Navigating stakeholder complexity: How social media platforms, NGO-company interactions, and stakeholder coordination shape transparency in environmental disclosure.

This doctoral thesis is structured in five chapters. Chapter 1 outlines the different literature streams addressed in this thesis. It presents the literature gaps and research questions, highlights the relevance of the arguments, and describes the research methodologies adopted. Chapter 2 presents the first research stream which is based on the research article by Crapa et al., (2024), “The performance of green communication across social media: Evidence from large-scale retail industry in Italy”. This study, through econometric analysis and robustness checks, shows that while green content generally stimulates larger response than non-green content, its effect varies across social media, with the highest effect being observed on Instagram (at least for likes) and the lowest on Twitter (at least for comments). Moreover, the extent to which the positive effect of green content increases as media richness increases (i.e., moving from only text to text plus photo, and then to text plus video) is also contingent upon the social media platform. Chapter 3 presents the second research stream which is based on the research article by Crapa et al., (2025), “The influence of NGO-corporate relationship on environmental disclosure: Evidence from the fashion industry”. This article provides five propositions by studying the relationships between Greenpeace and 24 firms operating in the fashion industry through a qualitative longitudinal analysis. The findings suggest that company behavior toward ED and the odds of greenwashing practices are affected by type of relationship established with NGOs. Chapter 4 presents the third research stream which is based on the research article by Crapa and Villena (2025) (submitted to JOM), “Environmental Product Declarations: Challenges and Opportunities in the European Lighting Sector”. This study investigates the major challenges that manufacturers face in developing EPDs and how they are overcoming them. A multiple case study has been conducted with major players in the European lighting ecosystem—five manufacturers, two program operators, two multistakeholder groups, and one database and software provider. The research reveals the complexities in developing EPDs and the associated opportunities. Chapter 5 is the final chapter of this thesis where the overall conclusions are drawn. Finally, directions for future research are provided.