Jurnal Manajemen
Vol 6, No 2 (2026): Agustus

I STILL HAVEN'T FOUND WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR: THE GAP BETWEEN CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY CLAIMS AND ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION

M. Ikhwan Maulana Haeruddin (Universitas Negeri Makassar)
Hikmah Hiromi (Universitas Muslim Indonesia)
Rahmawati Rahmawati (Universitas Negeri Makassar)
Chalid Imran Musa (Universitas Negeri Makassar)
Muhammad Akhsan Tenrisau (Universitas Muslim Indonesia)
A.M. Fadli Mappisabbi (Bank Sulselbar)



Article Info

Publish Date
07 Oct 2026

Abstract

Abstract: Greenwashing has emerged as a critical challenge in contemporary sustainability communication, particularly as organizations face increasing pressure to demonstrate environmental responsibility. Although sustainability encompasses interconnected environmental, social, and economic dimensions, corporate communication frequently emphasizes environmental narratives without being supported by substantive organizational action. This discrepancy creates a communication–action gap in which sustainability claims may be exaggerated, selective, misleading, or inconsistent with actual corporate practices. This conceptual study examines greenwashing as a form of sustainability communication that can distort stakeholder perceptions and undermine the principles of transparency, accountability, and corporate responsibility. Greenwashing may occur through advertising, marketing campaigns, sustainability reports, symbolic environmental imagery, and selective disclosure of sustainability-related information, whereby organizations highlight limited environmental initiatives while obscuring practices that generate substantially greater environmental impacts. Such communication not only risks misleading consumers and other stakeholders but may also weaken trust in corporate sustainability claims and impede broader efforts to address climate change and environmental degradation. By positioning greenwashing within the broader sustainability communication discourse, this study highlights the importance of consistency between corporate rhetoric, disclosed information, and substantive organizational action. This conceptual study adopts a narrative literature review and critical conceptual analysis. Scholarly literature addressing greenwashing, sustainability communication, corporate sustainability, environmental claims, and stakeholder accountability is examined and synthesized to identify recurring conceptual patterns, clarify the communication–action gap, and develop an integrated framework for understanding greenwashing as a form of sustainability communication. The study further emphasizes that credible sustainability communication requires transparency, balanced disclosure, verifiable evidence, and alignment between communicated commitments and measurable outcomes. Understanding this communication–action gap is therefore essential for strengthening corporate accountability and ensuring that sustainability communication contributes meaningfully to sustainable development rather than functioning primarily as an instrument of corporate image management.Keywords: Greenwashing, Sustainability Communication, Corporate Sustainability, Environmental Claims, Corporate Accountability, Communication–Action Gap

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Journal Info

Abbrev

manajemen

Publisher

Subject

Decision Sciences, Operations Research & Management Economics, Econometrics & Finance

Description

Jurnal Manajemen is a media or means of communication and scientific publication from the result of management science thought and research carried out by lecturers, researchers and related research institutions. Jurnal Manajemen are published twice a year (February and August) through Open Journal ...