Coimbra, Portugal, Aug. 6, 2025 (Lusa) - A study by the Miguel Torga Higher Institute (ISMT) in Coimbra revealed that most Portuguese consumers, when they realise that a brand is lying about its sustainable practices, stop buying its products.
When they realise that a company is engaging in “greenwashing” - campaigns, labels or claims of environmental behaviour that do not correspond to reality - Portuguese consumers stop buying that brand's products and look for more ethical alternatives, said the ISMT in a statement sent to the Lusa news agency.
The brands most identified by respondents as falling into the “greenwashing” model include Volkswagen, cited by around 40% of the sample, followed by Portuguese energy companies EDP and Galp.
The findings also show a pattern of loss of trust, rejection of the brand and, in many cases, definitive abandonment.
"People are not just disappointed - they are reacting strongly to a type of deception they consider particularly serious: the abusive use of environmental causes for commercial purposes," said ISMT professor and researcher Célia Santos, who coordinated the study in collaboration with Arnaldo Coelho, from the University of Coimbra, and Alzira Marques, from the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria.
For the professor, “this is a rational break, in which consumers feel they have been manipulated and respond by turning away.”
This distancing is “intentional, informed and persistent,” often marking the end of the relationship between consumer and brand.
“The perception of inconsistency between environmental discourse and practice is not forgiven,” emphasised Célia Santos.
The research, which conducted a nationwide survey, identified two main mechanisms that explain the shift: “green confusion” (difficulty in distinguishing whether a product is truly sustainable or just promoted as such) and the emergence of extreme negative emotions, referred to as “brand hatred”.
“When consumers realise that they cannot trust the information they are given, they become alert. They become more suspicious, feel frustrated and lose a sense of control over their purchasing decisions,” she explained.
In this context, the reaction is to pursue ethical consumption, where the customer “tries to regain that control by choosing brands they consider more transparent, even if this means changing their habits or paying more”.
“The negative emotions that are generated, such as indignation or contempt, do not disappear with a new campaign or the repositioning of the brand. On the contrary, they often consolidate themselves as forms of lasting rejection,” noted the researcher.
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