The cost of silence: Why senior leaders must rethink their approach to sustainability communications

These days the world feels more polarised and unpredictable than ever, and senior leaders face no shortage of complex decisions. AI, inflation, geopolitical tensions and shifting regulations are dominating executive agendas. Amidst this noise, however, another issue demands urgent attention, not just for regulatory compliance, but for long-term value creation: sustainability communication.

At a time when many businesses are committed to taking tangible actions related to sustainability and their impact, many are keeping quiet. This deliberate decision not to communicate legitimate sustainability activity is called “greenhushing”. And while it may seem like a cautious move in a world of scrutiny and backlash, our new research shows it may be a costly one.

Anthesis’ new report, The Cost of Silence, unpacks insights from over 500 companies on why staying silent about sustainability is leaving financial, reputational and strategic value on the table and what leaders can do to shift the narrative.

The headwinds driving silence

Greenhushing doesn’t come from a lack of action but stems from uncertainty around what to say, how to say it, and how it will land. Through deep engagement with corporate sustainability leaders, we identified five key headwinds:

• Uncertain context: Rapid change makes it hard to align sustainability communications with long-term strategic direction.
  
  
• Fear of backlash: Public scepticism, especially around environmental, social and governance (ESG) and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), has made even well-intentioned messaging feel risky.
  
  
• Marketing hesitation: Marketing teams say they’re reluctant to work on sustainability campaigns for fear of being accused of greenwashing and don’t know how to pitch it.
  
  
• Executive distraction: CEOs are grappling with competing priorities and sustainability messaging isn’t always seen as a top concern.
  
  
• Regulatory pressure: The focus on compliance, such as emerging mandatory climate related disclosure regimes, is pulling resources toward data and governance leaving less space for storytelling.

These forces are leading many businesses to go quiet. In fact, in the US, 76 per cent of S&P 500 companies are talking less about the environment than they were three years ago. But despite the noise, two fundamentals haven’t changed:

• Reality still exists, whether we talk about it or not. The physics, biology and chemistry behind our environmental challenges haven’t shifted. Microplastics in our bodies, carbon in the atmosphere, degraded ecosystems - these remain urgent, material risks that business has a role to address. 
  
  
• While backlash can be loud, it isn’t the whole story. There’s still strong public support for action, consistent consumer demand for ethical products, and growing expectations on business to lead. 

The value left on the table

Using real-world data from over 500 publicly listed companies across 16 industries, Anthesis and MAHA Global examined the links between environmental performance, perception, reputation and financial results.

Key insights include:

• A clear business case: Companies scoring above average on environmental performance had EBITDA levels 6 per cent higher than their peers. Sustainability isn’t just an ethical imperative, it supports the bottom line.
  
  
• Reputation uplift: Environmental perception explains up to 31 per cent of the reputational advantage of the world’s most respected businesses. In 15 of 16 industries analysed, better environmental perception correlated with stronger brand reputation.
  
  
• The power of authenticity: Businesses that “walk the talk”, or those whose actions align with their sustainability messaging are seeing the strongest compound growth. In contrast, greenwashers and greenhushers underperform.

Put simply, when companies fail to communicate their environmental performance, they not only risk falling behind in public perception, they also miss out on real financial and reputational return.

What leaders can do 

The report outlines a practical framework to help business leaders and sustainability teams find their voice, prioritise the right messages and communicate with confidence. The three actions that make the difference:

1. Get strategic: Understand your position within the sector. Are you a greenleader, greenlagger, greenwasher or greenhusher? Identify what’s holding back your reputation and plot a plan for progress.
   
   
2. Get granular: Use data to connect sustainability efforts to reputation. Identify the issues that matter most to stakeholders and invest in performance and messaging that resonates.
   
   
3. Get creative: Bring emotional intelligence and powerful storytelling into sustainability communications. Cut through the noise by showing leadership with clarity, not caution.

Leading with confidence

Senior leaders don’t need to choose between playing it safe and speaking up, the key is in finding the right balance between authenticity, strategic alignment and evidence-led storytelling that strengthens, rather than exposes, your organisation.

Strong leadership isn’t about turning up the volume for the sake of being heard; it’s about finding a smarter, more credible way to speak that reflects the complexity of sustainability conversations and highlights the value behind the message. In a landscape where trust is hard-won and scrutiny is a constant, effective sustainability is fast becoming a core leadership responsibility.