Uncovering Greenwashing Practices within the Maritime Sector

Abstract

Sustainability has emerged as an important consideration in maritime operations. Heightened awareness of climate change is one factor behind the maritime industry´s quest to reduce its environmental footprint. However, with a heightened focus on sustainability, the risk of greenwashing increases as well. This thesis investigates how different internal and external drivers could pressure maritime companies into more sustainable operations and how this might lead to greenwashing. How can consumers pressure companies to become greener, or how can employees within a company pressure the management when making decisions? These are some of the factors this thesis investigates. This thesis will center its examination on Color Line and DFDS, delving into their respective approaches to addressing sustainability challenges within the maritime industry and how they face the challenges regarding greenwashing. Operating within dual customer segments of passengers and freight, both Color Line and DFDS encounter distinct perspectives on sustainability and greenwashing. Operating between two different customer groups challenges the companies to devise effective strategies tailored to meet the divergent needs and expectations of their customer base. This and other internal and external factors will be investigated in this thesis using a mixed-method approach using both qualitative and quantitative methods.