Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

The fight against greenwashing in the European Union

This article analyzes European Union policy tools for combating greenwashing — the practice of companies falsely claiming environmental benefits — within the framework of the European Green Deal. Effective anti-greenwashing regulation is important for ensuring that plastic pollution reduction claims by companies are genuine and verifiable.

2021 Unio - EU Law Journal 10 citations
Article Tier 2

The Phenomenon of Greenwashing In The Fashion Industry: A Conceptual Framework

This paper develops a conceptual framework for understanding greenwashing in the fashion industry, where brands make misleading environmental claims. The fashion industry is a major source of synthetic microfiber pollution, making honest sustainability reporting especially important for environmental protection.

2023 Global NEST International Conference on Environmental Science & Technology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Addressing the Sustainability Conundrums and Challenges within the Polymer Value Chain

This review critically examines sustainability challenges across the polymer value chain, including misconceptions about biobased and biodegradable plastics. Researchers analyze the emergence of bioplastics, compare plastic products against their alternatives, and assess greenwashing in the fashion industry. The study highlights the growing importance of addressing microplastics contamination and urges the research community to scrutinize superficial sustainability claims.

2023 Sustainability 54 citations
Article Tier 2

Stability in the heart of chaos; (Un)sustainable refrains in the language of climate crisis

This conceptual paper examines how the word "sustainability" has become overused in environmental education and marketing, potentially creating a false sense of progress while harmful practices continue. While not directly about microplastics, the critique is relevant because many plastic products are marketed as "sustainable" without addressing the microplastic pollution they generate. The paper calls for more radical approaches to environmental education rather than relying on sustainability as a feel-good label.

2024 The Journal of Environmental Education 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodegradable plastics: Green hope or greenwashing?

This review examines biodegradable plastics and their limitations, finding that many do not break down effectively under real-world environmental conditions and may still fragment into microplastics. The authors caution that biodegradable plastics should not be viewed as a simple solution to plastic pollution without better standards and end-of-life infrastructure.

2020 Marine pollution bulletin
Article Tier 2

The Ephemeral Term “Sustainable Development” in Current EU Policies

Not relevant to microplastics — this policy analysis paper examines how the term 'sustainable development' is used inconsistently and with contradictory meanings across current European Union policies, using textual and conceptual review methods.

2024 Folia Oeconomica Stetinensia 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmentalism or greenwashing? Responses of South African value chain actors to plastic straw marine pollution

This study examined how South African businesses across plastic-related supply chains are responding to public pressure about marine plastic pollution, finding a mix of genuine environmental action and greenwashing. The study highlights the gap between corporate promises to reduce plastic pollution and meaningful reduction in the plastics that become marine microplastics.

2021 South African Journal of Science 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Sustainable Marketing and the Challenges of Green Marketing Communication: Survey of Consumer Attitudes and Buying Behaviour for Sustainable Products in the Czech Republic

Not relevant to microplastics — this survey examines Czech consumer attitudes toward sustainable products, exploring the gap between professed environmental values and actual purchasing behavior, and the challenges of green marketing communication.

2024 WSB Journal of Business and Finance 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Greenwashing and sustainable fashion industry

This study examines how greenwashing practices undermine the fashion industry's transition to sustainable circular economy, demonstrating that transparent and honest sustainability communication is essential for regaining consumer trust.

2022 Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry 168 citations
Article Tier 2

Trend analysis of sustainability claims in meat and dairy product launches (2004–2023): a case study of the UK, the USA, and China

Despite its title referencing sustainability and meat and dairy products, this paper studies trends in sustainability marketing claims on food product labels across the UK, USA, and China from 2004 to 2023 — not microplastic pollution. It examines which types of "green" claims have grown fastest in food product launches, and is not relevant to microplastics or human health.

2025 International Journal of Food Science & Technology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Towards Sustainable Textiles for a Safer Planet: Main Topics

This review critically examines sustainability claims in the textile industry, arguing that despite advances in fiber development and recycling, true sustainability requires addressing microplastic shedding, energy use, and resource depletion throughout the full textile lifecycle. The authors distinguish between genuine sustainability and greenwashing.

2024 Sustainability 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Sustainability Schemes in the Cosmetic Industry: Scope, Credibility, and Value Chain Coverage

Despite its title referencing sustainability schemes in cosmetics, this paper studies the credibility and coverage of 24 eco-certification labels used in the cosmetics industry — not microplastic pollution. It examines gaps in lifecycle coverage and greenwashing risks within certification schemes and is not relevant to microplastics or human health.

