Today's companies are overall more committed to Sustainability goals than ever.
PwC reports that only 16% of major companies have narrowed their climate goals, while nearly half have retained them and over a third have increased them.
However, despite the posivitity, companies are also more likely than ever to keep quiet about this, and as a result we have a new concept in play:
Greenhushing refers to the tendency of companies downplaying their climate pledges. In contrast to greenwashing, where overkill exists on environmental gains, greenhushing occurs when companies are actually doing something but refuse to trumpet it.
But Why..?
Some of the explanation lies in political backlash. US state attorneys general in early 2024 threatened to sue investment banks like BlackRock and Goldman Sachs for their Environmental Social and Governance pledges.
Then of course there's the anti-green stance in the Whitehouse: being bold about your corporate ethics ain't gonna win you any of those big money government contracts these days!
Such threats discourage public disclosure. As Harvard Business Review (2023) hints, many companies now fear that discussing sustainability will attract both regulatory pushback and culture-war politics.
Why Greenhushing Matters
At first glance, greenhushing can seem harmless: after all, what matters is a real emissions reduction, not publicity releases. But transparency lies at the heart of accountability and global benchmarking.
Low-level disclosure has been warned against by the World Economic Forum as undermining investor confidence and falling behind shared climate goals.
However maybe, just maybe greenhushing is a positive trend..?. Instead of buzz that delivers no real substance in greenwashing, perhaps this shift is a subtle but genuine indicator of progress with corporate climate responsibility. Instead of seeking PR stunts, firms are mainstreaming sustainability into their business processes.
And so, "greenhushing" could just be less hype, more substance....?
I guess we'll have to wait 20 years to find out!