While developing an impact-laundering detection application, a curious pattern emerged from the corporate reports we analysed: pages brimming with benevolent buzzwords—”eco-friendly,” “responsible,” “community-driven”—yet suspiciously lacking in precise details or measurable outcomes.
Delving deeper, it became clear these documents frequently rely on what some observers call strategic vagueness: statements so broad they sound virtuous but commit the organisation to almost nothing.
Such opacity was famously catalogued by TerraChoice Environmental Marketing under the heading ‘Sin of Vagueness”‘ in its Seven Sins of Greenwashing framework, published in 2010 by TerraChoice. Though initially applied to misleading consumer product labelling, the concept has since extended to corporate communications, where enticing promises and lofty aspirations fill everything from annual reviews to sustainability updates.
The safe allure of ambiguity
Much of the appeal lies in its safety. Broad declarations, such as “we aim to reduce our environmental impact”, cannot easily be disproven if they lack a baseline, timeline or numerical target.
Delmas and Burbano writing in the 2011 California Management Review, pointed out companies often face contradictory pressures:
- They need to placate environmentally conscious investors
- But they dread the consequences of failing publicly if their targets are unmet
In this context, fuzzy promises offer a tidy solution, fulfilling stakeholder demands for “green credentials” without tying the company’s hands.
A timeless tactic with fresh packaging
The French word vague translates to wave, an irony that inspired the phrase ‘not so nouvelle vague of vague’. It suggests something novel, even avant-garde, yet the tactic is far from new.
Repeated applications of TerraChoice’s model to corporate disclosures continually reveal the “sin of vagueness” remains one of the most common. Companies facing mounting scrutiny simply refresh their language yearly, wrapping the same ambiguous commitments in updated taglines or philanthropic flourishes.
The rest remains comfortably undefined.
Numbers that never surface
One of the most evident signs of strategic vagueness is the absence of quantitative data. A business may tout “a commitment to sustainable operations,” but rarely pinpoints:
- Actual emissions
- Year-over-year changes
- Auditable improvements
Observers label this glaring omission a convenient way to avoid accountability – a pledge without deadlines or figures is virtually impossible to classify as a failure.
Furthermore, unlike financial reporting standards, sustainability reporting lacks strict enforcement mechanisms. While multiple frameworks (GRI, SASB, etc.) encourage specificity, each remains voluntary, allowing businesses to pick and choose what they disclose.
Between comedy and tragedy
There is something almost comical about the annual reappearance of unsubstantiated lines like “leading the way in social responsibility” or “expanding our green promise” – especially when presented without proof.
The comedy fades into tragedy when we realise that serious environmental or social concerns may remain unaddressed behind those pleasant platitudes.
Yet, the brilliance of this approach is that companies avoid accusations of dishonesty by making statements so non-committal. By saying next to nothing, it becomes difficult to be pinned down on anything concrete at all.
This ambiguity thrives thanks to sustainability disclosure practices’ voluntary and fragmented nature. Without a universally enforced standard, businesses capitalise on well-meaning but lightweight statements and loosely defined commitments that stoke positive sentiment.
For instance, “we are committed to our communities” could mean donating a handful of supplies or funding a short-term project—neither of which needs to be linked to any quantifiable benchmark.
Where the wave rolls on
What emerged as an odd pattern during the development of an impact-laundering detection application has become an entrenched feature of modern corporate communications.
Cloaked in reassuring prose, the ‘not so nouvelle vague of vague’ maintains its appeal precisely because it is so hard to refute – one cannot fact-check a feeling, an undefined aspiration, or a pledge without a goal line.
It seems the wave will keep rolling, perpetuating the art of saying nothing while sounding laudably proactive.
