arbiter
JournalsAccount

Greenwashing in marketing: a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis

Antonios Persakis et al.

International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing2025https://doi.org/10.1007/s12208-025-00452-xarticle
ABDC B
Weight
0.57

Abstract

The rising demand for environmental accountability has led to the proliferation of green claims in marketing, but also to widespread concerns about greenwashing—the practice of making deceptive or exaggerated environmental claims. This study presents a comprehensive examination of greenwashing in marketing through a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis. By analyzing 419 peer-reviewed articles published between 2004 and 2024, we identify key themes, influential publications, and emerging trends within the literature. Our findings reveal how greenwashing strategies affect consumer trust, brand perception, and corporate transparency. We highlight the pervasive effects of greenwashing on marketing ethics and consumer skepticism, while also outlining opportunities for future research to develop more effective regulatory and ethical marketing practices. This work provides valuable insights for marketers, policymakers, and researchers, emphasizing the need for transparency and authenticity in environmental communications to rebuild consumer trust and promote genuine sustainability efforts.

11 citations

Open via your library →

Cite this paper

https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s12208-025-00452-x

Or copy a formatted citation

@article{antonios2025,
  title        = {{Greenwashing in marketing: a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis}},
  author       = {Antonios Persakis et al.},
  journal      = {International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing},
  year         = {2025},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s12208-025-00452-x},
}

Paste directly into BibTeX, Zotero, or your reference manager.

Flag this paper

Greenwashing in marketing: a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis

Flags are reviewed by the Arbiter methodology team within 5 business days.

Evidence weight

0.57

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.57 × 0.4 = 0.23
M · momentum0.78 × 0.15 = 0.12
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.