BEYOND ESG CLAIMS: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF GREENWASHING, GREENWISHING AND GREENHUSHING IN CORPORATE INDIA

Nowadays, growing awareness of ESG reporting, challenges like changing legal framework or lack of standardisation, a diversity of corporate structure and worldwide rising curiosity in sustainability, aforesaid practices are important especially in Indian context. The aim of the present study is to critically examine the practices “Green washing”, “Green wishing,” and “Green hushing” in Indian context and find their implications for corporate transparency also and sustainable development. This trend has also been prejudiced by the varying regulatory environment and increasing stakeholder activism. To reduce reputational risks, businesses may use a careful communication approach, which would reduce the transparency of sustainability reporting. Even though the commitment seems open-minded and in line with global climate expectations, the lack of specific execution strategies is revealing of greenwishing. For stakeholders and investors who depend on ESG disclosures to make decisions, this results in an information gap. Regulating authorities have moderate impact on stakeholder trust, corporate performance, reputational loss and can reduce the negative impact of greenwishing, greenwashing and greenhushing by improving disclosure practices. We can conclude that how sustainability communicating practices influence corporate outcomes at the same time how regulating authorities can help to promote transparent performance of sustainability.