Implementing Green Marketing Communication Strategies to Build Corporate Reputation and Consumer Trust: A Qualitative Case Study Orientation in Manufacturing Companies in Tangerang City
DOI:
10.46729/ijstm.v7i1.1409Published:
2026-01-20Downloads
Abstract
Environmental sustainability communication has become an essential corporate strategy, particularly within manufacturing sectors in emerging economies. This study explores how manufacturing companies in Tangerang City, Indonesia, implement green marketing communication strategies and how these strategies influence corporate reputation and consumer trust. Using a qualitative multiple-case study approach, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 27 participants, including marketing managers, sustainability officers, consumers, NGO representatives, and government officials, supplemented with document analysis and field observations. Thematic analysis identified three dominant communication strategies: informational, emotional, and participatory green communication. The credibility of these strategies is shaped by transparency, message consistency, evidence-based claims, and alignment between communication and environmental practices. Findings reveal that firms adopting high-transparency green communication experience stronger reputation enhancement and improved consumer trust, while firms with inconsistent environmental performance face skepticism and accusations of greenwashing. A conceptual model is proposed describing the pathways through which green communication enhances trust and reputation. This study contributes to the literature by integrating signaling theory, green marketing theory, and trust theory to explain communication credibility in the context of developing countries. Practical implications are offered for manufacturers seeking to strengthen sustainability communication and legitimacy.
Keywords:
Corporate reputation; Consumer trust; Green marketing communication; Manufacturing industry and Sustainability communication.References
[1]Aida, I. N., & Widayati, C. (2025). How consumption value and green trust shape purchase intentions: Sustainable fashion MSMEs in Indonesia. International Journal of Innovative Business Research, 4(2), 1492. https://doi.org/10.54099/ijibr.v4i2.1492
[2]Alhomaid, A., Bashir, T., Mahmood, H., Sadiq, B., & Rasool, Y. (2025). Building trust in sustainable journeys: The interplay between green marketing, brand engagement, and green brand trust in tourism. Sustainability, 17(18), Article 8464. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17188464
[3]Almaalouf, N., (2025). Greenwashing as a barrier to sustainable marketing: Expectation disconfirmation, confusion, and brand–consumer relationships. Sustainability, 17(22), 9979
[4]Aji, D. Y. B., & Adiwijaya, Z. A. (2025). Systematic literature review: Greenwashing and its impacts on sustainability and corporate practices. Jurnal Bisnis Mahasiswa, 5(2), 536–548. https://doi.org/10.60036/jbm.524
[5]Bae, J., & Kim, S. (2024). Corporate environmental communication, legitimacy, and reputation building in manufacturing industries. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 29(4), 612–628.
[6]Chen, Y. S., & Chang, C. H. (2013). Greenwash and green trust: The mediation effects of green consumer confusion and green perceived risk. Journal of Business Ethics, 114, 489–500
[7]Delmas, M. A., & Burbano, V. C. (2011). The drivers of greenwashing. California Management Review, 54(1), 64–87
[8]Diandra, P., & Aprilianty, F. (2024). The impact of greenwashing towards brand trust and brand loyalty: A study of Nike “Move to Zero” initiatives. Mandalika Journal of Business and Management Studies, 2(2), 85–114. https://doi.org/10.59613/mjbms.v3i1.133
[9]Du, S., Bhattacharya, C. B., & Sen, S. (2010). Maximizing business returns to corporate social responsibility (CSR): The role of CSR communication. International Journal of Management Reviews, 12(1), 8–19
[10]Ernawati, E., Rahman, L. K., Susanti, E., Agusti, A., & Puspatriani, A. D. (2025). The role of consumer trust in sustainability in increasing interest in purchasing environmentally friendly products. Brilliant International Journal of Management and Tourism, 5(2), 344–351. https://doi.org/10.55606/bijmt.v5i2.5194
[11]Else et al. (2025). Trends and development in green and sustainability marketing: A bibliometrics analysis using VOSviewer. Discover Sustainability, 6, 324 (2025).
[12]Feghali, K. (2025). Greenwashing in the era of sustainability: Conceptual foundations, practices, and regulatory efficacy. Corporate Governance: Sustainability and Resilience, 9(1), 2. https://doi.org/10.22495/cgsrv9i1p2
[13]García-Sánchez, I. M., Raimo, N., & Vitolla, F. (2024). Sustainability disclosure, legitimacy, and corporate reputation: Evidence from manufacturing firms. Journal of Cleaner Production, 432, 140221
[14]Hernández, J. M., & García-de-Frutos, N. (2025). Avoiding greenwashing through credible sustainability communication: The role of stakeholder engagement. Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility. Advance online publication.
[15]Hwang, J., & Choi, L. (2025). Stakeholder engagement, sustainability communication, and trust formation in environmentally sensitive industries. Business Strategy and the Environment. Advance online publication.
[16]Judijanto, L., & Putra, W. P. (2025). Pengaruh greenwashing terhadap kepercayaan konsumen dan loyalitas merek dalam pemasaran berkelanjutan di Indonesia. Sanskara Manajemen dan Bisnis, 3(03), 118–128. https://doi.org/10.58812/smb.v3i03.588
[17]Kapoor, K. K., Dwivedi, Y. K., & Piercy, N. (2024). Digital sustainability communication and trust building: The role of transparency and stakeholder dialogue. Journal of Business Research, 171, 114427.
