ID: 2163
Presenting Author: Kelly Cooper
Session: 552 - Accelerating with Integrity: Strengthening Social Impact Assessment in the face of urgency and misinformation
Status: pending
Greenhushing challenges impact assessors. Most firms aren’t retreating—they're going silent. Explore how silence reshapes accountability in an age of urgency and scrutiny.
As scrutiny intensifies over corporate climate strategies, a dominant narrative has emerged: companies are retreating from commitments. This session challenges that assumption with original research conducted at Harvard University and published in Harvard Business Review (Sep 2025). In a study of 75 global companies, the research finds that while 13% have weakened or removed climate targets, the vast majority (85%) are maintaining or even accelerating their decarbonization goals. However, these actions are increasingly happening out of the public eye. This shift toward strategic silence—known as greenhushing—raises urgent implications for impact professionals. In a time defined by climate urgency, investor backlash, and rising political disinformation, how do we assess climate leadership when progress goes quiet—or becomes intentionally concealed? The findings suggest that absence of visibility does not equal absence of action—but it does present serious risks for accountability, stakeholder trust, and the integrity of transition pathways. As greenwashing gives way to greenhushing, the role of social and environmental assessors becomes more complex, and more critical. In an era where acceleration is essential, assessing the meaning of silence may be as important as measuring emissions. This session offers new insight and tools for doing just that.
Kelly Cooper is a Harvard researcher & leader of Sustainable Innovation Group. She partners with executives to advance strategies that align ecological, financial, & solutions.
Coauthor 1: Neil Hawkins