They’re calling 2025 the year of greenhushing. As the U.S. has made a seismic shift on climate policy, more firms are going mum on their commitments.
One Harvard analysis found that while 85% of the world’s biggest businesses are pushing forward on sustainability initiatives, only 16% are talking about them publicly. A similar audit from Bloomberg said that the largest companies in the U.S. are mentioning the environment 76% less than they were three years ago.
A federal government that’s actively attacking pro-climate policies and initiatives, however, is only part of the equation. Savvier customers are also putting brands’ eco claims under the microscope. That means companies increasingly appear more likely to say nothing—or little—about their planetary stewardship than they are to risk getting called out for over-inflating their Earth-friendly résumés.
Does that leave a person trying to support the planet with their pocketbook flying blind?Not exactly, says Kate Williams, CEO of 1% for the Planet, a nonprofit group whose member companies donate 1% of their revenue to environmental causes.
We chatted with Williams to get a sense of how the greenwashing ground has shifted, how greenhushing has taken hold, and what consumers should reasonably expect from the businesses they patronize in 2026 and beyond.
Corinne Iozzio: There are more than 5,000 businesses participating in 1% for the Planet, which means you see the market from all kinds of angles. From where you sit, is greenwashing getting better or worse?
Kate Williams: There have been some ups and downs, but I think what is changing is the degree to which consumers have expectations of evidence to back up what companies are saying. There’s more “let me make sure;” there’s more sleuthing going on. So at that level, I think it’s harder for companies to get away with greenwashing.
That doesn’t mean they’re not trying, but it’s harder. We’re entering an era where consumer interest and the delivery on that interest requires more diligence on the part of the companies—and trust is not given freely.
CI: Are there greenwashing tactics that persist that drive you particularly nutty—that make you think ‘I can’t believe anybody gets away with something this brazen’?
KW: What’s problematic is big companies that have a lot of power in the marketplace making pledges and then being obtuse or not fully transparent about how they’re getting there—and whether they’re getting there. I think pledges are a challenging tool, because it’s good to set intentions. It’s good to set goals. But a pledge to do something that doesn’t have either a certification at the end of it or a disclosure requirement associated with benchmarks along the way can be pretty empty.
To me, that’s probably the stealthiest form of greenwashing right now, because you can get a lot of credit for a pledge. But if they don’t have teeth to them, the company can get a lot of pop, and then they may not deliver on it by 2030—which is this magic number that so many people are targeting. If you look at some of the big tech companies, whose data centers are causing them to backslide in many cases, they’re not on track to meet pledges that they’ve gotten a lot of credit for.
CI: Is that partly why some companies are just keeping quiet about their climate commitments? Why we’re seeing more ‘greenhushing’?
KW: I think we’re still learning. Greenhushing isn’t new-new, but it definitely seems to have elevated this year. We see this particularly with companies that are so committed to doing the “right thing.” They’re like, “Oh, we don’t want to talk, we don’t want to take credit for it. We should just do the right thing.”
The other place that it comes from is, I think, fear of doing the “wrong thing.” In this age of so much information and analysis, there can be this intent to drive uncertainty to zero—to only do the “right thing.”
And what then happens is either you don’t do anything, or what you are doing you don’t want to talk about. That’s problematic, because there is no perfect thing to do. And then there’s a chilling effect on action, but there’s also a chilling effect on what consumers can be aware of.
CI: What are they afraid will happen if there’s a perception that they haven’t done the ‘right thing’?
KW: I think there is some fear of getting canceled or called out. If you do the “wrong thing”—or if you do something that someone thinks is not the “right thing,” which is always going to happen—and you’re scared of the impact of that.
That’s part of it. And then I would say this year in the U.S., there is fear of retribution if you talk about climate—or if you talk about whatever might potentially be a risky thing to talk about that week. If you look at the last five years, the expectations of a company’s role, beyond just selling goods or services, has changed so much. It’s gone from “you must take a stand on all these social and political issues” to “do so at your peril.” It’s been an interesting ride.
We have seen more public companies sort-of pulling back from commitments they had made not so long ago, or companies being like “we’re just going to keep our powder dry for now.” What we’re still learning is what are the things people are really committed to keeping going, and that they’re just going to talk about a little differently or a little bit less, because don’t want to put themselves at any risk. It’s not coming from a place of trying to mislead; it’s more from trying to navigate a pretty dynamic and confusing market.
“I think it really is about just getting really clear about a central focus. Not thinking you have to do everything, but knowing that you need to do something—and you should pick the something that is most aligned with what you’re trying to represent in the world.”
Kate Williams, 1% for the Planet
CI: It’s common advice in sustainability circles that it’s better to shop small. Where does that chilling effect leave the ‘mom and pops’ who maybe don’t have the resources to do all the transparency work and get all the certifications?
KW: About 80% of our network at 1% for the Planet is small businesses. I think it’s about being really clear about who you are and what your particular contribution to aligning your business, your product, or your service with a healthier planet is. Then pick the investments that are going to enable you to both do and communicate that most effectively.
So for Company A, if what they’re really trying to solve for and what they really want to be able to communicate is circularity, then, something like Cradle to Cradle certification is the choice. If Company B is like, “We really want to be able to engage our employees in our community and make a direct contribution to cleaner beaches, because that is how we make the planet better,” they can become a 1% for the Planet member, and that creates a valuable way to really nail that message and that direct impact as you grow.
I think it really is about just getting clear about a central focus. Not thinking you have to do everything, but knowing that you need to do something—and you should pick the something that is most aligned with what you’re trying to represent in the world.
CI: That resonates a lot with how we approach individual action at one5c. We don’t want to overwhelm people with massive to-do lists, which sounds a lot like what you’re describing: Pick your lane, pick your impact.
KW: I wrote my master’s thesis on Helen and Scott Nearing and the “back to the land” movement. One of the quotes that they’re credited with is “Do the best that you can in the place where you are, and be kind,” which I always love.
So if you’re living in a city that doesn’t have composting, and it’s like, “what am I supposed to do with this banana peel?” Maybe the banana peel is not how you’re going to save the world. But there are other choices that you can make. You know, is public transportation—or getting rid of your car altogether—the thing that fits with your life?
I think sometimes individuals carry way too much guilt and responsibility for problems that are mostly driven by large corporations and systems that we can’t control and that have, I think, shifted the blame onto individuals. Sometimes we can’t choose to have solar-generated energy; that isn’t it within reach for everyone, and that’s not your fault. It’s that we live in systems.
I do think it’s really important as individuals that we know that we have power and that we can do things—that on a daily basis, in small ways, we feel like we have some ability to make a positive contribution. I am a proponent of giving ourselves some grace without letting ourselves off the hook.
CI: OK, last question, because we end every interview like this: What sustainable habit do you keep to on the regular?
KW: I love my reusable travel coffee mug, because I can feel it when I forget it, which I did on one of my recent trips. I’m like, “Oh my gosh, that is so many coffee cups that I end up going through, and so many pieces and parts.” I love that one because it feels like it both makes me happy because I have my favorite mug and because I can see, in a really direct way, the waste that I’m avoiding.
We’ve edited this interview for clarity and brevity.