Make way for a new term in your sustainability lexicon: greenhushing, a practice stemming from brands’ fear of appearing to greenwash.

As people become more aware of, and concerned about, climate change, they’re increasingly holding brands accountable for how their operations are impacting the planet—and whether they’re upholding the claims made in their marketing.

Rather than incorporating sustainability claims or climate commitments into their marketing messages, some brands are refraining from any kind of green communication for fear of being called out. They may or may not still be doing that sustainability work internally, but either way, it won’t be reflected in their external communications.

That’s made some brands wary of saying anything at all when it comes to sustainability, which some are referring to as greenhushing.

What is greenhushing?

Nearly a quarter of 1,200 sustainability executives surveyed in 2022 by climate consultancy South Pole reported no plans to publicize established climate goals. That’s despite an increase in the number of companies with science-based targets, and report authors suggested that the lack of communication plans may be due to upticks in scrutiny from the media and NGOs.

The root of the issue comes from a grey area—intentional or accidental—that can emerge between commitments and achievements. But the fears are well-founded.

Companies are “being asked to commit to and demonstrate higher levels of ambition,” Aron Cramer, president and CEO of sustainable business group BSR, said. At the same time, “they can either get social media backlash or actual legal problems if their message gets too far out ahead of their performance.”

Where did the term come from?

The term was first coined by brand strategist Jerry Stifelman and writer Sami Grover in 2008 in a blog post for Treehugger.com.

It found its way into academia in 2017 but only recently made its way more into the mainstream. A handful of sustainability-focused creators on TikTok began discussing the term last year as organizations like the World Economic Forum and sustainability-focused business publications like Eco-Business began tracking its impact on brand communications.

Companies are going to greenhush for a while, but hit the ceiling pretty soon in their ability to transform.

Alex Paine, partner at agency Lippincott

Still, it has yet to complete its entrance into the marketing lexicon, perhaps because the phenomenon resists publicity by nature—especially when it comes to official brand communications.

So is greenhushing an improvement on greenwashing?

While it could be mistaken for a positive result of the backlash against greenwashing, experts worry that it could slow down industry-specific momentum for action on climate.

“I don’t think the world knows what it wants right now. We want ambition, but we don’t want companies to say they’re doing things that they’re not,” Cramer said. “It’s genuinely a tricky dilemma.”

More companies are making science-based plans to reach net zero emissions. But unless those plans are being communicated across the industry, there’s no pressure for industry peers to follow suit. While staying quiet might be better than exaggerating progress toward climate goals, neither greenwashing or greenhushing supports the kind of action necessary to curb global warming.

If a brand waits to be perfect on all dimensions to start contributing, well, it may take a long, long time.

Fabrice Beaulieu, chief marketing and sustainability officer, Reckitt

In the long term, it’s important for brands to interact with people on issues of sustainability, explained Alex Paine, partner at agency Lippincott and director of the agency’s sustainability practice.

Without demonstrating peoples’ connection to sustainability issues and communications, it’s harder for brands to move from cost-saving sustainability measures—often the first steps of a brand’s climate journey—to the more difficult and costly decisions, he explained. At that point, investors need to know that people care.

“Companies are going to greenhush for a while but hit the ceiling pretty soon in their ability to transform,” Paine predicted.

But when climate goals with a target date in 2030 start knocking on the door, things will have to shift—because those are hard targets to meet without a consumer demand-related rationale. At that point, “the conversation with customers is going to have to happen because that’s the only way that people can actually build the business case for it to work,” he said.

What should marketers be doing about it?

To avoid the paralysis known as greenhushing and the negative consequences of greenwashing, experts advise brands to be honest and clear about the difference between their future goals and past achievements.

“There is absolutely real greenwashing out there,” Cramer said. “Companies in the energy sector that spend massive amounts of money on TV advertising around potential innovations on renewable energy while their capital expenditures are going towards fossil fuels—that’s misleading.”

The key is transparency. Brands need to be honest about the work that’s being done, how long it will take and what challenges they are facing—but they don’t need to wait until everything is perfect before communicating about that work.

“We recognize that we are not perfect,” Fabrice Beaulieu, chief marketing and sustainability officer for consumer brands company Reckitt, owner of labels like Airborne, Durex, Finish, Lysol and Mucinex, told Adweek.

Each of Reckitt’s brands aims to align its identity with a sustainability initiative inspired by one of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

For its dishwashing brand Finish, for example, Reckitt created a marketing campaign urging people to skip rinsing dishes before they go into the dishwasher—aligning with SDG six, “clean water and sanitation for all.” With a better formula, Beaulieu explained, that extra rinse wasn’t necessary—and it saved water.

“I would like our products to have less plastic and more recycled plastic and we are working very hard to get there—we are not shying away from from from that truth,” Beaulieu explained. “At the same time, we’re relentless [in working toward the] most sustainable products and operations and programs that have meaningful impact.”

“If a brand waits to be perfect on all dimensions to start contributing, well, it may take a long, long time,” Beaulieu said. “So we prefer trying to find areas which are meaningful.”