Greenhushing’: Why some companies quietly hide their climate pledges

lluminem summarizes for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece here in The Washington Post or enjoy below

🗞️ Driving the news: A phenomenon known as "greenhushing" is emerging as companies avoid publicizing their environmental objectives, often out of concern for potential public criticism
• BlackRock has removed its previously stated aim of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 from its website 
• Anheuser-Busch InBev has ceased running Facebook ads that promote its targets of reaching net-zero emissions by 2040 and adopting 100% recycled packaging by 2025

🔭 The context: Corporate America finds itself in a tug-of-war over climate change
• Liberal activists have sued businesses for doing too little to combat rising global temperatures
• Conservative lawmakers have boycotted firms for acknowledging that climate change should be part of their business strategies
• As a response, numerous businesses have seemingly gone silent

🌎 Why does it matter for the planet:The rise of “greenhushing” could potentially stifle the active role of businesses in addressing climate change, delaying necessary action and obscuring transparency
• Private corporations control trillions of dollars in assets, and can often move faster than governments in working to avoid the worst climate impacts

⏭️ What's next: Both BlackRock and Anheuser-Busch InBev have affirmed their commitment to sustainability goals despite the apparent greenhushing
• It remains to be seen how the trend will affect other companies 

💬 One quote: “If you’re a CEO who has all the right intentions, you might get sued from both sides — from the left and from the right” (Renat Heuberger, co-founder and CEO of South Pole)

📈 One stat: According to South Pole, 25% of large private companies that have set climate targets do not plan to publicize them

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