Effect of Greenwashing on Negative Word‐of‐Mouth Intention of Milk Tea Cups: A Moderated Mediation Model

ABSTRACT Milk tea cups have proliferated alongside the rise in milk tea sales. This study integrates cognitive theory and attitude‐behavior‐context theory to address their limitations and to investigate the relationship among greenwashing, perceived knowledge, green skepticism, health risk, and negative word‐of‐mouth intention (WOMI). A PLS‐SEM analysis showed that (1) greenwashing and perceived knowledge influence green skepticism, which affects negative WOMI; (2) green skepticism mediates the effects of greenwashing and perceived knowledge on negative WOMI; and (3) health risk moderates the relationship between green skepticism and negative WOMI. Moreover, PROCESS macro was employed for the moderated mediation analysis. The results indicate that health risk moderates the mediating effect of green skepticism on the relationship between greenwashing and negative WOMI. These findings provide important theoretical and practical contributions.