Sustainable Lies: Constructs of Greenwashing, Consumer Protection, and Interfaith Environmental Ethics in Southeast Asia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15294/ciils.v5i1.35163Keywords:
Consumer Protection, Environmental Protection, Greenwashing, SustainabilityAbstract
Greenwashing constitutes a spectrum of crime that exploits not only consumer trust but also the fundamental principles of environmental sustainability designed to ensure the preservation of the environment. This study analyzes the normative constructs of greenwashing and its implications, evaluating how existing legal frameworks in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines address this pervasive issue. Employing a normative legal research methodology supplemented by a comparative approach, this study deconstructs greenwashing into a spectrum of legally culpable conduct. This ranges from misleading commercial representation and administrative manipulation to criminal deception involving fraud, false reporting, the concealment of violations, and broader environmental-crime nexuses. An analysis of the relevant frameworks across the three jurisdictions reveals significant normative gaps indicative of deeper structural problems. These deficiencies include a failure to legally connect greenwashing with environmental crimes, inadequate compliance mechanisms, weak penal sanctions, and an overall failure to comprehensively cover the greenwashing spectrum. To address these gaps, this study proposes a set of actionable recommendations designed for adoption by lawmakers in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines
References
Aguilera, Ruth V., J. Alberto Aragón-Correa, Valentina Marano, and Peter A. Tashman. “The Corporate Governance of Environmental Sustainability: A Review and Proposal for More Integrated Research.” Journal of Management 47, no. 6 (July 2021): 1468–97. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206321991212.
Ahamat, Haniff, and Yuki Wong. “Pest Eradication and Environmental Sustainability Dilemma of Malaysia’s Palm Oil.” International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning 20, no. 7 (July 2025): 3037–43. https://doi.org/10.18280/ijsdp.200728.
Arellano-Asas, Merian. “Review on the Implementation of the Consumer Act of the Philippines: Insights to Its Plausible Future.” International Journal of Management and Accounting 6, no. 4 (July 2024): 71–84. https://doi.org/10.34104/ijma.024.071084.
Aysan, Ahmet Faruk, Yassine Bakkar, Shajara Ul-Durar, and Umar Nawaz Kayani. “Natural Resources Governance and Conflicts: Retrospective Analysis.” Resources Policy 85 (2023): 1–11. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2023.103942.
Baskoro, Aji. “Maqasid Al-Shari’ah for Green Business Oversight: Addressing Greenwashing by Design in Indonesia’s Energy Transition.” Az-Zarqa’: Jurnal Hukum Bisnis Islam 17, no. 2 (December 2025): 214–39. https://doi.org/10.14421/az-zarqa.v17.i2.4621.
Bernstein, Steven. “IR, Climate Politics, and Change: Opportunities for Productive Engagement?” International Relations 38, no. 3 (August 2024): 349–68. https://doi.org/10.1177/00471178241268314.
Boermans, Diana D, Agnieszka Jagoda, David Lemiski, Jana Wegener, and Malgorzata Krzywonos. “Environmental Awareness and Sustainable Behavior of Respondents in Germany, the Netherlands and Poland: A Qualitative Focus Group Study.” Journal of Environmental Management 370 (2024): 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.122515.
Bradford, Marianne, Julia B. Earp, D. Scott Showalter, and Paul F. Williams. “Corporate Sustainability Reporting and Stakeholder Concerns: Is There a Disconnect?” Accounting Horizons 31, no. 1 (March 2017): 83–102. https://doi.org/10.2308/acch-51639.
Brower, Jeffrey E. “Aquinas on the Nature of Lying.” New Blackfriars 104, no. 1114 (November 2023): 613–27. https://doi.org/10.1111/nbfr.12865.
bt Hj Jaapar, Nurzahidah, Mohd Faiz bin Mohamed Yusof, Mohd Dani Muhamad, Sharifah Fadylawaty Syed Abdullah, and Anis Husna bt Abd Halim. “The Shariah Principles of Online Advertising During the Pandemic of COVID-19.” Journal of Contemporary Islamic Studies 8, no. 1 (October 2022): 1–24. https://doi.org/10.24191/jcis.v8i1.1.
