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Greenwashing: Corporate governance, behavior, and consequences

ISSUE 7, JULY 2025

Received: 7 April 2025

Accepted: 21 April 2025

Available online: 30 July 2025

Subject Heading: BUSINESS VALUE

JEL Classification: D11, E71, Q56

Pages: 109-122

https://doi.org/10.24891/spmxrq

Artem M. SHAPOSHNIKOV Peoples' Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba (RUDN University), Moscow, Russian Federation
horen25@mail.ru

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3720-2725

Subject. The article addresses greenwashing as a process of conveying a false impression or misleading information about the level of environmental safety of a company, analyzes the influence of corporate governance on the strategy of information disclosure of in the field of ecology.
Objectives. The aim is to conduct a systematic review of the literature on greenwashing issues, identify causes and consequences of this phenomenon, and determine the role of shareholders and corporate governance in the decision-making process on greenwashing in companies.
Methods. This study is a scientific essay with a review of the literature.
Results. The paper identifies factors influencing the greenwashing strategy in corporations, i.e. an increase in the number of independent directors, growth of institutional ownership, and reduction of corruption, which reduce the use of such practices. However, the size of the board of directors does not have a significant impact in this case. The results of the study can be used by companies to develop strategies for corporate social responsibility in the field of ecology. They can also be useful for society and consumers to recognize outdated practices or deceptive marketing techniques.
Conclusions. Greenwashing masks the real impact on the environment, making it critical to develop stakeholder awareness and act responsibly towards a more sustainable and ethical approach to corporate environmental responsibility.

Keywords: greenwashing, corporate social responsibility, stakeholder, greenwashing behaviour

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