The rapid growth of eco-friendly product markets has increased concerns about adulteration, a material form of greenwashing in which products marketed as sustainable contain non-eco or synthetic components. Unlike symbolic exaggeration in environmental communication, adulteration constitutes a product level ethical breach, that compromises product authenticity. Despite exhaustive study of research on greenwashing and eco-label credibility, limited theoretical convergence exists between material adulteration, consumer trust erosion, and institutional safeguards in sustainable markets. To bridge this gap, the research develops an integrated conceptual structure, Consumer Trust Theory and the Ethical Marketing Framework to explain how adulteration disrupts trust-based exchange relationships. Analysing secondary sources from Scopus-indexed literature (2020–2025) and institutional policy reports, consumer trust acts as an intermediary process through which adulteration affects purchase intention and brand loyalty. Regulatory enforcement and label transparency are further seen as conditional safeguards that can mitigate trust erosion. By conceptualizing adulteration as green misrepresentation, the research emphasizes its impact for sustainable market legitimacy. It contributes by integrating psychological and institutional view points in green marketing and provide actionable guidance for businesses and regulators seeking to protect consumer trust in emerging eco-friendly markets.
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