Greenwashing and Consumer Behavior in the Food and Beverage Industry - The Case of Nespresso Original Coffee Pods and Capsules

Abstract

This work aimed at understanding the extent to which consumers can detect greenwashing within the Food and Beverage industry. It also attempted to study the effect of a perception of greenwashing on consumer behavior. Methodologically, it relied on a qualitative analysis of the social media posts and comments surrounding Nespresso’s pods and capsules’ potential greenwashing. This work found that although companies in the Food and Beverage Industry might deliver strong sustainability messages, their messaging might be faced with low engagement by consumers. Moreover, this work found that consumers have the ability to detect greenwashing either by explicitly mentioning the deceptive practice or by implicitly changing their behavior. Results allowed for the validation of three important propositions: 1) Consumers perceived greenwashing negatively affects their purchase intentions and perceived product quality in the Food and Beverage Industry 2) Consumers perceived greenwashing negatively affects consumers’ green trust and positively affects consumer confusion in the Food and Beverage Industry. 3) Transparency plays a pivotal role in lessening consumer perceived greenwashing in the Food and Beverage Industry. These findings allowed for a formalization of implementable actions by companies in the food and beverage industry to avoid the negative effects of perceived greenwashing. These recommendations include an increase in transparency and a prioritization of execution and implementation among other things.