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Eckberg, Jens ; Dorfleitner, Gregor ; Kathan, Manuel C. ; Utz, Sebastian

Determinants and forecasting of corporate greenwashing behavior

Eckberg, Jens , Dorfleitner, Gregor , Kathan, Manuel C. and Utz, Sebastian (2025) Determinants and forecasting of corporate greenwashing behavior. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization 241, p. 107354.

Date of publication of this fulltext: 09 Dec 2025 05:26
Article
DOI to cite this document: 10.5283/epub.78298


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, ...

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.



Involved Institutions


Details

Item typeArticle
Journal or Publication TitleJournal of Economic Behavior & Organization
Publisher:Elsevier
Open Access Type:DEAL (Elsevier)
Volume:241
Page Range:p. 107354
Date4 December 2025
InstitutionsBusiness, Economics and Information Systems > Institut für Betriebswirtschaftslehre
Business, Economics and Information Systems > Institut für Betriebswirtschaftslehre > Lehrstuhl für Finanzierung (Prof. Dr. Gregor Dorfleitner)
Identification Number
ValueType
10.1016/j.jebo.2025.107354DOI
KeywordsGreenwashing, ESG scores, Corporate misconduct, Risk management, Forecasting, Machine learning, Information asymmetry
Dewey Decimal Classification300 Social sciences > 330 Economics
StatusPublished
RefereedYes, this version has been refereed
Created at the University of RegensburgPartially
URN of the UB Regensburgurn:nbn:de:bvb:355-epub-782988
Item ID78298

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