What is greenhushing? Everything you need to know
Greenhushing sees businesses deliberately withhold information about their sustainability efforts to avoid public scrutiny.
Greenhushing is a growing trend in which organizations deliberately withhold information regarding their environmental efforts, either out of fear of backlash if goals are not achieved or out of fear of being accused of greenwashing.
Greenwashing involves organizations exaggerating their environmental impact to appear more environmentally friendly and boost their reputation. Meanwhile, greenhushing takes the opposite approach, with businesses downplaying or withholding information to avoid scrutiny.
Though it is difficult to pinpoint when the term was coined, reports suggest the earliest use was in 2008. As greenwashing became more prominent and society began to review businesses more critically regarding the environment, the term greenhushing gained further popularity.
Both greenwashing and greenhushing erode transparency and slow collective climate action.
Why are businesses participating in greenhushing?
Businesses may participate in greenhushing for several reasons, including the following:
1. Changing regulations
According to research by South Pole, a Swiss carbon finance consultancy, lack of clarity and changing regulatory requirements were cited as a top reason for greenwashing by businesses in industries such as consumer goods, retail and tech.
As environmental regulations evolve, businesses may be concerned that their existing sustainability measures are no longer compliant with new guidelines. Complexities around reporting requirements can further complicate publicizing environmental goals/achievements and push organizations toward silence.
2. Fear of being labeled greenwashers
In 2025, greenwashing is an issue, with recent research by RepRisk -- an environmental, social and governance (ESG) research provider -- showing that 25% of climate-related ESG risk incidents globally were linked to greenwashing. When found guilty of greenwashing, it's not just an organization's reputation at stake. Advertising bans, fines, investor loss and lawsuits are just some of the consequences that face those guilty of intentionally misleading the public on corporate environmental impact.
Companies found guilty of greenwashing face enormous damages to brand reputation, and fear of falling down this avenue is one of the main motivators for greenhushing. For example, in 2015, Volkswagen was found guilty of manipulating emission tests, to make it appear their diesel vehicles created less pollution than they did. The company faced severe consequences, including billions of dollars in fines, lawsuits and reputational loss.
3. Lack of financial benefit
Not all business leaders consider publicizing their environmental impact financially beneficial, and this can deter them from publishing information. Where there may not be market demand for these green initiatives and where there may be consumer skepticism over eco-friendly products and goals, businesses are more likely to keep information away from the public eye.
Equally, by publicizing sustainability strategies, this information is now public to competitors and could take away a business's competitive edge.
What are the consequences of greenhushing?
The 2024 Transparency Index report, published by Connected Impact, discovered that 58% of organizations were under-promoting their ESG data. With many businesses participating in this trend, there are many consequences, especially for collective climate action, which largely depends on transparency across corporations and governments.
Transparency and honesty are key to solving the climate crisis and companies reducing their carbon footprint. By having an open policy, businesses are more likely to honor any pledges to the environment and are likely to inspire the competition. When organizations publicly commit to sustainability goals, they set industry standards similar companies will strive to follow. By concealing these goals, there is no standard and no accountability. Collective action is key to solving the climate crisis but is impossible without a high level of transparency.
Businesses participating in greenhushing damage the collective effort against climate change and negatively affect their relationship with consumers. In today's market, consumers are looking to engage with companies with the same values as them, and sustainability is top of mind for many consumers. According to NielsenIQ, 78% of consumers say a sustainable lifestyle is important to them, while 30% are more likely to purchase products with sustainable credentials. Public attitude is swaying toward organizations that not only make sustainability a priority – but a public priority. By participating in greenhushing, and staying quiet when it comes to environmental efforts, businesses are damaging their public perception and missing an opportunity to engage with modern consumers.
Sustainability is important to employees, investors and consumers. A study by The Stepstone Group revealed that 58% of prospective employees would specifically search for jobs at sustainable companies. Conversely, 38% would accept a lower-than-market average salary for a sustainable employer. On a similar note, according to Morgan Stanley, nearly 80% of investors will consider a company's reporting on its carbon footprint when making a new investment. Transparency around sustainability efforts is as important to employees and investors as it is to consumers, and by partaking in greenhushing, businesses shut themselves off from being successful employers with high retention rates and promising investment opportunities from global investors.
How to avoid greenhushing
To avoid greenhushing, businesses must take an active and transparent approach to report on their sustainability efforts.
- Admit mistakes. It is better to keep stakeholders informed when goals are not met and reaffirm goals rather than not disclosing anything. By being honest and approaching the subject with candor, there can be no accusation of greenwashing, and reputation is protected.
- Be adaptable. Sustainability is not a straightforward process. Efforts should be ongoing and adapt to the broader context. Regular assessment of goals and initiatives through methods such as audits and surveys demonstrate a real commitment to change.
- Communicate effectively. Avoid overcomplicated language and vague statements. Clear communication will help stakeholders and consumers understand business goals.
- Report regularly. Updates on social media, company websites and through customer communications are effective ways to stay on top of reporting and avoid setting unrealistic expectations.
- Set realistic goals. Public goals should be achievable and easily measurable. Rather than choosing goals that are hard to achieve and hard to measure, smaller and regularly reassessed goals are more likely to benefit the environment, as opposed to larger goals that are ultimately scrapped.
Rosa Heaton is a content manager for the Learning Content group at Informa TechTarget.
