GREENWASHING PHENOMENON AND ITS IMPACT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: CHALLENGES TO ACHIEVING SDG-12 ON SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION

Through this article, I propose a synthetic analysis of the greenwashing phenomenon and its impact on sustainable development, with a focus on sustainable or green consumption and production. This analysis is valuable in the context of the approaching year 2030, when the extent to which the targets set by the United Nations (UN) in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will have been achieved will be debated. In the first part of the article, the trajectory of global concerns regarding sustainable development and sustainable consumption and production is described. The second part presents various scientific approaches to measuring responsible and sustainable consumption, highlighting the increasing tendency of people to adopt a lifestyle based on green consumption, thus becoming green consumers. The third part addresses the phenomenon of greenwashing and its implications for the SDGs. In short, greenwashing represents a misinformation strategy that hides (intentionally or unintentionally) certain information from consumers, used by various companies in order to create the image of organizations concerned about environmental issues and the implementation of sustainable production methods. This phenomenon can create major confusion among green consumers, who are oriented toward sustainable consumption practices. They may fail to recognize whether a product is truly sustainable, whether a company is genuinely committed to promoting green / sustainable consumption, or whether a transition is actually taking place from a linear to a circular economy. Furthermore, greenwashing can fuel increasing skepticism both among consumers, who lose trust in responsible consumption practices, and investors, who wish to support companies that implement environmentally-friendly activities. Therefore, the greenwashing phenomenon proves to be a major challenge in achieving the targets set in the SDGs.