A Threat of Greenwashing and Info Overload

• A research by Hospitality and Tourism Administration discovered that extreme sustainability info from resorts might result in buyer skepticism and perceptions of ‘greenwashing’. 
• Over half of the research respondents felt that resorts both overstate sustainability claims or masks necessary sustainability info.

An intensive research carried out by Hospitality and Tourism Administration has highlighted potential points with lodge sustainability info. The analysis signifies that extreme amount and complexity of this info might result in buyer confusion and skepticism, probably driving perceptions of ‘greenwashing’. The research was printed within the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Administration and concerned over 800 customers of lodge search platforms within the UK and Germany.

The researchers used self-reported information and sustainability scores from Reserving.com’s now-defunct Journey Sustainable label. The label was eliminated in March 2024 following criticism from the Netherlands’ Shoppers and Markets Authority.

Survey outcomes confirmed that 48% of respondents described the sustainability info as an ‘overload’, 47% discovered it ‘not simply interpretable’, and 41% deemed it pointless. Moreover, 59% of individuals felt that resorts typically ‘overstate or exaggerate’ their sustainability efforts, whereas 49% believed that resorts ‘pass over or masks necessary info’ on sustainability.

The research’s researchers highlighted the necessity for sustainability info to be reliable and useful as an alternative of being perceived as extreme, pointless, and overly complicated. They additional famous that info overload, particularly in digital retail environments, might happen when the data is unfamiliar, complicated, or offered at a tempo quicker than it may be processed.

The research concluded that sustainability communication can typically be too frequent, ambiguous, and undifferentiated, resulting in buyer confusion and perceived greenwashing. ‘Greenwashing’ was outlined as giving a misunderstanding of sustainability options or advantages.

Co-author of the research Xavier Font, a professor of sustainability advertising and marketing on the College of Surrey, reiterated the significance of how customers understand sustainability info. He recommended that whereas resorts purpose to point out their dedication to sustainability, they have to additionally take into account how their prospects obtain this info.

The research additionally emphasised the worth of knowledge that resonates with client expectations and enhances buyer worth. It famous that many sustainability practices have turn out to be commonplace and legally required, making communication redundant.

Apparently, the research discovered that prospects with greater sustainability expectations have been extra forgiving of a point of greenwashing. Nevertheless, when prospects’ expectations have been low, the adverse affect of greenwashing was stronger – a discovering opposite to the researchers’ preliminary expectations.