The ABCs of Sustainable Organizations: Attitudes, Behaviors and Communication

Dear Colleagues,

Since the middle of the twentieth century there has been a dramatic increase in the consumption of resources, such as water, mineral fertilizers, fossil fuels, and paper, as well as increased levels of deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions, particularly CO₂. All of these facts indirectly and directly influence the operation and role of organisations. In the last ten years, many companies have decided to take up the so-called eco-friendly strategy, including recycling programs, water/waste reduction programs, environmentally friendly purchasing, and lowering greenhouse gas emissions. However, to be recognised as green, organizations need to build a strong reputation, and communication with the public plays a key role here, as it is well known that satisfied stakeholders can significantly influence the availability of financial, human, and other resources of an organization. With regard to this, corporate communication can take the form of misleading practices (so-called ‘greenwashing’) or it can represent the sense-making process of the organisation among the stakeholders on an emotional, moral, and intellectual level. Both positive and negative information on corporate social and environmental responsibility influences the purchase, employment, and investment intentions of various stakeholders. Corporate green communication has a growing operational importance and raises challenging issues and multidisciplinary research opportunities to provide organizations with tools to correctly and effectively communicate their sustainability efforts. Based on these considerations, this Special Issue aims at gathering a better understanding of the determinants of corporate green communications and the role of psychosocial factors in shaping stakeholders’ perceptions and reactions. This Special Issue invites papers addressing these topics, especially those dealing with reasons leading organisations to communicate their green commitment, how different communications are perceived by stakeholders and the role of psychosocial factors in green communication, considering not only the individual but also the group, organizational, and system levels. Papers on mixed-method approaches in particular would be very welcome.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• corporate social responsibility (CSR);
• psychosocial determinants;
• green communication;
• greenwashing;
• green and ecological marketing;
• sustainability communication;
• communicating sustainable business models;
• corporate environmentalism and green image;
• stakeholders’ reaction to greenwashing;
• stakeholders’ outcomes of CSR;
• stakeholders’ perception;
• life cycle marketing strategies;
• environmental concern;
• green orientation;
• social capital.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Federica Caffaro
Dr. Lorenza Tiberio
Dr. Lucia Vigoroso
Dr. Eugenio De Gregorio
Guest Editors

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• corporate social responsibility
• corporate environmental communication
• greenwashing
• environmental management
• social media
• green purchasing behavior
• mixed-methods research