Greenhushing (sometimes spelled "green hushing") is a relatively new phenomenon proving to be a concern for the environmentally conscious. It refers to corporations keeping quiet or hushing their climate change goals and/or emissions strategies.
The goal of greenhushing is for companies to avoid scrutiny of their perceived or actual failures concerning sustainability efforts. In other words, the less they elaborate on their green practices, the less open they are to criticism—and the less they feel pressure to improve their practices.
How Greenhushing Works ✍️
Corporations are said to engage in greenhushing when they downplay, make vague, or avoid altogether statements about their environmentally friendly practices. A company might refuse to publish their science-based emission targets, provide misleading environmental claims, or rely on impossible-to-refute platitudes like "we remain focused on sustainable business practices" (just how focused exactly? It's impossible to say).
The reluctance to genuinely engage in environmentally conscious practices may stem from the desire to protect proprietary information, fear of public backlash, and risk to shareholder value—or all three. However, as consumer demand is increasingly pushing for green products, this lack of transparency creates a sense of distrust among employees, consumers, and other stakeholders.
What Is Greenwashing? 🤔
Greenwashing is a similar practice where companies make false or exaggerated environmental claims. They might overstate the significant environmental benefits of their products or make environmental marketing claims that don't hold water—often, greenwashing and greenhushing go hand-in-hand.
Examples of Greenwashing and Greenhushing 🟢
Greenhushing and greenwashing can take many forms, so it is important to learn how to identify it when you suspect a company may be guilty of making green claims without substance. Here are some common examples:
Making vague or unfalsifiable claims. A company might use marketing language to hide the fact that its products are more sustainable than they really are. For example, describing things as "natural" when they contain synthetic materials or those created with non-sustainable business practices.
Carbon offsets. A company might invest in carbon offsets to project an environmentally friendly image. While this can be a legitimate strategy, companies often do so without trying to reduce their actual carbon footprint.
Lack of transparency and/or misleading claims. A company that refuses to disclose information or provides environmental claims without any evidence to back them up is likely attempting to mislead consumers.
The Negative Consequences of Corporate Greenwashing and Misleading Green Marketing 📉
Misleading environmental claims aren't just little white lies—they have real, significant environmental consequences. In regions where sustainability norms haven't taken hold, greenhushing can impede climate change progress, according to experts.
Keeping track of corporate environmental performance is important, and so is exposing environmentally damaging practices. As such, false claims and silence on environmental issues are no small matter.