Purposeful and unintentional greenwashing in higher education.

Abstract

Purposeful and unintentional greenwashing in Higher Education. HEIs are making commitments to greenhouse gas reduction and adopting sustainable practices with increasing vigour. But might their progress be jeopardized by greenwashing? This paper argues that both purposeful and unintentional greenwashing are a potential threat to HEIs’ engagement with the sustainability agenda. It reports on a pilot research study which engages with a UK HEI’s marketing and sustainability departments and finds evidence of unintentional greenwashing influenced by a lack of sustainability literacy and collaborative orientation. It articulates a plan for future research with UK HEIs to enable us to challenge purposeful greenwashing and avoid unintentional greenwashing within the HE sector, and develop policy relating to greenwashing to inform marketing departments’ activity. We aim to support sustainable behaviours within HEI communities, building green trust within the sector, and providing our students with exemplars of good practice to inform their future professional endeavours (Cownie, 2021).