The Evolution of Greenwashing: Analyzing Corporate Strategies and Their Impact on Environmental Policy and Public Discourse

Greenwashing has evolved as a deceptive practice that corporations use to significantly influence public discourse and environmental policy in response to increasing environmental concerns. This research examines the evolution and mechanisms of greenwashing, its effects on public discourse and environmental policy, and its widespread use across various industries. It explores how corporations across industries manipulate public perception through media platforms and greenwashing strategies, like selective disclosure and symbolic gestures, to convey a misleading image of sustainability. It situates greenwashing within a broader context of corporate misinformation, analyzing similarities with climate denial, delay, and obstruction strategies, and evaluating its impact on public trust and policymaking. Through case studies on the fossil fuel and clothing industries, such as BP, Shell, Shein, and H&M, this research highlights how widespread and varied greenwashing tactics are across different sectors. The study uses a variety of fields, including political science, environmental studies, media analysis, and psychology, to show how greenwashing affects consumer behavior and obstructs effective environmental policies. It also demonstrates the necessity for stringent regulatory measures to combat greenwashing, emphasizing the need for greater transparency and accountability in corporate environmental practices. By exploring the tactics and consequences of greenwashing, this research aims to contribute to the ongoing discourse on corporate accountability and regulatory reform by showing that greenwashing is a critical and common element of corporate strategy across industries, advocating for informed public awareness and policy interventions that address the root causes and manifestations of greenwashing.