Impact of Greenwashing on Consumer Perception Towards Green Products with Special Reference to Ernakulam District, Kerala.

Abstract Motivated by the discussion and challenges of greenwashing, this study examines its impact on consumer perceptions and purchasing decisions in Ernakulam district in Kerala, India. Everyone is keen on communicating message about their product in an environmentally responsible way because of the increasing demand for these products, but ultimately ecological messages can cause doubts and lack of consumer confidence. The descriptive research design was used and primary data were gathered from 102 respondents using structured questionnaires. The results suggest that people with greater knowledge of greenwashing are more critical toward environmental claims and rate their trust in environmental claims and purchase intention lower. The regression analysis shows that trust in green labelling claims has the greatest influence on green purchasing behaviour while past exposure of greenwashing negatively impacts purchase behaviour. The ANOVA results also confirm that significant differences exist between the different consumers according to their level of greenwashing awareness in terms of their perception and behavior. The results indicate that awareness fosters a critical evaluation of the environmental claims made about the products they buy. The study suggests implementation of stricter environmental advertising regulations, increasing transparency in corporate advertising messages, and making consumers more aware of advertising to reduce the amount of misleading green advertising messages. The results offer valuable implications for marketers and policy makers when working on creating relevant methods of sustainability practices and building confidence in green products. Keywords: Greenwashing, Consumer Perception, Purchase Behaviour, Environmental Claims, Sustainable Marketing