Abstract

With a significant segment of the consumers preferring green (environmentally friendly) products, many companies cutting across industries are jumping onto the green bandwagon. To ensure that consumers are not duped by the green marketing efforts of companies with questionable green credentials, savvy consumers, environ-mental activists, as well as regulators are preparing to crack down on greenwashing. According to analysts, public scrutiny and the fear of social criticism, if not regulations, would help in curbing the increasing instances of greenwashing.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Societal Marketing Concept
• Promotion
• and Ethics.

Keywords

Greenwashing, green marketing, environmental marketing, social criticism, Lohas, Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability, Social Marketing, Greenwashing Index, marketing communication, Advertising, misleading ads, Green Guide, Climate Change, carbon emissions, sustainable development, competitive advantage, FTC, Home Depot, Energy Star, BP, Chevron, Dow, DuPont, Ford Motor Company, General Electrics, Wal-Mart, TerraChoice, Starbucks, Levi