The Cost of Broken Promises: Does a Firm’s Environmental Footprint Affect Its Brand Equity?
研究发现企业的环境足迹（如资源消耗）与品牌资产负相关，且广告和CSR声誉会加剧这种负面效应，表明消费者将高环境足迹视为品牌承诺的背弃。
Abstract Do customers punish a firm that harms the natural environment? We answer this question by examining the relationship between a firm’s environmental footprint and customers’ perceptions, as reflected in customer-based brand equity. Our empirical analysis shows that a firm’s environmental footprint is negatively associated with its brand equity. Furthermore, the firm’s advertising and CSR reputation aggravate this negative association. These results are consistent with the notion that customers view a large environmental footprint as a violation of the firm’s brand promise. Follow-up analysis indicates that the association between a firm’s environmental footprint and its brand equity is driven by resource use, rather than pollution, suggesting that customers interpret a firm’s high resource use as a promissory violation. Additionally, the firm’s environmental footprint is negatively associated with its brand stature but not its strength. The findings contribute to the environmental ethics literature and the brand-as-promise framework.