Greenwashing in Nordic electricity companies

Sustainability is a growing megatrend regardless of industry. The majority of modern firms, especially electric utility companies tend to market themselves as sustainable or environmentally friendly. Therefore, it is essential to recognize if the marketing is objective. The purpose of this thesis was to study Nordic energy companies’ green marketing and its reliability. The theoretical framework was formed on information gathered from literature and internet sources such as case companies’ reports and external organizations’ websites. The evaluation of case companies’ marketing statements was based mostly on environmental rankings and case companies’ sustainability data. The research was based on both quantitative and qualitative methods. The results of this study propose that there are distinct elements of greenwashing in some of the case companies' marketing, yet all the case companies do not perpetrate greenwashing. From consumers’ perspective, it is extremely challenging to recognize which marketing statements are reliable. Although, firms consent to follow green marketing regulations there are signs of greenwashing. Therefore, it should be contested if there is enough regulation for green marketing