The effects of greenwash on the green brand equity: an application on car brands

Introducing or advertising different brands in the market in a way that is different from reality by means of green, environmentally friendly, harmless means that it affects the consumer psychologically. This misinformation has a negative effect on the confidence of the companies that act ethically in this regard, as well as harming the confidence of consumers and the multitude of environmental claims that do not reflect reality. For this reason, it is very important to distinguish real environmentalism and fake environmental activities. The aim of this study is to understand what greenwash means, to raise awareness on environmental awareness and to determine the effects of greenwash on brand equity for consumers. The main mass of the study consists of automobile owners living in the city of Erzurum. As a sampling method, convenience sampling method was used from random sampling methods. Data were collected by face to face survey method. A total of 500 questionnaires were applied; as a result of the elimination of missing, incorrect and faulty surveys, 408 questionnaires were taken into consideration. The research data obtained as a result of the survey were analyzed with structural equation model. As a result of the study, greenwash has negative effect on green trust, green satisfaction and green perceived quality; green trust, green satisfaction and green perceived quality have positive effects on word-of-mouth and also word-of-mouth has positive effect on brand equity.