Beyond greenwashing: How green reporting authenticity triggers moral emotions and value congruence to drive green purchase intention

As concerns over greenwashing rise, the authenticity of corporate green reporting has become a critical determinant of consumer behavior. Grounded in signaling theory, this study develops a moderated chain mediation model to examine how green reporting authenticity influences green purchase intention through the sequential psychological mechanisms of moral emotions and value congruence, with the perceived strength of situational norms serving as a contextual moderator. Utilizing a bias-corrected, non-parametric percentile bootstrap approach to analyze 426 valid survey responses, the research reveals three primary findings. First, green reporting authenticity exerts a significant positive effect on green purchase intention. Second, moral emotions and value congruence function as both independent and sequential mediators, reflecting a psychological progression from emotional activation to value internalization. Third, the perceived strength of situational norms significantly moderates this chain mechanism; strong normative contexts enhance the capacity of authenticity signals to elicit positive moral emotions and reinforce value alignment, whereas this process is weaker in low-normative environments. Ultimately, the study demonstrates that green purchasing decisions are jointly shaped by internal psychological transitions and the broader normative climate. These findings extend the application of signaling theory to the emotional and value domains of green consumption and provide a structured framework for firms to optimize green reporting strategies by fostering emotional engagement and value resonance within supportive social contexts.