New Research Project to Examine Why Business Firms Go Silent (or Not) on Sustainability
Dennis Schoeneborn, Professor of Communication and Organization at the MSC Department at CBS, will be involved in a new project investigating one of the most pressing questions in corporate communication today: Why do some companies speak openly about their sustainability efforts, whereas others choose to stay quiet? The project titled "Corporate Sustainability Communication in an Age of Polarization (CS-CAP)" will explore how rising societal polarization is reshaping the way firms communicate about their environmental and social activities.
The research has received funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG). The three-year project (2026-2029) will be led by Professor Elke Schuessler (Leuphana University of Lüneburg). Dennis Schoeneborn will become involved as DFG Mercator Fellow at Leuphana University for the duration of the project.
The CS-CAP project addresses a growing phenomenon in which companies deliberately downplay or conceal their sustainability achievements — a strategy also known as "greenhushing" or "strategic silence" — to avoid becoming targets in increasingly polarized public debates. The empirical inquiry will be focused on retail firms in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland).
The research team will examine what boundary conditions can explain these diverging strategies, including firm size, corporate governance, or the communicative dynamics that unfold between companies and their stakeholders, especially on social media.
The findings are expected to have both academic and practical relevance at a time when corporate sustainability agendas face mounting political pressure in many parts of the world. By exploring real-world communication dynamics, the project aims to help firms navigate the difficult balance between maintaining public credibility and avoiding reputational backlash.
Read more about the project on the Leuphana University website.