Finding our places and products in between greenwashing and greenhushing.
What is sustainability, how do we talk about it, and how do we spot the real thing? If you’re a manufacturer, or a consumer, and you feel like this is an inordinately difficult task these days, you’re certainly not alone.
Demand for sustainability has shot up in recent decades, pathways to prove your stuff as a manufacturer have proliferated, and advertising opportunities have absolutely exploded. We’re inundating others and inundated ourselves with claims of intent and actions. Does anyone know what to believe or what to say?
For example, is it ADHD, or my too-deep-knowledge of sustainability perils and suspicion of performance fabrics and ecstatic stain resistance alongside non-toxic claims, that is the true cause of my inability to buy a sofa in the past 3 years? The world may never know. But I digress.
Before we go further, some definitions:
Greenwashing is defined as the practice by businesses of representing themselves as more sustainable than they actually are. It can be done intentionally, or unintentionally/carelessly.
Greenhushing lives at the other end of the spectrum: the refusal of businesses to publicly state their sustainability intentions or achievements, often for fear of criticism or pushback from stakeholders.
Greenexasperation: We made this one up, but there’s no doubt some term floating out there on the internet related to consumer exhaustion and cynicism in the quest to find and vet businesses and products for their sustainability. We’re adding it to the dictionary for this post.
2024: Overdue Updates and a Wild World of Marketing
So why has Greenwashing-etc gotten out of control, and why is it such a hot topic these days? Right now it has a lot to do with the FTC Green Guides. The Green Guides were built by the Federal Trade Commission to provide meaningful guidance to companies on how to and how not to advertise claims of being “sustainable,” “green,” “eco-friendly,” etc. It’s been a full 12 years since they were last revised.
Here are some other things that happened in the last 12 years:
Social Media Platforms blew up. Instagram alone went from around 30 million users, to around 2 billion active users in 2024. Social media entirely changed the way brands interact with customers, increasing direct interactions as well as scrutiny and accountability.
The Climate Crisis intensified and accelerated awareness thanks to extreme weather and melting ice caps. This sense of urgency has led to some major growth in renewable energy and perception of the need to act swiftly (and speak up) on sustainability practices.
The COVID-19 Pandemic changed the way we think of health, interact in social systems, the security of supply chains, how we prioritize air quality, and the way we work. You name it.
No wonder the world of sustainability advertising feels harder and harder to navigate. Luckily, the Green Guide updates due out in 2024 (down to the wire here!), so no doubt some manufacturers and companies of all types will be scrambling in their aftermath to understand its implications and clean up their messaging.
With these pending changes, there’s been a lot of conversation floating around about how to spot greenwashing and root it out — but less about greenhushing — and even less about why both are so rampant, why misleading claims are often more subtle to spot than we’d like, and how comically hard it can be sometimes to get it right. Right alongside accountability, a lot more empathy might help us move forward as an industry.
We work on both technical sustainability achievements, and the surrounding messaging, with many of our clients. So we thought we’d poll our team and we’ve compiled their insights into into advice for both manufacturers and designers alike: on how to find your place, and the right products, in between Greenwashing and Greenhushing.
Manufacturers: What to Do
Manufacturers, you’re up first. There are hundreds of product certifications and standards out there, with digital communications, tradeshows, and conferences galore to share the word. How can you best avoid greenwashing, but still get your company to share its progress and story?
Know the rules. Ignorance isn’t an excuse for getting out of line with the green guides and basic ethical practices. The Green Guides will update by the end of this year, so be on the lookout for resources and webinars to help you digest the new information. If in doubt, phone a friend (read: expert).
Provide clear metrics, accessible language, and back up your claims. Language can get vague and lofty, but specific, quantifiable goals and progress provides a point of reference. Try not to flood your customers with acronyms, making sure to ground them in the impact you’re having.
Leverage external, third party verified programs. Relying only on internal systems of measurement to prove and promote your sustainability isn’t going to cut it these days. Third party programs are more trusted by consumers, and verification further brings external validation.
Update regularly. Sustainability doesn’t just happen, it’s a process. Certifications come in and out of date, moving the needle on water reductions takes time, etcetera. With this, try to make sure your data lives in connected sources, and make your resource formats easy to tweak as things change.
Don’t ignore the bigger picture. You can’t always work on everything at once — from social, to health, to climate, but it’s worth knowing what your biggest hotspots of impact are and being able to speak to them. If your product has a lot of toxic substances, don’t just promote your carbon impacts. If the end of life of your product is a big factor, but you’re emphasizing only renewable inputs that’s also problematic.
Speak up and embrace transparency. No one is getting everything right. I repeat. No one. Sometimes all customers want to see is some authenticity in messaging. Where are you ahead of targets? Where are you behind, and why? Bring others on your journey instead of trying to sweep challenges under the rug.
Designers: What to Look For
Designers, and consumers broadly, let’s put aside your own businesses and claims for a moment. What can you do to try to sift through the many claims out there, online and in person, to find companies and products that align with your values, and your goals?
Prioritize third party-verified claims. If a manufacturer only has logos or claims that are internal to their company, and don’t connect anywhere to learn more, this is a good opportunity to ask more questions, or simply prioritize a material that has clear metrics.
Ask questions. If a manufacturer is doing the work, they should invite curiosity. If something feels vague, check it. Now, don’t try to corner them — simply getting a single Declare label can take tons of work, and sustainability doesn’t happen overnight. For manufacturers to be more authentic and transparent, consumers have to be willing to explore the “messy middle” with them. Manufacturers after all are partners in this work. The only way to build more sustainable buildings is to inspire more sustainable products. If manufacturers are too scared to speak about their accomplishments it will be a lose lose for us all.
Align your ask. Every time you ask for sustainability, that sales lead or sustainability member is taking that message back to their leadership (or they should!). When you make your ask part of a bigger industry initiative (a la AIA A&D Materials Pledge), your single ask gets rolled up into a larger movement, and a clearer signal to manufacturers.
Be consistent. If your firm is known for always needing a certain threshold of transparency or a certain material is off the table, the message gets across. If sales reps are getting one message from one office, and another on another project, it won’t go as far.
Close the communication loop. Did you end up using a product because of its sustainability certification or messaging? Did you choose another for the same reason? Feedback matters. Use product search platforms to send feedback, or simply reach out with an email to inform the manufacturer. You are moving the needle.
Where do we go from here?
No matter where your company is on your sustainability journey, or your messaging thereof, we’d suggest that you don’t wait to get a picture of where you stand. Get started now. It’s not just about avoiding criticism, there’s also an opportunity to be had by really bringing your company’s best and most transparent message to sustainability. The vast majority of companies aren’t doing that. Patagonia, though, has built a ton of trust with their customers. So they can admit where they’re improving but not yet nailing it, and you can still feel safe and confident with their products.
We’re eagerly awaiting the Green Guide updates ourselves, and will be digging in with highlighters and magnifying glasses to support our clients and share what we learn. If you want to know what we emerge with, and how we approach marketing claims in our work day to day — you can join our webinar January 16th, 2025, hosted with Metropolis, and PROWL Studio. We’ll each be sharing our perspective on the challenges, and how to find your balance.
It’s easy to feel afraid of greenwashing, and default to greenhushing these days. It can be hard to feel confident in your language, especially if you’re a small team. But there’s a big gap in between the two extremes, where your messaging can live.
Don’t forget, we’re here to help – even if it’s just to commiserate. Say hello@workinparallel.com.