2026 Sustainability
Article Tier 2

The role of sustainable packaging in reducing environmental pollution

This review examines how sustainable packaging — using biodegradable materials, reducing excess packaging, and improving recyclability — can reduce environmental pollution. The paper evaluates different sustainable packaging strategies and their effectiveness at reducing plastic waste, which is the primary source of microplastic pollution.

2023 International Journal of Geography Geology and Environment 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Rebirth: An Exploration of Circular Fashion

This review examines the concept of circular fashion as a response to fast fashion's unsustainable practices, critically evaluating how greenwashing has emerged as a mechanism to monetize eco-initiatives without genuine environmental benefit. The paper analyzes case studies of circular fashion brands and proposes criteria for distinguishing authentic circular economy practices from superficial marketing claims.

2024 The Boller Review 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Shades of Green

This study examines greenwashing in the fashion industry, analyzing how companies misrepresent environmental sustainability claims to consumers despite growing awareness of the sector's serious human rights and ecological impacts.

2025 Fashion Highlight
Article Tier 2

Tracing Fiber Sustainability

This review examines the sustainability claims surrounding textile fiber production in the fashion industry, addressing widespread consumer misconceptions and greenwashing practices that misrepresent the environmental impact of various fiber types. The authors analyze how misleading environmental labeling — particularly for synthetic fibers that shed microplastic particles during use and washing — obscures genuine sustainability assessments and hinders meaningful industry progress.

2024
Article Tier 2

Is There Hope to Switch Traditional Plastics into Sustainable?

This review paper examines whether traditional petroleum-based plastics can realistically be replaced by more sustainable alternatives, surveying developments in bioplastics, biodegradable polymers, recycling technologies, and regulatory shifts. It concludes that while promising innovations exist — from renewable-source plastics to circular economy strategies — significant technical and economic hurdles remain before sustainable plastics can fully displace conventional ones. The paper is relevant to microplastic pollution as a systemic solution-oriented overview of how to reduce plastic waste at its source.

2025 Science Insights 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Sustainability Practices: Implementing Green Marketing through Eco-Friendly Packaging to Minimize Negative Impacts on the Environment (Case Study: PT. Sinar Sosro Ungaran)

This case study examined green marketing practices and eco-friendly packaging implementation at PT Sinar Sosro Ungaran, analyzing how sustainable packaging strategies reduce microplastic pollution and greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining business viability.

2025 International Journal of Management, Business and Social Sciences.
Article Tier 2

Greenwashing's Influence on Corporate Performance and Strategies for Regulation and Oversight

This study analyzed how greenwashing affects corporate financial performance and reputation, finding that deceptive environmental marketing can provide short-term benefits but exposes companies to regulatory and reputational risks, and recommends enhanced oversight frameworks.

2024 Shanlax International Journal of Arts Science and Humanities 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Greenwashing and Bluewashing in Black Friday-Related Sustainable Fashion Marketing on Instagram

Researchers examined greenwashing and bluewashing strategies used by sustainable fashion brands in Black Friday Instagram campaigns, finding that environmentally concerned but non-sustainable consumers responded positively while those with actual sustainable purchasing behavior did not.

2022 Sustainability 100 citations
Article Tier 2

Detecting Greenwashing! The Influence of Product Colour and Product Price on Consumers’ Detection Accuracy of Faked Bio-fashion

Researchers tested whether consumers could correctly identify genuine eco-friendly fashion versus greenwashing based on product color and price, finding that people were reliably misled by green-colored or high-priced items regardless of their actual environmental status. The results call for stronger government regulations in consumer markets to prevent deceptive eco-labeling.

2023 Journal of Consumer Policy 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Hiện tượng tẩy xanh trong ngành đồ uống và thời trang nhanh

This short Vietnamese commentary introduces the concept of greenwashing in the beverage and fast fashion industries, where companies exaggerate or misrepresent their environmental efforts to attract eco-conscious consumers. The abstract text is limited and does not contain full research findings.

2023 1 citations
Review Tier 2

eLife Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Plastic Products to Support the Sustainable Develepment Goals/SDGS in Indonesia: Literature Review

This literature review examines the application of life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate the environmental impacts of plastic products in Indonesia, in the context of national sustainable development goals. LCA can identify stages in a plastic product's lifecycle that generate the most pollution, including microplastic-generating degradation during use and disposal.

2023 Advances in biological sciences research/Advances in Biological Sciences Research
Article Tier 2

Strategies and technologies for sustainable plastic waste treatment and recycling

This review covers current and emerging methods for recycling and treating plastic waste to reduce environmental pollution. The authors emphasize that improperly managed plastics break down into microplastics that contaminate ecosystems, and they evaluate strategies including chemical recycling, biodegradation, and energy recovery as more sustainable alternatives to landfilling.

2025 Environmental Functional Materials 10 citations