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There’s good reason to feel down about humanity’s future. After all, the Earth keeps getting warmer. Next to no recyclable plastic actually gets recycled. Wanting to avoid accusations of greenwashing, some brands are settling for greenhushing.
A new report from trend forecaster WGSN predicts some consumers, exhausted from the planet’s many problems, will seek relief in nihilism. “It’s not that they have given up caring,” reads a line from the executive summary. “They are simply finding that caring less is an effective coping mechanism.”
However, there are still signs of hope. Major companies are incorporating climate change strategies into their plans, while consumers are buying more sustainable goods.
“It’s not enough to just talk about it anymore,” said MB, executive creative director at brand consulting and design firm Landor & Fitch.
Consider this: In 2018, just under half of all corporations listed on the S&P 500 index mentioned “climate change” at least once in an annual or quarterly report, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. This number has increased each year since. The latest scan of SEC filings reveals that 450 companies, or 90%, acknowledge the phenomenon exists—even if just as a financial risk.
Companies are trying to fix the problem, too.
Earlier this year, for the first time in its 50-year history, personal care brand Tom’s of Maine awarded five young BIPOC environmentalists with $20,000 each, along with mentorship and other resources, to help amplify their projects.
“Each of our winners have already accomplished so much, and we are honored to work with them toward even more impact,” Cristiane Martini, the brand’s general manager, said in a statement.
Many companies are also etching sustainable practices into their policies.
A survey from the World Federation of Advertisers trade association shows 68% of its member organizations have a framework for addressing greenwashing. Around half have plans to encourage sustainable behavior among shoppers and source materials that do less damage to the environment.