Is greenwashing a common practice in energy market?

Abstract

The need for meeting energy needs but at the same time reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) produced by primary energy sources has raised a wide range of concerns for different for industrial activities. Nonetheless, the development of the green marketing strategies over the year has drawn attention to a new phenomenon, namely the Greenwashing. This research attempts to contribute to analyze the use of greenwashing practices in companies’ operating in the regulated energy market. Results from the content analysis showed that practices of greenwashing are not generalizable to the sample observed. However, for some companies these practices were evidenced.