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• How Greenhushing Is Eroding Consumer Trust in Sustainability Claims

  

  Key Takeaways

  • Greenhushing is affecting consumer engagement on sustainability. The decline in consumer concern and engagement is closely linked to reduced brand communication, not just external pressures like climate fatigue or economic uncertainty.
  • Trust in sustainability messaging is eroding. There is growing skepticism and disengagement, with younger generations being particularly disengaged.
  • To maintain relevance and impact, organizations must rethink their communications strategies, focusing on credible and personally meaningful sustainability messaging.

  GlobeScan’s new Healthy & Sustainable Living research reveals a significant shift in the communications landscape. As organizations become more reserved in their sustainability messaging, they are reaching fewer consumers, and trust in these communications continues to erode. Global concern and engagement with sustainability in general have also declined compared to previous years, with Gen Z particularly disengaged. This drop is driven not only by climate fatigue, feelings of powerlessness, and economic uncertainty, but also by a notable reduction in brand communication about sustainability.

  The research shows a sharp decline in the public visibility of sustainability messaging by brands. Across nearly all 31 global markets surveyed, both the reach and credibility of sustainability communications are diminishing. In 2025, only 36 percent of consumers reported seeing at least “some” sustainability messaging from brands, down from 49 percent in 2023. Trust in these messages has also fallen: 65 percent of those reached by sustainability communications say they have at least “some” trust in them, compared to 74 percent in 2023 and 79 percent in 2022. These trends were consistent across eight major product categories, including cars, cleaning products, clothing, electronics, financial services, home furnishings, packaged food, and personal care products.

  WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

  For brands, pulling back on sustainability communications risks losing consumer trust and relevance. As fewer people see and believe these messages, brands have less influence on purchase decisions and sustainable behaviors. To stay impactful, organizations must rethink how they engage consumers and make sustainability messaging more visible, credible, and personally meaningful.

  This analysis is based on a representative online survey of over 30,000 consumers across 31 markets. Learn more about global trends in sustainable living and consumer behavior and explore how well-being is shaping the future of sustainability in GlobeScan’s Healthy & Sustainable Living report From Concern to Well-being: The Evolution of the Sustainable Marketplace.

  Survey Questions: 1. For each of the following types of products, please indicate how much have you seen, read, or heard brands communicating or marketing information on how environmentally friendly they are. 2. For each of these types of products, please indicate how much you trust the information about their environmental friendliness.

  Countries surveyed: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Peru, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Türkiye, UK, USA, and Vietnam.

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