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A reflection of greenwashing practices in the hospitality industry: a scoping review

Salman Majeed (SILC Business School, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China, International Center for Hospitality Research and Development, Dedman College of Hospitality, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA)
Woo Gon Kim (International Center for Hospitality Research and Development, Dedman College of Hospitality, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA)

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management

ISSN: 0959-6119

Article publication date: 17 October 2022

Issue publication date: 7 February 2023

4248

Abstract

Purpose

This review aims to put forth a conceptual understanding of greenwashing. It also identifies the antecedents and consequences of customer perceptions of greenwashing in the hospitality industry in the recent context, which has remained superficial and fragmented in previous studies.

Design/methodology/approach

Published literature between the years 2000 and 2022 was examined, following the scoping review approach. After screening out irrelevant and duplicate literature, a total of 54 published literature items were considered.

Findings

Despite a profound understanding of customer perceptions of greenwashing, the findings show that the majority of customer perceptions of greenwashing are determined by the green efforts of hotel operators, through means such as green knowledge sharing, green marketing, the disclosure of green information, resource conservation claims and environmental certification. Additionally, customer perceptions of greenwashing determine a variety of customer green behaviors where customer green attitude plays an intervening role.

Practical implications

A benefit of the proposed conceptual model for hospitality stakeholders is that it aids in understanding customer suspicion regarding the legitimacy of hotel green practices. The conceptual model of this review, and a 2 × 3 matrix on hotel environmental performance and communication, provides a theoretical lens for scholars and practitioners in the hospitality industry to develop effective green strategies and practices, reducing customer perceptions of greenwashing while positively influencing customer green behavior. This review presents a launching platform from which research on greenwashing in the hospitality industry can skyrocket.

Originality/value

In previous studies, the conceptual understanding of greenwashing in hospitality has remained inconsistent, shallow and mixed. This review identifies the different and previously deeply underexplored antecedents and consequences of customer perceptions of greenwashing and presents them in a conceptual model.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors express their thanks to the journal’s editors and anonymous reviewers for making constructive suggestions to improve the quality of this review.

Citation

Majeed, S. and Kim, W.G. (2023), "A reflection of greenwashing practices in the hospitality industry: a scoping review", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 35 No. 3, pp. 1125-1146. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-04-2022-0495

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited

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