2023-03-15 WHAT IS GREENWASHING? Greenwashing or eco-manipulation happens when organizations try to falsely create an ecologically positive image by promoting its product, deceiving consumers and encouraging them to buy (Publications Office of European Union [POEU], 2021). Often, important information is withheld, but organizations try to create an illusion that their product is sustainable and everything presented is completely true. The term greenwashing was first mentioned and became widely used in 1980, when it was used to describe the attempts of large organizations to create a friendly and sustainable image that is visible to the public, but in reality these beliefs are not always followed (Braga et al., 2019). The use of the concept of greenwashing or eco-manipulation has grown significantly in recent years. The increased popularity and marketability of sustainable fashion products (Danziger, 2019) has encouraged companies and organizations to change their advertising strategies as well, creating an image of a positive and sustainable product. In order for the products to meet the requirements of a sustainable product, companies create new packaging and various, and often not real, sustainability certificates are assigned. In this way, it is easy to create an image of sustainability , but it does not always mean that the promoted product is actually eco-friendly. Fashion industry The definition of fashion is very broad and it often describes any product or market that has an element of style that is likely to be short-lived (Christopher, 2004). According to Čiarnienė and Vienažindienė (2014), in the garment industry, fashion is mostly used to describe a style of clothing worn by a group of people at any given time. It refers to the general way of life and attitude of the society. Fashion often reflects changes in society politically, economically and culturally. However, when it comes to fashion, we must not forget that the fashion industry consists of many stages. It begins with design and production, but also includes other important stages such as distribution, sales, advertising, etc. It is no wonder that the industry, which covers so many different areas, is one of the largest in the world in terms of profits earned and the number of people employed. It is clear that an industry of this size affects not only the people who work in it, but also the environment as a whole, and its negative effects can affect people's lives all over the world. A special interest in the environmental problems caused by the fashion industry arose with the rise of fast fashion. Fast fashion is a term used to describe a fashion business model in which a larger number of new collections are created, the shelf life of clothes is shortened, and the prices offered are usually much lower than usual (House of Common Environmental Audit Committee [HCEAC], 2019). As a response to fast fashion manufacturers, sustainable or slow fashion has started to gain popularity around the world. Sustainability is defined as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the possibilities of the future (World Commission on Environment and Development [WCED], 1987). The Sustainability Society Foundation [SSI] distinguished three important aspects to describe the concept of sustainability: human well-being, environmental well-being and economic well-being. Wei and Jung (2017) described sustainable fashion as fashion that provides benefits or at least no longer creates damage to the environment or society during its production and consumption processes. In the sustainable fashion industry, at all stages, efforts are made to use all available raw materials as efficiently as possible, to create none or as little waste as possible, to meet the needs of employees and to have as little impact on the environment as possible (Shen, 2014). Consumer buying behavior and sustainability The concept of consumer buying behavior is defined as the final behavior of the consumer during the purchase. (Delafrooz, 2014). Consumer buying behavior generally consists of five important parts: the need to search for solutions, the discovery of solutions, the evaluation of possible solutions, the purchase decision, and the post-purchase behavior. All these parts depend on social, cultural, psychological, advertising and other factors. Consumer behavior is greatly influenced by the people and organizations around him (Braga, 2019). Based on these insights, it can be said that the growing popularity of responsible consumption and environmental topics encourages consumers to change their purchasing habits, even if they were not interested in it until now. According to Delafrooz (2014), although when choosing a sustainable product all buyers have their own reasons for their choice, there is a trend that consumers are not inclined to buy products that may cause hazards to human health or the environment or create excessive amounts of waste. Greenwashing, fashion and consumers According to Chen and Chang (2013), greenwashing is directly related to consumers' propensity to purchase a product. However, the authors themselves say that the rapidly growing demand for sustainable goods and the use of eco-manipulation have also encouraged consumers to be more careful when choosing a product and brand. Chen and Chang (2013) argue that when it is revealed that a brand has been promoted through eco-manipulation strategies, such an organization quickly loses consumer trust. A survey conducted by Braga (2019) attempted to determine how eco-manipulation affects consumer values and their purchasing habits. 800 people living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and who shop at supermarkets at least every two weeks were selected for the survey. The gender, age, family composition, and income of the interviewees differed. The survey was completed online. Respondents were given 63 statements about eco-manipulation, sustainable products, their labels and packaging, advertisements of sustainable brands, consumer values and beliefs, satisfaction with purchases, and brand loyalty. The final results revealed that greenwashing has a positive relationship with consumer behavior towards choosing a sustainable product, i.e. under the influence of greenwashing, consumers buy more products. Delafrooz et al. (2014) also tried to determine the impact of eco-manipulation on consumer behavior in Tehran. The results of this survey also showed that greenwashing has a positive relationship with consumer behavior when choosing products, i.e. eco-manipulation makes them purchase goods. Conclusions Over the past few years, consumer interest in responsible consumption and sustainable products has increased (Danziger, 2019). Brands, in order to increase their sales, started following new trends and creating new images and advertisements that would better reflect sustainability. Fashion brands have also followed suit. Although there is no shortage of sustainable fashion brands that care about the well-being of nature and people, the fashion industry is one of the dirtiest in the world (Thomas, 2019). That is why articles about eco-manipulation by fashion brands have increased in the popular press (Webb, 2021; Webb, 2020). Such articles often claim that eco-manipulation (or greenwashing) tricks consumers into buying less-than-sustainable products. Although eco-manipulation is not a new concept and its impact has been explored in many scientific works, eco-manipulation in the fashion industry has been explored a lot. The authors of all the works examined during this review agree and confirm that eco-manipulation really influences the behavior of consumers when choosing products. According to some authors (Braga, 2019; Delafrooz, 2014), greenwashing has a positive effect on consumer behavior when choosing products, i.e. consumers influenced by false advertising, packaging, etc., buy more products. Chen and Chang (2013) also observed that consumers, who understand that a brand uses eco-manipulation strategies and misinformation, are less likely to choose the same brand later. Resources Braga, S., Martínez, M. P., Correa, C. M., Moura-Leite, R. C., & Da Silva, D. (2019). 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