mercado moveleiro

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Submetido em:
17/06/2019

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02/11/2020

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