Greenblushing | The case for honest sustainability communications

In addition to being our Director, Communications Strategy here at thinkPARALLAX, Sami Grover is a communications strategist, branding expert, climate writer, and the author of the book We’re All Climate Hypocrites Now. 

In his recent article “Greenblushing: The Case for Honest Sustainability Communications,” Sami explains why companies (some of our clients included) are hesitant to be too bold, or to speak too loudly about their sustainability efforts—often for fear of inviting litigatory or even regulatory risk if something could be perceived as being misrepresented. You might have heard this referred to as “greenhushing.” What you may not have heard, is that Sami is credited with co-coining the term.

In this episode, we discussed why he thinks there are several problems with this approach, and a better path forward: something he’s calling “greenblushing.” 

Here are some of the key topics and takeaways you’ll appreciate in this episode:

• First there was greenwashing, then came greenhushing, now Sami’s proposing companies start “greenblushing”
• Good sustainability communication is essential for cultural shifts
• Green hushing can hinder progress in sustainability efforts, hold your industry back, and leave money on the table
• Transparency builds trust and drives real change
• Companies should embrace their imperfections in sustainability; as humans, we almost expect it
• Meet your audience where they are: engaging storytelling is crucial for effective communication
• Understanding your handprint is more impactful than focusing solely on your footprint
• Collective, collaborative, and systemic efforts are necessary to tackle our biggest sustainability challenges
• Get more people on board—Sustainability should be a fun and engaging journey

Links associated with our conversation:

• Sami Grover on LinkedIn
• Sami Grover, We’re All Climate Hypocrites 
• Larry’s Coffee, Greenblushing example 
• Ketan Joshi post on greenhushing as a trend 
• New Climate Institute - “'Greenhushing': An emerging trend or sign of less greenwashing?” 
• South Pole - Going green, then going dark – One in four companies are keeping quiet on science-based targets  
• The Potential Energy Coalition - Storytelling and marketing and to drive public demand and accelerate the global energy transition 
• The Climate Advocacy Lab - Insights from climate justice leaders 
• Good Energy - Climate stories for TV and film creators.

Thanks for checking out our show! It was produced by our team of experts at thinkPARALLAX.

Intro/Outro music by QubeSounds from Pixabay.

#inspiringperspectives #sustainability #strategy #communications #greenwashing #greenhushing #greenblushing #thinkpa

Got a topic you’d like us to explore on the show? Get in touch with us at thinkparallax.com/podcast.