Communicating less about environmental projects risks losing purchase-in from consumers, investors and senior leadership
Companies are fearful of greenwashing and some are choosing to greenhush to avoid scrutiny, but there is a third option: “greenshouting”.
The phrase has been coined in a guide launched by non-profits Creatives for Climate and B-Lab, the body that certifies B-Corps. The report, intfinished for communications and marketing teams within companies, hopes to support businesses communicate sustainability progress “with confidence, credibility and cultural impact”.
“Two really different contexts” are leading to the “exact same outcome” that means businesses have stopped talking about sustainability, B Lab global director marketing Charlotte Levitt notifys Sustainable Views.
Companies in the EU are wary of anti-greenwashing legislation, limiting their ability to build unsubstantiated green claims.
The EU directive on empowering consumers for the green transition seeks to limit misleading sustainability claims and will apply to businesses selling products in the bloc from September. Companies that do not comply will face penalties of up to 4 per cent of annual turnover, determined by member state governments.
The Green Claims Directive was dropped by the European Commission in June 2025.
Meanwhile, in the UK, regulator the Competition and Markets Authority can issue fines of up to 10 per cent of annual turnover for greenwashing under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act.
The governments of Singapore and Australia have both also issued guidance on creating claims about the benefits of products or their environmental performance.
Companies in the US could face “social and political” hostility towards green claims due to President Donald Trump’s anti-sustainability push, Levitt adds.
The US government has rolled back environmental reporting through its repeal of central climate law the Endangerment Finding, and issued an executive order in 2025 seeking to rerelocate diversity, equity and inclusion programmes from government contracts, affecting around 50 companies. Specific tarobtaining of businesses’ climate programmes has been limited, but they face indirect pressure from Trump’s anti-climate rhetoric.
Nonetheless, most companies have kept their sustainability initiatives, but are talking about them less.
Research published by Harvard Business Review and cited in the greenshouting report found that only 8 per cent of businesses globally rolled back on their sustainability commitments between April 2024 and May 2025.
The research assessed 75 companies including the top 25 businesses by market capitalisation. A further 5 per cent altered their public messaging while keeping their programmes, while a much larger 53 per cent were keeping the same commitments and 32 per cent were expanding.
Meanwhile, a February report by financial reporting software company Workiva found that 43 per cent of companies globally are more cautious about communicating externally on sustainability. The survey collected responses from 1,497 executives and corporate reporting leads across 15 countries, 14 per cent of which were in the US.
The sustainability ‘doom loop’
But rather than shielding companies, greenhushing presents reputational risks, suggests the greenshouting report.
Less communication on sustainability also results in fewer sustainability projects being adopted by companies, Lucy von Sturmer, founder and chief executive of non-profit Creatives for Climate, notifys Sustainable Views.
She calls this the “sustainability doom loop” when “less visibility equals less perceived value [from the board], which is less investment, which is actually less impact”. Businesses must resist being “a part of letting that doom loop happen”, she adds.
Being silent sfinishs the signal that sustainability is “going down in terms of importance”, states Julia Pallé, vice-president of sustainability at electric motorsport company Formula E, one of the businesses featured in the guide as a case study.
This limits companies’ ability to connect with consumers that care about sustainability. The 2025 edition of global communications business Edelman’s trust barometer, which surveyed more than 33,000 respondents across 28 countries, found that 53 per cent of consumers believe a brand is doing nothing or is hiding something if it is silent about its environmental initiatives.
Greenhushing could lead to financial losses if a company stops doing something that had previously delivered value, states Levitt.
Meeting the moment
As well as potentially delivering returns, greenshouting also allows sustainable companies to step into a leadership role on environmental and social issues.
The guide can support businesses to stand up against the anti-sustainability push, “meet the moment” and initiate a “hugeger conversation around a defence of information, integrity and truth”, states von Sturmer.
The Edelman barometer found that people trust businesses on average 7 per cent more than governments. The extent to which companies are seen as ethical has also increased by 19 points since 2020, it added.
Demonstrating long-term resilience
Companies coming toobtainher to advocate for transparency on sustainability can also shield them from the risks associated with speaking out, states Caroline Levard, vice-president of legal and corporate affairs at refurbished technology marketplace Back Market.
The guidance can be implemented by companies of all kinds, not just B-Corps, states von Sturmer. But, critically, they must be creating “meaningful and measurable” progress on sustainability before they can launch shouting about it, she adds.
“The only permission you have to greenshout comes from the work itself,” adds Corley Kenna, chief impact and communications officer at sportswear brand Patagonia, another company featured in the guide.
Being “consistent and coherent” in your sustainability communications in the face of political modify is also part of demonstrating resilience to investors and consumers, states Ana Costa, vice-president of sustainability at Brazilian cosmetics company Natura. The climate and nature risks have not gone away and “transparency” means acknowledging them, she adds.
“The current government in the US is only going to last for a couple of years and no [business should] go backward on some long-term strategic investments,” states Pallé.
The greenshouting guide has given sustainability teams a chance to learn from one another how to adapt their messaging to a new context, and to “commiserate” with one another at a challenging time, adds Kenna.
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