Veganwashing? Performance of vegan green labels in relation to consumers

Abstract

Background: There are few studies on the practice of veganwashing, understood as the misleading marketing communication of vegan value, an offshoot of greenwashing. The study is therefore an unprecedented effort to assess the appeal of the vegan consumer, considering the possibility of veganwashing.

Objective: The study aimed to analyze the performance of green vegan labels in consumer views, considering the possibility of veganwashing, in terms of product evaluation, evaluation of the product as vegan, consumer skepticism, label recall, and evaluation of the green label practice.

Method: A hypothetical-deductive methodological approach was adopted, carried out through two subsequent experiments: the first exploratory (n=20), with implicit data collection using eye tracking, followed by the explanatory (n=147), with self-reported data collection. In both cases, three packages of a food product (milk) were compared, differentiating the exposure of the green vegan label: true (SVB), false (veganwashing), and absent.

Results: The true vegan label led to a better evaluation of the product as vegan, as well as less consumer skepticism, corroborating its competitive advantage. Despite this, the distinction proved to be valid mainly in the absence of a label, rather than in the presence of a false label, indicating the consumer’s inability to identify veganwashing and distinguish it from genuine vegan actions. Furthermore, the consumer's dietary pattern proved to be a significant factor in reducing this vulnerability.

Conclusion: It was possible to attest to the value-adding capacity of the true vegan label, particularly in terms of certifying the product as vegan and reducing consumer skepticism. Despite this, the lack of distinction between true and false labels was also noted, in that the mere presence of a green label can generate a positive consumer reaction, which indicates the influence of veganwashing practices.