Environmental Claim Management in B2B Markets : A Multiple Case Study

Abstract

Environmental claims have become an essential communication tool for B2B companies seeking to demonstrate their environmental performance and sustainability commitments. Environmental claims enable firms to communicate environmental value, differentiate products and services, build trust with stakeholders and respond to increasing customer and regulatory expectations. However, the credibility of these claims is increasingly questioned due to the risk of greenwashing. Although greenwashing has been widely examined in consumer markets, limited empirical research has explored how environmental claims can be effectively managed in B2B contexts. The study addresses this gap by examining how B2B managers perceive environmental claims and greenwashing, as well as the organizational practices companies use to manage environmental claims.

The study employs a qualitative multiple-case study design with eight sustainability-oriented B2B companies. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using abductive thematic analysis with the use of MAXQDA software. The initial conceptual framework was developed based on the literature in marketing, sustainability communication and greenwashing and later the conceptual model was revised based on the empirical findings of the study.

The findings show that B2B managers perceive environmental claims as essential strategic organizational tools for demonstrating environmental performance and support value-based selling. Rather than marketing slogans, environmental claims are viewed as factual, measurable, and technically defensible statements that must be supported by calculations, life cycle assessments, third-party verifications, supplier data and expert validation.

Managers perceive greenwashing as communicating misleading, exaggerated or unsubstantiated environmental claims, often resulting from insufficient evidence, inadequate internal processes and poor cross-functional coordination rather than deliberate deception. Managers recognize that vague, unverified and overly broad claims increase the risk of greenwashing.

The findings further suggest that environmental claim management in B2B markets is an iterative process where claim design, claim verification and greenwashing prevention are closely interconnected. In particular, greenwashing detection is identified as a proactive process carried out by the companies themselves and embedded within their claim verification process. Moreover, findings indicate that effective claim management relies on cross-functional collaboration, evidence-based substantiation, organizational capabilities and transparent communication practices.

Based on these findings, the study proposes an integrated environmental claim management process and an empirically revised conceptual framework illustrating how B2B companies can systematically design, substantiate, and monitor environmental claims. The study contributes to environmental communication by clarifying how environmental claims are operationalized within organizations, to green marketing by demonstrating how credible environmental claims support value-based selling, and to greenwashing literature by conceptualizing greenwashing prevention as a proactive organizational mechanism integrated into claim verification. For B2B companies, the study offers a managerial tool that helps assess environmental claim readiness and strengthen transparency, credibility, and trust in B2B relationships.