Greenwashing : A critical realist approach to the study of false ecological claims
(2025) In Journal of Critical Realism- Abstract
- Greenwashing is on the rise as a strategy for maintaining business-as-usual through false ecological claims. This paper articulates an approach to the study of greenwashing guided by the philosophy of critical realism. In its first move, it identifies greenwashing as depending on the possibility of socially conflating the relation between transitive and intransitive objects of knowledge. The paper discusses theories of truth suitable for detecting mismatches between ecological claims and performances, with particular attention to correspondence theory and alethic truth. It then provides an illustrative reading of the oil corporation Preem’s greenwashing campaign through critical realism’s ‘holy trinity’ and explores ‘ideology’ and... (More)
- Greenwashing is on the rise as a strategy for maintaining business-as-usual through false ecological claims. This paper articulates an approach to the study of greenwashing guided by the philosophy of critical realism. In its first move, it identifies greenwashing as depending on the possibility of socially conflating the relation between transitive and intransitive objects of knowledge. The paper discusses theories of truth suitable for detecting mismatches between ecological claims and performances, with particular attention to correspondence theory and alethic truth. It then provides an illustrative reading of the oil corporation Preem’s greenwashing campaign through critical realism’s ‘holy trinity’ and explores ‘ideology’ and ‘fetishism’ as concepts for judging falsehoods and theorizing greenwashing. The paper ends with a step-by-step guide to the critical realist study of greenwashing and its emancipatory absence. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/26c5b44a-5491-42b1-bd87-4b0906e6c43d
- author
- Roos, Andreas LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2025-05-27
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- epub
- subject
- keywords
- greenwashing, critical realism, judgmental rationality, fetishism, transitive and intransitive, differentiation-in-unity
- in
- Journal of Critical Realism
- publisher
- Maney Publishing
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:105007017701
- ISSN
- 1476-7430
- DOI
- 10.1080/14767430.2025.2503634
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 26c5b44a-5491-42b1-bd87-4b0906e6c43d
- alternative location
- https://doi.org/10.1080/14767430.2025.2503634
- date added to LUP
- 2025-05-28 11:29:18
- date last changed
- 2025-07-14 04:01:52
@article{26c5b44a-5491-42b1-bd87-4b0906e6c43d,
abstract = {{Greenwashing is on the rise as a strategy for maintaining business-as-usual through false ecological claims. This paper articulates an approach to the study of greenwashing guided by the philosophy of critical realism. In its first move, it identifies greenwashing as depending on the possibility of socially conflating the relation between transitive and intransitive objects of knowledge. The paper discusses theories of truth suitable for detecting mismatches between ecological claims and performances, with particular attention to correspondence theory and alethic truth. It then provides an illustrative reading of the oil corporation Preem’s greenwashing campaign through critical realism’s ‘holy trinity’ and explores ‘ideology’ and ‘fetishism’ as concepts for judging falsehoods and theorizing greenwashing. The paper ends with a step-by-step guide to the critical realist study of greenwashing and its emancipatory absence.}},
author = {{Roos, Andreas}},
issn = {{1476-7430}},
keywords = {{greenwashing; critical realism; judgmental rationality; fetishism; transitive and intransitive; differentiation-in-unity}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{05}},
publisher = {{Maney Publishing}},
series = {{Journal of Critical Realism}},
title = {{Greenwashing : A critical realist approach to the study of false ecological claims}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14767430.2025.2503634}},
doi = {{10.1080/14767430.2025.2503634}},
year = {{2025}},
}