Silence Is the New Greenwashing: B Lab & Creatives for Climate Launch Framework to Break Corporate Paralysis
March 30, 2026 — B Lab and Creatives for Climate today launch the Greenshouting Guide, a free, practical resource to help brands, creators, and communicators speak up about sustainability with courage and clarity in an increasingly polarised landscape. Featuring case studies from more than 15 companies and commentary from respected public-sector and NGO leaders, the guide demonstrates how companies and individuals can continue driving progress.
Unveiled at a public launch event at ChangeNOW in Paris’s Grand Palais, the guide tackles ‘greenhushing’, the concept that emerged as anti-greenwashing enforcement intensified globally. Where greenwashing misleads through exaggerated claims, greenhushing hides genuine progress through silence. Both distort public understanding, but greenhushing may pose the greater threat by making real environmental action invisible.
The Greenshouting Guide offers a framework built on three steps: establishing a robust sustainability strategy; verifying claims through recognized certifications; and deploying seven communication principles—tone, simplicity, abundance, disruption, culture, emotion, and humility—that emphasize demonstrable progress over aspirational perfection.
“Silence is not safe,” says Charlotte Levitt, Global Director of Marketing & Communications at B Lab. “Customers, employees, and regulators reward brands that have the courage to speak up about the real action they are taking. In 2026, sustainability communication is a business strategy for relevance and resilience, and the companies in this guide are showing us the way forward.”
The resource features case studies from B Corps and purpose-driven companies demonstrating transparency: Wild's athlete partnership strategy, Formula E's emotional storytelling through sport, Vinted's cultural campaign for second-hand goods, and VEJA's Project Limits, which acknowledges sourcing challenges rather than claiming perfection.
But these companies remain the exception, not the rule. “When companies go quiet, they leave space for bad actors to dominate the narrative,” says Lucy von Sturmer, Founder of Creatives for Climate. “At a time when 89% of people across 125 countries want stronger climate action, fear-driven silence undermines both progress and business resilience.”
The guide arrives at a critical moment. With the EU's Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive taking effect in September 2026 and similar legislation globally imposing fines of up to 4% of annual turnover, companies have become cautious about their sustainability communications.
Yet the data reveals a paradox. Despite headlines suggesting a widespread corporate retreat, only 8% of companies have materially rolled back their sustainability commitments, according to Harvard Business Review. Meanwhile, 53% hold steady, and 32% are expanding their efforts. The challenge is visibility: many organisations are still taking action but are hesitant to communicate it.
This silence carries measurable costs. Across 125 countries, 53% of consumers interpret silence as inaction or concealment (Edelman Trust Barometer 2025). Companies avoiding sustainability communication underperform financially, while up to 31% of market leaders' reputational advantage stems from environmental perceptions (Revolt, 2025).
The challenge extends globally as regulatory approaches fragment. Three months into the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which affects exporters worldwide, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan are introducing mandatory sustainability reporting, while the U.S. is rolling back requirements. This creates unprecedented complexity for companies operating across borders.
Ahead of London Climate Action Week and COP31's Pacific Islands Pre-Summit, the guide addresses what industry observers predict will be the defining communications challenge of 2026.
Creatives for Climate and B Lab are independent nonprofits working at the intersection of climate action and systemic change. Creatives for Climate is transforming how creative influence is used through its Lead on Climate Learning Membership, Ethical Agency Alliance, and Brief for Better procurement initiative, while B Lab leads a global community of businesses, known as B Corps, committed to social and environmental progress.
“As a movement, we’re quick to shout about the brands and agencies who get sustainability communications wrong. But until now, we’ve really lacked clear guidance and inspiration to give marketing teams confidence and conviction. So it’s no wonder that greenhushing has become the norm,” says Tom Tapper, Co-Founder of B Corp creative agency Nice & Serious, which acted as a creative partner in developing the guide. “This guide aims to change that. Using our own experience and examples of best practice shared by the community, we developed the ‘Seven Dials of Greenwashing’ – a series of approaches brands can use to set the right tone for the sustainability stories.”
The Greenshouting Guide is available for free download.
“Greenhushing is just as dangerous as greenwashing,” says Joy Howard, Chief Marketing Officer of Back Market. “When companies stay silent about real progress, they make sustainable choices feel niche instead of normal. Businesses should speak openly about what’s working, what isn’t, and why circular solutions are here to stay as a profitable model that gives consumers real choice.”
“In our efforts to be a more responsible business, we value progress on solutions over perfection,” says Corley Kenna, Chief Communications & Impact Officer for Patagonia. “In our experience, only good things come from transparency about the work to reduce our footprint. The climate and nature crisis affects all of us, and as businesses, we have a responsibility to help solve it.”
“The increased scrutiny on sustainability communication is a good thing, as it cuts out the empty claims. However, silence only protects the status quo, and that’s not working for people or planet,” says Chris Oskam, Head of Sustainability at Tony’s Chocolonely. “We need companies to keep communicating their real progress and challenges because transparency creates accountability. That’s why we welcome the Greenshouting Guide: it helps companies navigate their communications with clarity and confidence. Imperfect action shared openly drives far more change than perfect action kept quiet.”
“Despite some efforts, sustainability isn't on the way out or being put on the backburner,” says Ed Ayton, Sustainable Sourcing Advisor at Abel & Cole. “It's just getting started, and it's more honest and functional than ever.”
"Our mission is to make progress thrilling," says Julia Palle, VP of Sustainability for Formula E. "We can and must speak about sustainability in a way that's exciting, that captures the same energy and emotion that fans feel when they come to a race."
“Integrating our environmental and social performance into our financial core ensures that sustainability is never an afterthought,” says Angela Pinhati, CSO at Natura. “The IP&L provides a transparent and robust account of how we invest in our communities and the environment, demonstrating that financial success and positive impact are interdependent. It is our roadmap for managing a business that creates real, measurable value for all stakeholders.”
ENDS
For more information, please contact: press@bcorporation.net
About B Lab: B Lab is a nonprofit transforming the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet. A leader in economic systems change, our global network creates standards, policies, tools, and programs for business, and we certify companies, known as B Corps, that are leading the way. To date, our community includes 1,000,000 workers in over 10,000 B Corps across 103 countries and 160 industries. To learn more, visit bcorporation.net.
About Creatives for Climate: Creatives for Climate is a global nonprofit equipping the creative ecosystem to preserve truth and accelerate systemic change. Now a UN-recognized movement of 7,000+ professionals across 90+ countries, the organization equips communicators to translate science into action, leads an alliance of agencies adopting fossil-free and anti-greenwashing standards, and advances the serviced emissions framework with Oxford Net Zero. Find out more at www.creativesforclimate.co.