„Greenhushing"
§ 289c HGB (implementation of CSRD, EU 2022/2464)
What does it mean?
Greenhushing refers to the practice of deliberately concealing or downplaying genuine sustainability performance, often out of fear of criticism or accusations of greenwashing. This is particularly risky for companies that fall under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). § 289c HGB implements the CSRD and obliges companies to disclose relevant sustainability information. The deliberate omission of this disclosure constitutes a breach of the duty to inform and may be classified as a misleading omission under § 5 UWG. Companies should therefore rely on transparent communication and substantiate their sustainability performance with recognised standards such as ISO 14064-1 or ESRS.
Typical phrasings
- Company does not publish climate targets.
- SBTi validation is kept internal but not publicly communicated.
- Sustainability report is only made available on request.
What you can write instead
Transparent communication of sustainability performance with verifiable data according to ISO 14064-1 or ESRS-compliant.
Required evidence
- ESRS-compliant sustainability report (in accordance with § 289c HGB)
- ISO 14064-1 verification
- CDP score publicly available
Rechtsgrundlage (Originalwortlaut)
Anhang I Nr. 4a UCPD (i.d.F. EmpCo) — generische Umweltaussage ohne anerkannte Nachweise
Quelle: Richtlinie (EU) 2024/825 (EmpCo) — verbindlich ist ausschließlich die im Amtsblatt der Europäischen Union veröffentlichte Fassung.
DEDeutsch (amtlich, DE-Fassung Amtsblatt)aufklappenzuklappen
„Treffen einer allgemeinen Umweltaussage, wobei der Gewerbetreibende die anerkannte hervorragende Umweltleistung, auf die sich die Aussage bezieht, nicht nachweisen kann."ENEnglish (Official Journal, EN version)aufklappenzuklappen
„Making a generic environmental claim for which the trader is not able to demonstrate recognised excellent environmental performance relevant to the claim."FRFrançais (Journal officiel, version FR)aufklappenzuklappen
„Présenter une allégation environnementale générique au sujet de laquelle le professionnel n'est pas en mesure de démontrer l'excellente performance environnementale reconnue en rapport avec l'allégation."NLNederlands (Publicatieblad, NL versie)aufklappenzuklappen
„Het maken van een generieke milieuclaim zonder dat de handelaar erkende voortreffelijke milieuprestaties kan aantonen die relevant zijn voor de claim."