What drives and curbs brownwashing?

Abstract Numerous studies have investigated the factors that drive or curb greenwashing activities, but few have discussed the other side of the coin, brownwashing, the underreporting of environmental achievements, another form of corporate decoupling that is harmful for stakeholders. Using a sample of 5459 firm–year observations over the period 2007–2017, this study tests and finds that industry leaders brownwash their environmental performance to avoid peer pressure and excessive stakeholder attention, and to preserve their firm's leadership. Consequently, legitimate firms tend to converge toward informal industry standards that engender standardized environmental disclosures. Nevertheless, this phenomenon can be curbed by adopting sound environmental governance mechanisms aimed at improving corporate transparency and environmental practices.