If you work in sustainability comms, you will have noticed that the mood has drastically changed and become a lot more hostile. This isn't a new development, but is increasingly more blatant.

Over the weekend, I yet again read a report that greenhushing (the deliberate under-communication of environmental and social progress) in business is on the rise. As a comms professional who operates in the sustainability arena, this is a worrying trend.

There’s plenty of big talk about net zero at national and global levels, but when it comes to delivery, the real action must happen much closer to home.

The systems that shape our daily lives — energy, housing, transport, skills, industry — are fundamentally local. And yet, national communications strategies often treat regional delivery as an afterthought, when it should be front and centre.

How do you build a brand when all you have is a concept, a vision and an unfinished technical facility whose operation is delayed by 18 months? Investor expectations are high, the market is impatient, and momentum is at risk of never even taking off.

Every sustainable breakthrough starts as “niche.” And they all face the same challenge: moving from “alternative” to “mainstream.”

One of the biggest barriers for early-stage sustainability businesses isn’t funding, tech or even regulation. It’s 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨.