Companies are increasingly trying to keep their climate pledges away from public scrutiny.

The phenomenon, known as green hushing, has become pervasive even as businesses set more ambitious internal targets, according to a survey by South Pole, a climate consultancy and carbon offsets developer.

South Pole surveyed 1,200 large companies from 12 different countries, all of which have set net-zero targets and more than two-thirds of which identify as "heavy emitters.” It found that although a majority of companies have set science-based targets to help them deliver on their commitments, 23% "don’t plan to publicize” them.