Child, J J, and Adrian Hunt. “Beyond the Present-Fault Paradigm: Expanding Mens Rea Definitions in the General Part.” Oxford Journal of Legal Studies 42, no. 2 (May 2022): 438–67. https://doi.org/10.1093/ojls/gqab033.
Chuvieco, Emilio, and Michal Karnawalski. “A Vocational Reading of Gen 2:15 to Link Theology of Work and Ecotheology Following Escrivá’s Christian Materialism.” Religions 16, no. 5 (May 4, 2025): 1–12. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16050596.
Darr, Ryan. “The Virtue of Justice and the Justice of Institutions.” Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics 40, no. 1 (2020): 3–20. https://doi.org/10.5840/jsce202051925.
Disemadi, Hari Sutra. “Lenses of Legal Research: A Descriptive Essay on Legal Research Methodologies.” Journal of Judicial Review 24, no. 2 (2022): 289–304. https://doi.org/10.37253/jjr.v24i2.7280.
Elva, Elva, Hari Sutra Disemadi, Nurlaily Nurlaily, and Mimi Sintia Mohd Bajury. “Why Do the EU and Singapore Protect E-Commerce Consumers Better Than Indonesia?” Jurnal Kajian Pembaruan Hukum 5, no. 2 (November 30, 2025): 237–76. https://doi.org/10.19184/jkph.v5i2.53695.
Ezeh, Precious Chikezie, and Kaitano Dube. “Bibliometric Analysis of Trends and Development in Religion and Green Tourism Behavior.” Cogent Social Sciences 11, no. 1 (December 2025): 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2024.2445771.
Feghali, Khalil, Reine Najem, and Beverly Dawn Metcalfe. “Greenwashing in the Era of Sustainability: A Systematic Literature Review.” Corporate Governance and Sustainability Review 9, no. 1 (February 2025): 18–31. https://doi.org/10.22495/cgsrv9i1p2.
Fernando, Zico Junius, Wevy Efticha Sary, Ahmad Wali, and Ariesta Wibisono Anditya. “Greenwashing as a Crime and the Urgency of Redesigning Environmental Criminal Law Paradigm.” Jurnal Kajian Pembaruan Hukum 5, no. 1 (June 2025): 55–90. https://doi.org/10.19184/jkph.v5i1.53692.
Fraser, Barbara. “Is Deforestation in Borneo Slowing Down?” CIFOR-ICRAF Forests News, January 2019.
Freshtriana, Freshtriana, and Sung Suk Kim. “The Effect of Greenwashing on Company Value.” Owner: Riset Dan Jurnal Akuntansi 9, no. 1 (January 2025): 140–48. https://doi.org/10.33395/owner.v9i1.2511.
Gacek, James. “Corporate Greenwashing and Canada Goose: Exploring the Legitimacy–Aesthetic Nexus.” International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy 9, no. 4 (April 2020): 148–62. https://doi.org/10.5204/ijcjsd.v9i2.1385.
Gill, Gitanjali N., and Gopichandran Ramachandran. “Sustainability Transformations, Environmental Rule of Law and the Indian Judiciary: Connecting the Dots through Climate Change Litigation.” Environmental Law Review 23, no. 3 (September 2021): 228–47. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614529211031203.
Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. “Exposing Elite Protection and Corruption in Environmental Crime across South East Asia and Oceania.” Geneva, August 2024.
Hashemi, Fatemeh, Lisbeth Mogensen, Hayo M G van der Werf, Christel Cederberg, and Marie Trydeman Knudsen. “Organic Food Has Lower Environmental Impacts per Area Unit and Similar Climate Impacts per Mass Unit Compared to Conventional.” Communications Earth & Environment 5, no. 1 (2024): 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01415-6.
Huang, Li, Yasir Ahmed Solangi, Cosimo Magazzino, and Sheeraz Ahmed Solangi. “Evaluating the Efficiency of Green Innovation and Marketing Strategies for Long-Term Sustainability in the Context of Environmental Labeling.” Journal of Cleaner Production 450 (2024): 1–14. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.141870.
