Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Greenwashing is a growing concern globally. The increase in the number of green-marketed
products has resulted in an increase in greenwashing. Some companies market their products as
green, while they are not. They then respond with greenwashing to neutralise condemnations from
environmental laws and government or to gain competitive advantage. Investigations into the
existence of greenwashing in developed countries have shown high percentages. This study was
therefore aimed at investigating the magnitude of greenwashing in South African products and
determining whether there is a similar trend to other investigated countries.
This research study was conducted among six South African magazines, which have different
target markets and therefore advertise different product categories. The results indicated that 94
percent of green-advertised products in South Africa were greenwashing. Baby products and
cosmetic products had the highest percentage of green-advertised products and greenwashing
products. Amongst the sins of greenwashing, which were used to analyse the greenness of the
products, the sins of ‘vagueness’ and ‘no proof’ had the highest percentages and were evident in
all product categories.
The study also determined which target market was most susceptible to greenwashing. The results
show that new mothers were more likely to buy green products, followed by women in general. The
green claims that showed evidence of highest presence in South African products were BPA-free,
Natural, Organic and Pure.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/97411 |
| Date | 04 1900 |
| Creators | Pindela, Nosizo |
| Contributors | Volschenk, Jako, Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Graduate School of Business. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | x, 73 pages |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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