Corporate sustainability is under more scrutiny than ever. Yet despite rising expectations from regulators, investors and employees, a new whitepaper from Crown Workspace suggests that the gap between what organisations claim and what they deliver may be widening.

The report draws on a global survey of 1,000 office workers and 200 facilities managers, and reveals a troubling disconnect between corporate confidence and the day-to-day experience of employees. It also highlights how symbolic initiatives often overshadow meaningful action, slowing the transition to low-impact workplaces.

Sustainability is widely referenced, but rarely prioritised

The research finds that 97 percent of companies say they have sustainability initiatives in place, but just 59 percent treat sustainability as a strategic priority guiding investment and decision-making. This disparity suggests that while most organisations recognise the reputational expectation to appear green, fewer are embedding sustainability into core business processes such as procurement, facilities management or workplace design.

The findings align with a broader industry trend: sustainability language has become commonplace across corporate reports and public statements, but verifiable progress often lags behind. Crown Workspace’s analysis echoes concerns raised by regulators and consumer watchdogs that the credibility of environmental claims is increasingly at risk.

A trust gap between communications and lived experience

One of the most striking discrepancies in the study relates to the perception of office environmental performance.

• Facilities managers rated their workplaces 8 out of 10,
• Employees gave the same spaces just 6 out of 10.

This perception gap points to deeper issues in communication, engagement and visibility. Day-to-day workplace experience often exposes inconsistencies that formal sustainability strategies fail to capture. Examples highlighted in the whitepaper include:

• Redundant laptops left unused because concerns over data wiping slow redistribution or recycling.
• Furniture still under warranty being discarded during cosmetic refurbishments.
• Item-level asset tracking that is either absent or insufficient to support circular reuse.

These examples reveal how seemingly small operational decisions can undermine sustainability targets, create unnecessary waste and contribute to employee scepticism.

Joy Lam, Group ESG Director at Crown Worldwide Group, notes that the credibility challenge is growing.
“A genuinely sustainable workspace starts with materials and furniture built to last. But many green claims crumble under scrutiny. And now, ‘greenhushing’ is on the rise; companies with real progress are keeping quiet, worried that one slip will unleash a public pile-on,” she said.

Her reference to greenhushing reflects a recent corporate trend: organisations that are making progress in decarbonisation or waste reduction are becoming more cautious about communicating it. Fear of being criticised for incomplete strategies or minor oversights can limit transparency, ultimately reducing the industry’s ability to learn from leading examples.

Claims without evidence are becoming a systemic issue

The whitepaper also points to a wider problem in corporate environmental reporting. It states that 60 percent of published green claims offer no verifiable proof, highlighting a trend that regulators around the world are actively seeking to correct.

The forthcoming EU Green Claims Directive and the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) guidance both focus on banning vague or misleading sustainability statements. As these rules take effect, businesses will need to support statements with quantifiable data, third-party validation or lifecycle assessments.

For workplaces, this shift means that claims about “eco-friendly office moves”, “green refurbishments” or “sustainable fit-outs” will need clear evidence of reduced carbon, less waste, or measurable circularity.

The survey suggests that organisations often overestimate the sustainability performance of their day-to-day operations, especially in areas like:

• energy management
• heating and cooling systems
• procurement processes
• waste and asset disposal practices

These operational decisions have far greater environmental impact than high-profile symbolic initiatives such as branded reusable bottles, token recycling drives or plants in reception areas.

Circularity as a practical pathway to credibility

The report calls for a pivot away from symbolic initiatives and towards evidence-based circular economy models. Crown Workspace highlights its own Circulate framework as one method to support this shift, but the underlying principle is sector-wide: extend asset life, reduce consumption and eliminate unnecessary waste.

Circularity requires practical changes across the entire lifecycle of office assets, including:

• choosing durable furniture and materials designed to be repaired
• repurposing equipment instead of replacing it
• extending the life of IT assets through certified data wiping and redistribution
• retaining accurate inventories of assets to enable reuse
• integrating reuse and recycling into workplace transformation projects

These steps often deliver both environmental and financial value, yet the research indicates they remain underused in many organisations.

The rising risk of greenwashing

With increased public awareness and stricter regulatory oversight, greenwashing is becoming a material business risk. The report warns that overstated claims not only erode trust among employees and customers but can also undermine wider progress across the sector.

Misalignment between intent and impact delays adoption of low-carbon workplace solutions, and fuels cynicism among stakeholders who expect more than surface-level initiatives.

As scrutiny increases, organisations will need to demonstrate how each aspect of their workplace strategy contributes to emissions reduction, waste minimisation or improved resource efficiency. Clear data, independent verification and transparent reporting will be key.

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Towards a new era of workplace sustainability

Crown Workspace argues that transparency, not tokenism, will define the next phase of sustainable workplace transformation. The findings suggest that the most credible organisations will be those that:

• communicate progress honestly
• acknowledge limitations or challenges
• invest in circular systems rather than one-off gestures
• adopt processes that are measurable across the lifecycle of workplace assets

With employees increasingly attentive to environmental performance and regulators tightening their expectations, the path forward demands operational rigour rather than rhetorical ambition.

For more information, visit crownworkspace.com/uk.