Indraswara, Dede. "Rekonstruksi Metodologis Hukum: Diversifikasi dan Integrasi Penelitian Hukum Normatif (Doktrinal), Empiris (Non-Doktrinal), dan Studi Sosio-Legal (Legal Methodological Reconstruction: Diversification and Integration of Normative (Doctrinal), Empirical (Non-Doctrinal), and Socio-Legal Research)." IPMHI Law Journal 5, no. 2 (2025): 205–246. https://doi.org/10.15294/ipmhi.v5i2.41599.
Jaapar, Nurzahidah, Umi Hani Abd Razak, Mohd Faiz Mohamed Yusof, and Anis Husna Abdul Halim. “Effectiveness of Trade Description Act 2011 in Eradicating Halal Fraud.” International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences 12, no. 9 (September 2022): 1772–83. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v12-i9/14813.
Jong, Menno D T de, Gabriel Huluba, and Ardion D Beldad. “Different Shades of Greenwashing: Consumers’ Reactions to Environmental Lies, Half-Lies, and Organizations Taking Credit for Following Legal Obligations.” Journal of Business and Technical Communication 34, no. 1 (September 2019): 38–76. https://doi.org/10.1177/1050651919874105.
Julisa Sistyawan, Dwanda, Retno Saraswati, Lita Tyesta A.L.W., Marcellus Jayawibawa, and Mohammad Syaiful Aris. “The Development of Positivism’s Legal Theory: From Bentham to Hart.” PETITA: JURNAL KAJIAN ILMU HUKUM DAN SYARIAH 9, no. 2 (October 2024): 777–801. https://doi.org/10.22373/petita.v9i2.402.
Karimi, Saeid, Genovaitė Liobikienė, and Fatemeh Alitavakoli. “The Effect of Religiosity on Pro-Environmental Behavior Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Iranian Rural Female Facilitators.” Frontiers in Psychology 13 (February 25, 2022): 1–12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.745019.
Khater, Maya, Yassine Chami, and Mohamad Albakjaji. “Legal Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development in the United Arab Emirates.” Journal of Human Rights, Culture and Legal System 5, no. 2 (July 2025): 378–411. https://doi.org/10.53955/jhcls.v5i2.469.
Kosyak, Anna, and Shirokanova Popov. “Analyzing Consumer Preferences for Green Products and Environmental Impact.” Journal of Energy and Environmental Policy Options 3, no. 4 (December 2020): 134–40.
Kwan, Soo Chen, and David McCoy. “Climate Change in South-East Asia: Where Are We and What Are We Bound For? | United Nations University.” United Nations University, June 2022.
Liang, Yaru, and Xiang Gao. “Greenwashing and Financial Performance in Public Health Firms: The Mechanism of Organizational Legitimacy Erosion.” Frontiers in Public Health 13 (March 2025): 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1565703.
Lublóy, Ágnes, Judit Lilla Keresztúri, and Edina Berlinger. “Quantifying Firm-Level Greenwashing: A Systematic Literature Review.” Journal of Environmental Management 373 (2025): 1–19. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.123399.
Montgomery, A. Wren, Thomas P. Lyon, and Julian Barg. “No End in Sight? A Greenwash Review and Research Agenda.” Organization & Environment 37, no. 2 (June 2024): 221–56. https://doi.org/10.1177/10860266231168905.
Moodaley, Wayne, and Arnesh Telukdarie. “Greenwashing, Sustainability Reporting, and Artificial Intelligence: A Systematic Literature Review.” Sustainability, 2023. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021481.
Nakane, Tomohiro. “New Challenges and Issues for Climate Protection in European Criminal Law.” New Journal of European Criminal Law 15, no. 3 (September 20, 2024): 275–95. https://doi.org/10.1177/20322844241261156.
Negara, Tunggul Ansari Setia. “Normative Legal Research in Indonesia: Its Originis and Approaches.” Audito Comparative Law Journal (ACLJ) 4, no. 1 (February 2023): 1–9. https://doi.org/10.22219/aclj.v4i1.24855.
Nemes, Noémi, Stephen J Scanlan, Pete Smith, Tone Smith, Melissa Aronczyk, Stephanie Hill, Simon L Lewis, A W Montgomery, Francesco N Tubiello, and Doreen Stabinsky. “An Integrated Framework to Assess Greenwashing.” Sustainability, 2022. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14084431.
