White-Collar Greenwashing: Criminological Aspects of Green Marketing in Renewable Energy Projects
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61823/dpia.2026.1.545Keywords:
corporate crime, green criminology, informational asymmetry, information manipulation, regulatory policyAbstract
This article offers a systematic analysis of white-collar greenwashing, conceptualised as a complex phenomenon operating at the intersection of economic, environmental, and informational pathologies. The study, grounded in an interdisciplinary criminological perspective combined with legal and media discourse analysis, indicates that these practices, particularly within the Renewable Energy Sources (RES) sector, constitute a form of hidden pathology. Greenwashing, by exploiting information asymmetry and mechanisms of moral rationalisation, not only manipulates markets but also erodes public trust and undermines the legitimacy of sustainable development policies. Theoretically, the phenomenon is interpreted through the lens of Rational Choice Theory, Green Criminology, and the concepts of institutional hypocrisy. Findings from case studies conducted in Central and Eastern Europe indicate that key communication slogans (such as “climate neutrality” or “green transition”) serve to legitimise harmful activities. The paper highlights the issue of compliance formalism (the superficial satisfaction of legal requirements without genuine adherence to their axiological goals), which contributes to diffused victimisation and the normalisation of damaging practices. The article postulates strengthening cognitive and educational prevention and frames white-collar greenwashing as a hybrid form of economic pathology, where information serves simultaneously as the tool, object, and environment of the offence.
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