Greenwashing vs Greenhushing: What’s the Real Risk?

The other day, I was explaining what we do at Brace For Impact, and the first question I was asked was:

“How do you prevent greenwashing?”

It’s a fair question (and it’s often the first one that comes up).

My answer is straightforward: we follow the CMA’s Green Claims Code, write our reports with reference to GRI standards, and deploy relevant sector criteria that counter greenwashing at its root. We don’t deal in vague statements or fluffy slogans – we focus on clear, evidenced impact.

But it also led me to give a twelve-minute soliloquy about why, when it comes to small businesses, greenwashing might be the wrong thing to worry about.

Why greenhushing might be the bigger problem

We’ve become so worried about overstating our impact that we’ve forgotten the risk of saying nothing at all. Silence is safe, but it’s not helpful – and no one was ever inspired by silence. If businesses don’t share their progress, how can we encourage healthy competition or collaborative action?

Greenhushing – the deliberate choice to downplay or hide sustainability work – is becoming more common. And it could be more dangerous than greenwashing.

What’s the difference between greenwashing and greenhushing?

When a company greenwashes, it exaggerates or fabricates its sustainability claims. The result? The business might benefit unfairly, customers are misled, and genuine progress stalls. That’s a problem, but it’s largely contained to that one company.

But when a company greenhushes – takes meaningful action but says nothing – the impact is broader. It stalls the whole system. There’s no visibility, no benchmarks, no peer pressure. Other businesses don’t feel compelled to act, because no one’s raising the bar. In that silence, momentum dies.

Silence holds us back

If we want sustainability to become the default for doing business, we need to talk about it. Not just the wins, but the messy middle too. The things we’re trying, the lessons we’re learning, the baselines we’re starting from. If no one shares, no one progresses. If everyone stays quiet, we lose our chance to build something better.

So yes, greenwashing is a risk. But let’s not let fear of being called out stop us from showing up. Let’s shift the question from “How do I avoid greenwashing?” to:

“How can I talk honestly about where we are and where we’re going?”

If you’d like to talk about how we can help your business communicate climate projects confidently, get in touch.