Nurlaily, Nurlaily, Lu Sudirman, Mimi Sintia Mohd Bajury, Hari Disemadi, and Ninne Silviani. “Digital Advertising as a Threat to Consumer Privacy: A Comparative Legal Analysis.” QONUN: Jurnal Hukum Islam Dan Perundang-Undangan 9, no. 2 (December 30, 2025): 359–88. https://doi.org/10.21093/qj.v9i2.12656.
Nurlaily, Nurlaily, David Tan, Febri Jaya, and Nur Fatihah. “Reassessing Consumer Protection in Digital Markets: Information Asymmetry as Epistemic Injustice in Indonesia and the Philippines.” Vifada Assumption Journal of Law 3, no. 2 (2025): 21–35. https://jurnal.vifada.id/index.php/law/article/view/168.
Parsons, Luke A, Jihoon Jung, Yuta J Masuda, Lucas R Vargas Zeppetello, Nicholas H Wolff, Timm Kroeger, David S Battisti, and June T Spector. “Tropical Deforestation Accelerates Local Warming and Loss of Safe Outdoor Working Hours.” One Earth 4, no. 12 (2021): 1730–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2021.11.016.
Peiró Signes, Ángel, Lluis Miret-Pastor, Maria Tsiouni, Dario Siggia, and Antonino Galati. “Determinants of Consumers’ Response to Eco-Labelled Seafoods: The Interaction between Altruism, Awareness and Information Demand.” Journal of Cleaner Production 433 (2023): 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.139758.
Prahara, Pandu, Rhea Siagian, and Yossi. “Green Investment or Greenwashing? Foreign Investment in Indonesia’s Renewable Energy Sector.” LIBERATICA 1, no. 1 (August 2025): 23–33.
Pratama, Muhammad Afif Ryan. “How Halal Certification and Islamic Ethics Tackle Greenwashing: New Solutions for a Sustainable Economy.” Jurnal of Middle East and Islamic Studies 11, no. 3 (December 2024): 1–19. https://doi.org/10.7454/meis.v11i3.190.
Putra, Tegar Islami, Akbar Jihadul Islam, and Abdullah Mufti Abdul Rahman. “Integrating Islamic Laws into Indonesian Data Protection Laws: An Analysis of Regulatory Landscape and Ethical Considerations.” Contemporary Issues on Interfaith Law and Society 3, no. 1 (January 2024): 85–118. https://doi.org/10.15294/ciils.v3i1.78690.
Rocha, Cristina, Joshua Waters, and Rosie Clare Shorter. “Nature-Connection and Creation Care in Australia: Intertwining Indigenous, Christian and Holistic Spiritualities.” Journal of Beliefs & Values 47, no. 2 (April 3, 2026): 379–400. https://doi.org/10.1080/13617672.2025.2550950.
Samba, Codou, Pooya Tabesh, Ioannis C Thanos, and Vassilis M Papadakis. “Method in the Madness? A Meta-Analysis on the Strategic Implications of Decision Comprehensiveness.” Strategic Organization 19, no. 3 (February 2020): 414–40. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476127020904973.
Sancaya, Wayan Werasmana, and Komang Adi Kurniawan Saputra. “Criminal Law Policy on Environmental Crimes in Climate Change Issue.” Journal of Tourism Economics and Policy 5, no. 2 (May 2025): 287–97. https://doi.org/10.38142/jtep.v5i2.1372.
Schwadel, Philip, and Sam A. Hardy. “What Aspects of Religiosity Are Associated with Values?” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 61, no. 2 (June 8, 2022): 374–88. https://doi.org/10.1111/jssr.12777.
Shulman, Skylar. “Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence: Combining Human Rights and the Environment.” Columbia Journal of Environmental Law 49, no. 2 (May 2024): 479–523. https://doi.org/10.52214/cjel.v49i2.12633.
Syarifuddin, Sarini, and Muhammad Ikhwan Saputra. “Al-Ghazali Dan Perilaku Pasar: Perpesktif Etika Bisnis Dalam Kitab Ihya Ulum Ad-Din.” Jurnal Ilmiah Ekonomi Islam 6, no. 3 (October 2020): 501–7. https://doi.org/10.29040/jiei.v6i3.1312.
