Nearly a quarter of businesses practise ‘greenhushing’

Nearly a quarter of UK businesses have been found guilty of downplaying their sustainability activities in an emerging practice known as ‘greenhushing’.

Unlike greenwashing, where companies make false or deceptive claims regarding their sustainability credentials, greenhushing sees companies deliberately or inadvertently withhold information about their sustainability practices. Learn more about the different tactics of greenwashing here.

A report by Earthwatch shows that of 1,009 senior decision makers in British businesses, 23.6% from medium or large companies feel their company has committed greenhushing within the last 12 months by under-communicating its sustainability initiatives or goals.

The research follows similar findings released by carbon solutions company South Pole last year, which found that 23% of more than 1,200 private companies around the world will not be publicising their achievements and milestones beyond the bare minimum.

While the term ‘greenhushing’ was first recognised in 2008, the trend has grown exponentially in recent years, driven by a number of factors. In light of increased regulation against greenwashing – such as the UK Competition and Markets Authority’s Green Claims Code and new EU legislation – companies may believe they can avoid potential allegations by not drawing attention to their sustainability efforts at all. Similarly, they may avoid setting goals and targets to prevent scrutiny on their progress.

Missed opportunities

As South Pole’s report, Net Zero and Beyond, notes, this is a concerning trend: “Less public-facing communication makes targets harder to scrutinise and limits knowledge-sharing – which in turn could result in missed opportunities for sectors to work together to decarbonise. It could also give the impression that climate leaders are failing to lead, at least in the public eye.”

Steve Andrews, CEO of Earthwatch Europe, said that the practice of greenhushing could play a detrimental role in the climate fight: “Business leaders must be open to receiving constructive criticism and must prioritise transparency in their sustainability reporting,” he said. “Lack of transparency is a form of evading scrutiny, which poses risks not only to the business in question but also to the broader industry, economy and – crucially – the outlook for our planet.”