To Tell or Not to Tell? On the Under Communicating of Sustainability in Digital Environments

The paper investigates sustainability communication using digital tools—such as social media, websites, emails, and newsletters—and delves into the drivers that determine the undercommunication of sustainability (i.e., the green blushing phenomenon) in digital environments. The paper adopts a qualitative methodology mainly based on in-depth interviews. It identifies six drivers that prevent companies, or severely limit them, from communicating their sustainability initiatives in digital environments, thus resulting in green blushing. These drivers include the lack of a well-structured sustainability communication plan, criticalities in the company's skills and internal coordination, challenges in finding sustainability KPIs, issues related to the target audience, difficulties in communicating joint sustainability initiatives, and fear of greenwashing accusations. The paper originally presents interesting theoretical and managerial implications, ending with limitations and indications for further research.