Greenwashing vs Greenhushing: The Communication Risk You Can’t Afford to Get Wrong

In today’s climate-conscious market, how your business talks about sustainability is as important as what it does. The language used, the evidence behind it, and the tone in which it’s delivered all shape stakeholder trust—and determine whether your sustainability strategy becomes a business advantage or a reputational liability.

Amid tightening regulation and rising consumer expectations, businesses in food, agri-food, and hospitality sectors face a communication dilemma. Overstate your claims, and you risk greenwashing. Stay silent out of fear, and you risk greenhushing. Both can have damaging consequences—commercially and ethically.

Greenwashing vs Greenhushing: Two Sides of the Same Coin

Greenwashing refers to misleading or exaggerated environmental claims that give a false impression of sustainability. Think of terms like “eco-friendly,” “planet-safe,” or “low-impact” with no supporting data. These phrases are emotionally persuasive but legally ambiguous.

Greenhushing, meanwhile, happens when businesses under-communicate their legitimate sustainability efforts. Often driven by fear of public backlash, regulatory scrutiny, or simply a lack of confidence in how to communicate sustainability, greenhushing leads to missed opportunities—contract wins, consumer loyalty, investor interest, and reputational capital.

Regulation and Reputation

The regulatory landscape is evolving quickly. In the EU, the Green Claims Directive (coming into effect by 2026) will ban vague sustainability statements unless backed by independent, verifiable evidence. Terms like “carbon neutral” or “climate-friendly” will be prohibited unless they include full lifecycle emissions data and are independently validated.

Consumers are equally demanding. 86% of EU consumers say they want clearer sustainability information to guide their purchasing decisions. And in the UK, 58% of adults actively use business certifications (such as B Corp or Fairtrade) to decide which brands to buy from or work for.

Red Flags vs Real Claims: How to Spot the Difference

To determine whether a sustainability claim is credible or a case of greenwashing, assess it using four criteria: Buzzwords, Evidence, Verification, and Holistic Sustainability.

🚩 Red Flag Words (Often Misleading):

Eco-friendly: Vague, undefined, no legal standards

All natural: Can still involve harmful processes

Carbon neutral: Often relies on offsets without reductions

Sustainable packaging: Misleading unless clearly defined (e.g. compostable, recyclable)

Planet-safe: Emotional, not measurable

✅ Provable Claims (Backed by Data or Standards):

Certified Organic: Audited by Soil Association or equivalent

Fairtrade Certified: Globally recognised ethical standard

ISO 14001 Certified: Environmental management system verified

100% Recycled Packaging: Verifiable material source

Regenerative Agriculture: Backed by biodiversity and soil health metrics

B Corp Certified: Assessed against verified ESG criteria

Backed by standards like SBTi, GHG Protocol, Fairtrade, and EcoVadis, these claims provide a level of credibility that consumers, regulators, and supply chain partners increasingly demand.

Greenwashing Lessons from the Headlines

Several high-profile cases illustrate poor sustainability communication:

• Alpro’s “Good for the Planet” bus advert was ruled misleading by the ASA in 2021 for failing to consider lifecycle impacts like packaging and retail emissions.

• Danish Crown’s “climate-controlled pigs” label, a self-defined eco-label, was pulled after pressure from retailers and NGOs. The phrase was ambiguous and unverifiable.

• Tony’s Chocolonely was removed from SlaveFreeChocolate.org’s ethical list due to its partnership with Barry Callebaut – who have been linked with child labour practices and illegal deforestation. Although Tony’s acted transparently and responsibly in response, the case shows how even mission-driven brands can fall under scrutiny if supply chain links aren’t made accessible and visible to the public.

Build Internal Capability

Train your teams, especially those in communications, procurement, and customer-facing roles, to understand sustainability frameworks. Carbon literacy training can help staff understand the climate impact of everyday operations and equip them to discuss sustainability with clarity.

Communicate Progress, Not Perfection

Stakeholders appreciate honesty. Sharing both achievements and areas for improvement fosters trust. Third-party frameworks like B Corp and EcoVadis can structure and validate your sustainability narrative.

• B Corp assesses companies across governance, workers, community, environment, and customers. Certification isn’t just a mark of responsibility—it’s a strategic growth driver, with UK B Corps outperforming average turnover growth (23.2% vs 16.8% in 2023–24). Certified companies also benefit from stronger employee retention, brand loyalty, and investor interest.

• EcoVadis evaluates ESG performance across four key areas: Environment, Labour & Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement. Its evidence-based rating system is widely recognised by corporate buyers and increasingly used as a supplier prequalification tool. For food and hospitality businesses, strong EcoVadis scores can unlock access to larger supply chains and ESG-aligned partnerships.

At ESG Made Easy, we can help your businesses communicate sustainability, confidently and credibly. From verifying environmental and social claims using recognised standards to guiding you through B Corp and EcoVadis certification, we ensure your sustainability reporting is both robust and accurate. We can build internal capability through carbon literacy training and support impactful messaging that resonates with stakeholders—without overpromising. In a market where greenwashing damages credibility and greenhushing limits growth, we help you strike the right balance, build trust, and win contracts with evidence-led sustainability.

References

European Commission – Green Claims Directive Overview
European Commission. (2022). Empowering consumers for the green transition.
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/fs_22_2099

EU Greenwashing Directive (Green Claims Directive) Summary
Sweep. (2023). New EU Greenwashing Directive: What Businesses Need to Know.
https://www.sweep.net/blog/new-eu-greenwashing-directive-what-businesses-need-to-know

UK CMA – Powers Under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCCA)
UK Government. (2024). Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-law-to-protect-consumers-and-promote-competition

B Lab UK – Consumer Awareness and Economic Impact of B Corps
B Lab UK. (2024). Exploring Awareness of B Corp Certification in the UK.
https://bcorporation.uk/reinventing-business/by-b-lab-uk/exploring-awareness-of-b-corp-certification-in-the-uk/