Tahiluddin, Albaris B., Jonald C. Bornales, Gindol Rey A. Limbaro, Mohammad Al-Thanie U. Paudac, Randell Keith Amarille, Naima R. Sirad, Mariam C. Kabirun, et al. “Environmental Impacts of Aquaculture in the Philippines.” Israeli Journal of Aquaculture - Bamidgeh 77, no. 2 (May 2025): 51–81. https://doi.org/10.46989/001c.133778.
Tan, David. “Metode Penelitian Hukum: Mengupas Dan Mengulas Metodologi Dalam Menyelenggarakan Penelitian Hukum.” NUSANTARA: Jurnal Ilmu Pengetahuan Sosial 8, no. 5 (2021): 2463–78. https://jurnal.um-tapsel.ac.id/index.php/nusantara/article/view/5601.
Thakur, Apoorva. “Environmental Crimes: A Threat to Sustainable Development Goals.” DME Journal of Law 5, no. 2 (December 2024): 56–66. https://doi.org/10.53361/dmejl.v5i02.06.
Tian, Jinzhao, Yisheng Liu, Lincoln Wood, and Yulin Sun. “ESG Introduction Mechanism of Construction Firms Based on Bayesian Network Coupled with Machine Learning: Evidence from Zhengzhou.” Journal of Environmental Management 375 (2025): 1–21. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.124185.
Tian, Lingjuan, and Jiajia Niu. “Mitigating Greenwashing in Listed Companies: A Comprehensive Study on Strengthening Integrity in ESG Disclosure and Governance.” Polish Journal of Environmental Studies 33, no. 6 (July 25, 2024): 6363–72. https://doi.org/10.15244/pjoes/184634.
Wahab, Fatkhul, and Ihsan Moh. “Perlindungan Konsumen Dalam Industri Halal: Tinjauan UU No. 8 Tahun 1999 Dari Perspektif Hukum Islam.” Journal of Islamic Finance and Syariah Banking 2, no. 1 (October 2024): 43–57. https://doi.org/10.63321/jifsb.v2i1.57.
Wahab, Mirnawanti, and Rizki Ramadani. “Environmental Corruption Prevention Policies Through Independent Agencies.” Fiat Justisia: Jurnal Ilmu Hukum 15, no. 4 (June 2021): 327–46. https://doi.org/10.25041/fiatjustisia.v15no4.2245.
Wambugu, Marang’a Moses, Mwimali Jack Busalile, Olwande Cynthia Jennifer, and Wanzau Serah Nthoki. “Green Policing, Prosecution and Court Adjudication.” International Journal of Social Science and Human Research 8, no. 7 (July 2025): 5110–18. https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v8-i7-22.
Wirtu, Yohannes Desalegn. “A Review of Environmental and Health Effects of Synthetic Cosmetics.” Frontiers in Environmental Science 12 (October 2024): 1–25. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1402893.
Yoga, I Gede Permana Aditya. “Penegakan Hukum Dalam Menangani Pencemaran Lingkungan Di Pesisir Pantai Bali.” Belom Bahadat 13, no. 2 (December 2023): 1–14. https://doi.org/10.33363/bb.v13i2.1068.
Zentoni, Budi Santoso, and David M. L. Tobing. “Mengkriminalisasi Greenwashing: Menjawab Tantangan Perlindungan Konsumen Di Era Keberlanjutan.” LITIGASI 26, no. 1 (April 2025): 102–37. https://doi.org/10.23969/litigasi.v26i1.19243.
Ziaul, Islam Md., and Wang Shuwei. “Environmental Sustainability: A Major Component of Sustainable Development.” International Journal of Environmental, Sustainability, and Social Science 4, no. 2 (March 2023): 620–27. https://doi.org/10.38142/ijesss.v4i2.296.
Zulhuda, Sonny. “Consumer Protection in the Malaysian Digital Marketplace: From Risks and Concerns to a Law Reform.” Cyberpolitik Journal 10, no. 19 (July 2025): 68–83
Downloads
Published
Article ID
35163Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Nurlaily Nurlaily, Farahdilah Ghazali, Jonathan P. Binaluyo, Lu Sudirman, Emiliya Febriyani (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
All writings published in this journal are personal views of the author and do not represent the views of this journal and the author’s affiliated institutions.
