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Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization
Article . 2026 . Peer-reviewed
License: CC BY
Data sources: Crossref
https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5...
Article . 2025 . Peer-reviewed
Data sources: Crossref
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Determinants and forecasting of corporate greenwashing behavior

Authors: Jens Eckberg; Gregor Dorfleitner; Manuel C. Kathan; Sebastian Utz;

Determinants and forecasting of corporate greenwashing behavior

Abstract

This paper empirically analyzes the determinants of corporate greenwashing behavior to enhance forecasting and mitigation of greenwashing practices, particularly in the context of stakeholder decision-making. Using company-level characteristics from a sample of STOXX Europe 600 constituents, we show that ESG and environmental (E) scores exhibit a U-shaped relationship with greenwashing, indicating that companies with both low and high (E)SG scores are more likely to engage in greenwashing. Additionally, ESG disclosure score, company size, cash-to-assets, and capital intensity are positively associated with greenwashing behavior. Furthermore, greenwashing behavior is more prevalent in consumer-related industries than in other industries. Building on the identified determinants of greenwashing behavior, we develop machine learning models grounded in economic theory to forecast greenwashing risk. Overall, our analyses demonstrate how current and future greenwashing risks can be effectively assessed. This enables stakeholders such as investors and policymakers to better identify corporate greenwashing behavior and incorporate the associated risks into their decision-making.

Country
Germany
Related Organizations
Keywords

Greenwashing, ESG scores, Corporate misconduct, Risk management, Forecasting, Machine learning, Information asymmetry, ddc:330, 330 Wirtschaft

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    popularity
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    influence
    This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
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Powered by OpenAIRE graph
Found an issue? Give us feedback
selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
2
Top 10%
Average
Average
hybrid