Study reveals that Portuguese abandon brands that pretend to be sustainable
COIMBRA – A study by the Miguel Torga Higher Institute (ISMT) in Coimbra revealed that most Portuguese consumers, upon realizing that a brand is lying about its sustainable practices, stop purchasing products from that brand.
When they perceive that the company engages in misleading environmental claims (‘greenwashing’) – campaigns, seals, or claims of environmental behaviors that do not correspond to reality – the Portuguese stop buying products from that brand and seek more ethical alternatives, stated ISMT in a statement sent to the Lusa agency.
The brands most identified by respondents that fit the ‘greenwashing’ model include Volkswagen, mentioned by about 40% of the sample, followed by EDP and Galp.
The conclusions also demonstrate a pattern of broken trust, brand rejection, and often, definitive abandonment.
“People are not just disappointed – they are reacting firmly to a type of deception they consider particularly serious: the abusive use of environmental causes for commercial purposes,” stated professor and researcher at ISMT, Célia Santos, who coordinated the study in co-authorship with Arnaldo Coelho from the University of Coimbra, and Alzira Marques from the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria.
“The perception of inconsistency between discourse and environmental practice is not forgiven,” emphasized Célia Santos.
The research, which conducted a nationwide survey, identified two main mechanisms that explain the distancing: “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 hate.”
The European Union (EU) is still debating the Ecological Claims Directive, presented by the European Commission in March 2023 as part of the European Green Deal and the consumer protection agenda.
The European Parliament has already given the green light to the proposed legislation, pending the approval of the EU Council (where member states are represented) for final adoption. (06/08/25)
