Greenwashing in Sustainability Communication: Effects on Green Trust, Green Confusion, and Green Brand Equity in the Indonesian Fast-Food Industry
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18326/inject.v11i2.7128Keywords:
Greenwashing, Green Brand Equity, Green Trust, Green Confusion, Theory of Planned BehaviorAbstract
This study examines the effect of greenwashing on green brand equity through green trust and green confusion in Yogyakarta’s fast-food industry. Concerns over sustainability communication credibility have increased uncertainty regarding the alignment between corporate environmental claims and consumers’ perceptions of actual practices. The analysis applies the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework to explain how consumers’ perceptions of environmental claims influence these variables. A quantitative research design was adopted, drawing on primary data derived from respondents’ answers to an online questionnaire. All constructs were operationalized and measured using a five-point Likert response scale. The study sample comprised 200 eligible respondents selected through a purposive sampling procedure within a non-probability sampling framework. The empirical model was analyzed using PLS-SEM in SmartPLS 4 through assessments of the measurement and structural models. Greenwashing weakens green trust and green brand equity while amplifying green confusion. Furthermore, the empirical evidence suggests that green trust contributes positively to the development of green brand equity, whereas green confusion exerts an adverse influence on this construct. In addition, the impact of greenwashing on green brand equity operates through two significant mediating mechanisms, namely green trust and green confusion, with the former exerting the greater mediating influence.
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