Greenhushing, the silence that costs you trust
Plenty of organisations do real sustainability work and say nothing about it, afraid of being accused of greenwashing. That silence has a name, and it has a cost.
What greenhushing is
Greenhushing is deliberately staying quiet about your sustainability work, out of fear of criticism or an accusation of greenwashing. It is the silent counterpart of greenwashing. The claim is never made, so nothing is ever wrong on paper, and nobody learns what you did.
Why silence is not the safe option
In the short term silence feels safe. Over time you lose trust inside and outside the organisation, and you hand the norm to whoever is less careful. The people who should follow your example never see it. See also from plan to practice.
Communication sits under the theme Signal
Our Embedding Framework is a wheel of thirteen themes and fifty-eight practices that together decide how deeply sustainability is anchored in an organisation. Telling your story honestly sits under the theme Signal: what you say, to whom, and how consistently. Silence is a signal too, and rarely the one you want to send.
Want to see where your organisation stands on Signal, and on the other twelve themes, take the Embedding Scan. Forty minutes, thirteen themes, a structured read of your culture.
Frequently asked questions
What is greenhushing?
Is silence not safer than a wrong claim?
What do you do instead of staying silent?
Ready to tell your story honestly
Leave your details and we will get back within 24 hours. No pitch. A clear conversation about what you are doing and how to say it without overclaiming.