2025, Vol. 6, Issue 2, Part I

Purpose: The study aimed to explore the impact of greenwashed brand activism on customer loyalty among Indian consumers. It focused on how exaggerated, irrelevant, and inconsistent activism practices affect trust and brand commitment. Various dimensions of activism-social, environmental, legal, political, economic, and business-were analyzed. The objective was to assess whether deceptive sustainability claims diminish brand credibility and loyalty.

Methodology: The research employed a quantitative approach using a structured questionnaire administered to 145 Indian respondents familiar with greenwashed brands. A purposive non-probability sampling method was used to ensure relevant consumer insights. Discriminant Analysis was conducted to classify loyalty patterns influenced by greenwashing dimensions. Regression Analysis was applied to assess the strength and direction of their impact on customer loyalty.

Findings: The findings revealed that exaggerated claims, irrelevant activism, and inconsistent messaging had the highest correlations in Function 1, weakening brand authenticity. Contradictory business practices and lack of transparency strongly influenced Function 2, damaging trust. Regression results showed significant negative impacts of performative activism tactics on loyalty. Consumers were especially critical when core issues were ignored or activism was used as a marketing gimmick.