Illustration by Rocío Egio
As companies’ environmental and social initiatives face increasing political pushback and legal threats, sustainability leaders have a difficult communications choice to make: stay quiet or speak up. It’s easy to see why a growing number of organizations are choosing the former and intentionally under-communicating their sustainability efforts—or shutting down communications altogether. Businesses face pressure from all sides of the political spectrum—from conservative backlash against ESG and “woke capitalism” to progressive scrutiny over unsubstantiated claims and greenwashing. In this highly charged environment, staying quiet can seem like the safest way to mitigate risk. However, this is a short-sighted strategy.