The Communications Compass: Guiding Brands Through Greenwashing, Greywashing and Greenhushing

‘Sustainable’, ‘net zero’, ‘carbon neutral’, and ‘eco-conscious’ are just a few buzzwords companies use to communicate their sustainability efforts today but they often lack clarity and therefore integrity. With heightened consumer awareness stemming from a desire to make informed and responsible purchasing decisions, companies are being caught out and often backtracking on claims amid public scrutiny and this impact on a company’s credibility can be profound. Greenwashing, once a tactic to attract environmentally-conscious consumers, now poses a substantial risk. Consumers expect transparency, authenticity, and evidence-backed sustainability efforts so they can make informed and correct decisions easily and this is a clear call to action for sustainability communicators to guide brands as to how they can share their sustainability efforts through a transformative journey toward genuine sustainability, fostering openness, credibility, and ethical communication.

In a report by McKinsey & Company, 82% of consumers would be willing to pay more for sustainable packaging, signalling that even with a worsening economic situation, the environment remains a consumer priority in the US. Closer to home, UAE consumers prioritise packaging recyclability (56%) and the use of recycled materials (47%) when considering the sustainability credentials of a product’s packaging, according to a 2023 survey by AlixPartners. The community is asking for a sustainable approach, and investors are looking for companies with a lower carbon footprint to create a financial portfolio which will reduce their environmental impact. This sentiment drives the agenda for more companies as they reassess priorities and focus on becoming more sustainable. It is also becoming profitable for companies to be seen as environmentally beneficial. Still, as they navigate this journey to sustainability, many companies need to communicate their eco-friendly promises with accuracy and integrity, as it is where greenwashing, greywashing, and greenhushing come to the forefront. If you’re not familiar with these terms, or how best to communicate your good work, please keep reading.

Truth in Transparency

Time plays a pivotal role in curbing greenhouse gas emissions in the race to combat climate change. The United Nations’ Paris Agreement sets a clear target: a 45% reduction in global emissions by 2030. This time-bound objective underscores the urgency for collective action to mitigate the environmental crisis. Efforts to enforce transparency and accountability are gaining momentum, emphasising the need for stringent regulations and a keener oversight role by the media.

Even the big players get caught out. Apple set an excellent example marketing its social values and its climate change priorities in a recent short film with Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer as Mother Nature. The simplicity of the narrative is remarkable, however, when Mark Gongloff, Bloomberg’s opinion editor, dug deeper, he unveiled that Apple is being criticised for not cutting emissions even more aggressively, for relying too much on offsets and for not setting a longer-term target for reduction. The company has a track record of asserting eco-friendliness while impeding device reusability and repairability. Notably, manufacturing new phones is Apple’s largest carbon contributor, considering their environmental commitments.

There are resources available to help brands communicate more effectively and accurately. A significant regulatory shift is unfolding globally where stringent measures have been implemented against greenwashing. Companies must substantiate their environmental claims with scientific evidence, subject to independent verification, to ensure transparency and accuracy. Closer to the region, the Asia chapter of the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) has taken proactive steps. The association recently unveiled guidelines tailored for Asian businesses, aiming to thwart greenwashing within their communications. As regulatory scrutiny looms, these guidelines provide a communication framework for brands to uphold integrity and authenticity in their sustainability claims.

Greenwashing: Creativity without Credibility

Greenwashing is the act of employing misleading advertising or communications to present a facade of being more environmentally conscious than reality. This marketing strategy capitalises on the rising global environmental concern and the growing demand for sustainable products.

There are seven sins of greenwashing, each reflecting a tactic employed to mislead consumers. These include fibbing, i.e. mistruths about a product’s environmental benefits; worshipping false labels, i.e. overemphasis on irrelevant certifications or labels; no proof, i.e. lack of substantiating evidence for sustainability claims; hidden trade-off, i.e. touting a single positive aspect while neglecting broader negative impacts; vagueness i.e. using ambiguous language that confuses consumers; the lesser of two evils i.e. presenting a product as a better choice despite still being harmful; and irrelevance i.e. making claims that are unrelated to the product’s actual environmental impact.

One key example is the H&M Conscious Choice clothing line which came under scrutiny in 2022. While the suit has recently been dismissed, the allegations that H&M’s “sustainable” marketing violated California and Missouri consumer protection laws, as well as the FTC’s Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims did not showcase the brand in a positive light. Since then, H&M has taken significant steps to reduce its environmental impact, pledging to cut its absolute emissions by 56% by 2030 and achieve net-zero by 2040.

Uniqlo’s partnership with The Setouchi Olive Foundation is noteworthy. The Foundation is a non-profit organisation established by world-renowned architect Tadao Ando and Kohei Nakabo, the attorney who led the defence team in the Teshima Incident in the 1990s, which was the largest case of illegal dumping of hazardous industrial waste in Japan. The Foundation’s activities have yielded significant positive results. Since 2001, Uniqlo has been utilising and communicating its in-store fundraising boxes to support donations.

Greywashing: Credibility without Creativity

Greywashing occurs when a company appears credible in sustainability without showcasing genuine creativity or significant commitment. Unlike greenwashing, where creativity is employed to exaggerate environmental efforts, greywashing is about projecting a facade of credibility without substantial innovation or impactful change. Companies may utilise loopholes, legal technicalities, or carefully crafted language to give the impression of credibility without actually implementing substantive environmentally friendly practices. It misleads consumers and erodes the potential for authentic sustainability.

Greenhushing: Silence Constraining Sustainability

Greenhushing is an emerging phenomenon resulting from the rapid increase in sustainability-focused legislation in 2022. This term encapsulates the practice of deliberately staying silent or evasive about a company’s environmental efforts, an approach frequently adopted by companies to stop scrutiny and accusations of greenwashing.

In 2022, fashion retailer ASOS removed its ‘Responsible Edit’ filters and sustainable fashion section of its website, which curated pieces it deemed sustainable, ahead of an investigation into potential greenwashing by the brand. Greenhushing sheds light on the evolving dynamics of sustainability communications and the challenges companies face in navigating the fine line between authentic environmental efforts and the risk of being perceived as disingenuous in a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape.

Car manufacturer Volkswagen has had its fair share of challenges. Still, it has emerged victorious, embracing a fundamental shift to clean, e-mobility technology to restore the brand’s equity and comply with stricter emissions regulations worldwide. In 2016, the company formed a Sustainability Council to help it transform into a world-leading sustainable mobility provider. It has evolved to advocate for ambitious standards that reduce pollution and drive e-mobility, putting them on the right track.

The PR Compass

The fight against greenwashing, greywashing, and greenhushing requires heightened awareness and scrutiny from sustainability communicators as we seek to educate ourselves to recognise these misleading practices, guiding genuine sustainability efforts and transparency from companies. We play a vital role in promoting a culture of authenticity and creativity within the realm of corporate sustainability by examining accountability mechanisms to transform pledges and aspirations into concrete outcomes. Focusing on transparency, measurable goals, and meaningful actions aligning with the company’s stated environmental commitments leads to a job well done. Additionally, regulatory frameworks must evolve to close the loopholes allowing greenwashing, greywashing, and greenhushing to persist, ensuring that sustainability claims align with meaningful environmental actions.

The world will look to the UAE for two weeks next month as the nation hosts the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP28). Ethical communication and transparency will be the cornerstone at this crucial event and in the long term toward ensuring a sustainable future where actions match the words that echo in the pursuit of a greener world.

Words By: Malaika Fernandes, Account Director and Sustainability Ambassador at Atteline