What is ‘greenhushing’ and why is it a risk for sustainability professionals?

Sustainability professionals are well-versed in the risks of greenwashing, but now some corporates are being accused of “greenhushing”. So, what is greenhushing and why is it important that we get to grips with this growing trend and the risks that it brings?

Data from RepRisk shows that one in every five cases of corporate risk incidents linked to environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues stems from greenwashing. It is an issue that every sustainability practitioner has had to grapple with and, as frameworks like the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) Green Claims Code emerge, the number of corporates called out for false green claims may well grow.

To avoid greenwashing accusations, some brands and businesses may feel compelled not to communicate as much about their environmental plans, instead sitting quietly on the information they have – or don’t have – and going about progressing towards targets in silence. This practice is known as ‘greenhushing’.

Greenhushing gained traction when it was first covered consultancy Treehugger back in 2020, which at the time claimed that greenhushing would happen because businesses were hesitant to share progress on sustainability initiatives.

Reasons for doing so will vary; businesses may wish to avoid boycotts, increased staff turnover and reputational risk. But, as sustainability becomes more mainstream, the reasons behind greenhushing are changing. New research suggests that greenhushing can now be linked to businesses that are trying to falsely appear more sustainable, but are unable or unwilling to share the data and proof to fully back these claims.

While there are two sides to this greenhushing coin, the risks that corporates face for partaking in the activity – consciously or otherwise – remain consistent.

Indeed, a recent survey from Sensu Insight found that 86% of UK adults want to see more transparency from businesses on their environmental impacts, initiatives and targets. As such, greenhushing may be causing more harm than corporates realise.

Read more: Edie News