ArticleTobacco prevention & cessation2026
A descriptive content analysis of greenwashing tactics used in US cigarette advertisements between 2019-2023.
Article in Tobacco prevention & cessation, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Effects of cigarette greenwashing advertising on behavioral economic demand, puff topography, and health risk perception.Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior · 2026Article
- Tobacco marketing and youth perceptions: connections between industry tactics and beliefs about harm and addiction among those under 21.Substance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
introductionThe tobacco industry has incorporated strategies like greenwashing (i.e. a marketing tactic that utilizes false or unverified claims to mislead consumers about a business's environmental practices and impact) within cigarette advertisements. Despite regulation to limit greenwashing, research found continued employment of greenwashing tactics. Understanding the magnitude and extent of greenwashing strategies used by the industry is helpful given the emergence of these alternative tactics and the association between greenwashing advertising and consumer inaccurate risk perceptions.
methodsWe conducted a descriptive content analysis of 2102 cigarette ads that ran January 2019-December 2023 in the US and identified 487 ads (23.2%) that had at least one greenwashing feature. We further characterized the nature of the greenwashing tactics present via text, imagery, or audio cues in the ads, using a developed codebook. Ads were independently double-coded, with discrepancies reconciled by team deliberation.
resultsOver 90% of the sample of ads came from 4 brands: Hestia, Natural American Spirit, Winston and Marlboro. Social media were predominant for ad identification. Hestia ads predominantly featured the descriptors 'naked' (74.6%) and 'wild' (63.9%), and flora imagery (67.3%). Natural American Spirit ads frequently used descriptors such as 'different' (50.9%) and 'simple' (41.1%), and over half (58.9%) featured flora imagery. Winston ads used the term 'tobacco and water' (45.0%) and depicted the great outdoors (47.0%). Marlboro ads commonly used great outdoors imagery (92.7%) and eco-related sweepstakes (41.5%).
conclusionsGreenwashing continues to be used in cigarette advertising, including the use of tactics associated with inaccurate modified risk perceptions. If further studies strengthen the evidence, regulations to limit greenwashing in tobacco advertising may be justified.
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Registered trials
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