[18]Khoiriah, R. I., & Imaningsih, E. S. (2025). Impact of greenwashing, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control on green purchase intention: The mediating role of greentrust. International Journal of Organizational Social Marketing, 6(3), Article 501. https://doi.org/10.5555/ijosmas.v6i3
[19]Kim, J., & Lee, Y. (2024). Corporate sustainability communication and firm reputation: The moderating role of transparency and stakeholder skepticism. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 31(4), 2148–2162.
[20]Kwon, J., & Park, H. (2025). From green claims to green trust: The role of communication consistency in sustainable branding. Industrial Marketing Management, 116, 45–57.
[21]Martínez-Ferrero, J., García-Sánchez, I. M., & Cuadrado-Ballesteros, B. (2024). Environmental communication, legitimacy, and corporate reputation: The moderating role of institutional pressure. Business Strategy and the Environment, 33(6), 4021–4035.
[22]Miftahul Jannah, Wijanarko, F., & Rahayu, F. (2025). Pengaruh eco-friendly practices, green image, dan brand attachment terhadap brand advocacy dan brand loyalty generasi Z. *Jurnal Ekonomi Manajemen dan Bisnis
[23]Mulyanto, D., Budiantara, M., & Purnomo, I. (2025). Consumer trust in green property: The role of digital transparency and marketing ethics. ICOEMA Conference Proceedings. (Note: conference article) Konferensi UNTAG SBY
[24]Monfórt, A., & colleagues. (2025). Building trust in sustainable brands: Revisiting perceived brand trust in green contexts. Business Strategy and the Environment. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.70027
[25]Nguyen-Viet, B., et al. (2024). The mediating role of green trust in the effect of CSR and green advertising on behavioural intentions. Cogent Business & Management, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2023.2287775
[26]Nyilasy, G., Gangadharbatla, H., & Paladino, A. (2014). Perceived greenwashing: The interactive effects of green advertising and corporate environmental performance on consumer reactions. Journal of Business Ethics, 125, 693–707
[27]Oliveira, M., Rodrigues, L. L., & Craig, R. (2024). Sustainability communication, greenwashing risk, and stakeholder trust: Evidence from emerging economies. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 37(5), 1351–1374.
[28]Persakis, A., Nikolopoulos, T., & Negkakis, I. C. (2025). Greenwashing in marketing: A systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis. International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12208-025-00452
[29]Promalessy, R., & colleagues. (2024). How does greenwashing affect green word of mouth: The role of green skepticism. Cogent Social Sciences, 10, Article 2389467. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2024.2389467
[30]Rahmawati, R., Hidayati, N., Srinin, W., & Taufiqurijal, A. (2024). Re-examining “Greeneration” behaviors: The sequential mediation role of green word-of-mouth and green trust on green purchase intention among Gen Z. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Management, 17(3), Article 64645. https://doi.org/10.20473/jmtt.v17i3.64645
[31]Saputra, D., van den Broek, M., & Marcelina, N. (2024). Navigating greenwashing: Exploring the impact of trust, perceived value, and green satisfaction on brand loyalty towards local sustainable cosmetics. APMBA – Asia Pacific Management and Business Application, 13(2), 129–144. https://doi.org/10.21776/ub.apmba.2024.013.02.3
[32]Şimşek, S. A. (2024). Green marketing strategies: Enhancing brand image and consumer trust in sustainable development. *Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management
[33]Sun, Y., Liu, B., & Zhao, X. (2024). Green marketing communication and consumer trust: The mediating role of perceived authenticity and corporate credibility. Journal of Marketing Communications, 30(6), 789–806.
[34]Tetrevová, L., & colleagues. (2025). When trust and distrust come into play: How green skepticism and environmental concern shape green purchase intention. Business Strategy and the Environment. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.
[35]Tran, T. P., Nguyen, H. T., & Le, Q. T. (2025). How transparency in sustainability reporting shapes corporate reputation and consumer trust. Journal of Cleaner Production, 445, 141223.
[36]Zhang, Y. (2024). In the clash between consumer green values and company sustainability: Awareness of SDGs, responsibility, and trust. Journal of Cleaner Production. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.
[37]Vangeli, A., Małecka, A., Mitręga, M., & Pfajfar, G. (2023). From greenwashing to green B2B marketing: A systematic literature review. Industrial Marketing Management, 115, 281–299
[38]Vayona, A., Demetriou, G., Hartwell, H., Britton, R., & Gillingham, P. (2024). A consumer attributions-based approach for investigating the effect of corporate greenwashing on wishcycling. Sustainable Development, 32(6)
[39]Vinella, A., Capetz, M., Pattichis, R., Chance, C., Ghosh, R., & Chang, K.-W. (2023). Leveraging language models to detect greenwashing. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2311.01469
[40]Wang, H. (2024). Antecedents and consequences of sustainability employees’ perception of greenwashing: The role of ethical incentives. Environment Development and Sustainability.
License
Copyright (c) 2026 International Journal of Science, Technology & Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Downloads
How to Cite
