JSR

The terms “sustainability”, “green”, “eco”, “eco-conscious” have become important buzzwords: they are fashionable, trendy; they make everything that comes into contact with them more attractive. Not only do a plethora of scientific articles cover the topic hallmarked by the above words, but they have also risen to the throne in the marketing communications of businesses and companies. They are used in many cases, even when the given product or service has either nothing to do with or only tangentially has a connection with the green character. The phenomenon of “greenwashing”, i.e., the case described above, when products and services are presented as environmentally friendly and green without real actions, is becoming more widespread. Today, consumers are also becoming more and more conscious; most of them demand correct information. In addition, the laws of individual countries place increasing demands on businesses, their environmental and social responsibility—so the use of green “practices” is often a means of staying on the market and surviving. The phenomenon is global. The European Union has recently adopted new legislation to prevent greenwashing, while countries are taking action against unethical corporate behaviour through their legislation and consumer protection authorities. This research aims to analyse the new EU directive and Hungarian legislation to see if there is a chance to eradicate the phenomenon completely. The research involved content analysis, as well as analysis of websites and case law. The results suggest that companies are always one step ahead and that only a unified trademark system can be the ultimate solution in the fight against greenwashing.

greenwashing; Hungarian legal regulation; Hungarian competition authority; tourism; sustainability