Greenhushing
Topic: Environment and Sustainable Development · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Greenhushing is when a company deliberately under-reports its green goals or actions. It keeps quiet so that it is not questioned or criticised if it later falls short. The problem is that investors, regulators and buyers get less information, and good practices do not spread.
Example
A company quietly cuts its factory emissions. It leaves the targets out of its sustainability report because it fears activists will attack any missed deadline. That is greenhushing.
Don't confuse with
- Greenwashing: this is the opposite. It means claiming to be greener than you really are. In India, the CCPA Guidelines on greenwashing and misleading environmental claims (2024) target it.
Related concepts
- Linear economy
- Circular economy
- Recycling
- E-waste
- Extended producer responsibility
- Urban mining
- Right to repair
- Porter hypothesis
- Sustainable infrastructure
- Sustainable consumption and production