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How Do Environmental Regulation and Media Pressure Influence Greenwashing Behaviors in Chinese Manufacturing Enterprises?

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Faced with mounting pressure to achieve high-quality green transformation, manufacturing enterprises are increasingly scrutinized for greenwashing behaviors. This study develops a novel hybrid modeling framework that combines evolutionary game theory with the SEIR epidemic model to investigate the dynamic interactions between environmental regulation, media pressure, and green innovation behavior. The model captures how strategic decisions among boundedly rational actors evolve over time under dual external pressures. Simulation results show that stronger environmental regulatory intensity accelerates the adoption of substantive green innovation and concurrently reduces the media pressure associated with greenwashing. Moreover, while social media disclosure has a limited impact during the early stages of greenwashing information diffusion, its influence becomes significantly amplified once a critical dissemination threshold is surpassed, rapidly transforming latent information into widespread public concern. This amplification triggers significant public opinion pressure, which, in turn, incentivizes local governments to enforce stricter environmental policies. The findings reveal a synergistic governance mechanism where environmental regulation and media scrutiny jointly curb greenwashing and foster genuine corporate sustainability.

Source: Sustainability

DOI: 10.3390/su17115066

Authors: Zhi Yang, Xiaoyu Zha

Institution: Henan University of Science and Technology

Language: English

Topic: Environmental Sustainability in Business

Subfield: Marketing

Field: Business, Management and Accounting

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Responsible consumption and production, Climate action

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,896