New Earthwatch study finds 1 in 4 companies hiding their green credentials
17th May 2023
New research from environmental charity Earthwatch Europe indicates that nearly 1 in 4 (24%) medium and large companies in Great Britain surveyed have engaged in greenhushing over the last 12 months.
Greenhushing refers to under-communicating the sustainability practices in which a business engages, thus misleading stakeholders about a company’s environmental impact or commitment to sustainability.
According to a recent survey of 1,009 senior decision makers in British businesses, 23.6% of those from medium and large companies feel that their business has, either deliberately or inadvertently, greenhushed in the last 12 months (ie since April 2022) by under-communicating its sustainability initiatives or goals.
The finding highlights the increasing prevalence of greenhushing in corporate sustainability communications, and the need for greater transparency and accountability.
The survey, conducted by YouGov on behalf of Earthwatch, also found that the main concern shared by both large and medium businesses about communicating progress on sustainability was the need to balance financial and sustainability objectives. In April 2023, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecast that the UK would be the worst-performing of the G7 economies. During this time of severe economic stress, theres a danger that environmental commitments are being deprioritised.
Steve Andrews, CEO of Earthwatch Europe, said: Business leaders must be open to receiving constructive criticism and must prioritize transparency in their sustainability reporting. Lack of transparency is a form of evading scrutiny, which poses risks not only to the business in question but also to the broader industry, economy and crucially the outlook for our planet.
We urge companies to embrace transparency and actively engage with stakeholders on sustainability issues. Only by being honest and open about their environmental impact can companies build trust and credibility with consumers, investors, and other stakeholders.
For more than three decades, Earthwatch has worked with global organisations to help them stay ahead of the curve and integrate sustainability into business strategy, offering award-winning employee learning programmes that help provide a higher level of sustainability literacy within their business.
In April 2023, Earthwatch published a whitepaper on greenhushing and the importance of transparency in sustainability reporting, which can be downloaded from the Earthwatch Learning website: https://learning.earthwatch.org.uk/about/#papers