호텔기업의 그린워싱 유형과 구조적 특성에 관한 연구

This study aims to redefine the concept of greenwashing that appears in hotel corporations’ ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) activities and to identify its structural patterns and multidimensional types. To achieve this goal, a qualitative study combining diary research and in-depth interviews was conducted with employees working at major domestic hotels. Through comprehensive qualitative analysis of the transcribed data, greenwashing was systematically conceptualized from the perspective of internal execution. The analysis of various manifestations of greenwashing in hotel ESG practices revealed two overarching categories: symbolic greenwashing, which focuses on constructing an external image, and executional gap greenwashing, which arises from structural limitations at the implementation stage. Each category consisted of three subtypes, totaling six. Specifically, symbolic greenwashing included declarative, certification/label-dependent, and campaign-centered types, whereas executional gap greenwashing comprised cost-shifting, selective bias, and rebound-effect types. Further analysis of the conceptual structure of these types indicated that symbolic greenwashing stemmed from limited managerial awareness, short-term performance-oriented evaluation systems, and communication bias, while executional gap greenwashing was attributed to structural constraints in internal operations such as poor interdepartmental collaboration, inefficient resource allocation, and lack of implementation capability. By reinterpreting greenwashing not merely as a communicative distortion but from an executional capability perspective, this study provides a conceptual expansion that enables hotel corporations to diagnose potential risks of symbolic and executional dissonance in advance and to design authenticity-based ESG strategies grounded in effective implementation.