Social Media as a Tool to create Environmental Awareness in Transparent, Sustainable Supply Chains

Over the last decade, social media has risen to become one of the most influential ways of communication. Additionally, social media has become a frequently used tool by companies to communicate their efforts in making the supply chain more sustainable. However, it is currently unclear whether these actions are truly sustainable or whether it is a form of greenwashing. Consequently, this research performs literature research to define the effectiveness of social media when communicating transparent, sustainable supply chains. The results of the research show that TV is still slightly more effective in communicating and creating awareness compared to social media [Johnson, 2021]. TV creates awareness in 58% of the cases, contrary to 55% of social media [Johnson, 2021]. However, the results also show social media is getting more effective among younger generations [Johnson, 2021]. Respectively, social media created awareness in 78% and 61% under generation Z and millennials [Johnson, 2021]. Consequently, social media is most likely to become more effective in communication and creating awareness compared to traditional media in the following years.