Chemicals

3M Company sustainability score: 32/100

32/100
Below expectations-6 since last review
10th of 17 in Chemicals

Better than 44% of Chemicals

Making progress starts at 46. The highest score on SINK is 71.

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About 3M Company

3M Company is a diversified manufacturer headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota. Reincorporated in Delaware in 1929.

More about 3M Company

It makes industrial and consumer materials and products, including abrasives, adhesives and tapes, films, safety equipment and electronics materials. It reported $24.9 billion in revenue for FY2025 and about 60,500 employees. It spun off its health-care business, Solventum, in April 2024 and ended PFAS manufacturing at the end of 2025.

Founded 1902Head office St. Paul, Minnesota, USStaff ~60,500 (FY2025)Revenue US$24,948M net sales (FY2025)Website ↗

Read 3M Company's own report ↗

Our verdict

3M publishes assured Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. Its Scope 1 and 2 are 64% below 2019, and its Scope 3 of 21.4 million tonnes comes mostly from the use of its sold products. About 65% of its electricity is renewable, but most of its energy is still fossil fuel. It has settled PFAS pollution claims with the Flemish Government and New Jersey, carries $7.7 billion of environmental liabilities, mostly PFAS-related, and its landfill waste has risen since 2023.

3M Company scores 32/100 (Below expectations) on SINK's independent climate assessment, scored from public data only. Scores are free. Nobody can pay to change a score, speed it up or hide it. Last verified November 2026.

That places 3M Company joint 658th of 1,023 companies scored, and 10th of 17 in Chemicals.

The ten questions

What is 3M Company doing well, and where does it fall short?

Strongest on Carbon Footprint: Operations and Targets & Commitments (8/10, 8/10). Weakest on Controversies & Red Flags and Nature & Biodiversity Impact (1/10, 3/10).

What's missing

Where 3M Company lost points

For each question that lost points, the evidence our public rubric looks for that we didn't find.

What would raise this score

  • Its record on controversiesDeal with the findings under question 10, in public.
  • Its effect on natureAssess its effect on nature and publish a basic environmental policy.
  • Its effect on waterMeasure its water footprint and set reduction targets.

Every question that lost points

  • Emissions from its own operations8/10No verified figures published with their method and a falling trend.
  • Emissions from its supply chain7/10No full value-chain map or supplier engagement programme.
  • Whether its emissions are falling7/10No consistent fall over several years across its operations and supply chain.
  • How clean its energy is5/10Less than half its energy shown to be renewable, or no transition plan.
  • Its effect on nature3/10No assessment of its effect on nature, and no basic environmental policy.
  • How it uses materials and handles waste5/10No measurable waste or recycling targets reported publicly.
  • Its effect on water4/10No measured water footprint with reduction targets.
  • Its climate targets8/10No validated long-term net zero target.
  • How openly it reports6/10No annual impact report, or no pay linked to climate targets.
  • Its record on controversies1/10Points deducted for controversies or its business model. The finding is under question 10.

A score changes when the evidence does. We use new published evidence at the next rescore. Anyone can send us new evidence, free. How to send it.

The calculation

How is 3M Company's SINK score calculated?

Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.

SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × Scale
Industry base impact
Chemicals sector ceiling.
25 / 100
Performance score
Sum of the ten questions, each scored 0 to 10.
54 / 100
Raw score
Weighted average before scale penalty.
(0.3 × 25) + (0.7 × 54) = 45.3
Scale penalty
Multiplier based on total emissions. Bigger polluters lose more.
× 0.7
Final score
Rounded. Below expectations.
32 / 100
How this score has moved

Has 3M Company's score changed?

3M Company's score has moved from 38 to 32 across 2 recorded reviews, down 6 points.

02550751003811 April 2026324 November 2026
  1. 38 → 32-64 November 2026

    owner 2026-11-04: re-scored v2.5 as Chemicals (no majority segment; sector exception PR #189); 38→32. Q10 −5 on the paid Flanders PFAS settlement, New Jersey kept as context; −2 LobbyMap memberships; founded stays 1902 (1929 Delaware reincorporation = redomicile)

  2. Scored 3811 April 2026

    Initial score at platform launch

Where the evidence comes from

What evidence is 3M Company's score based on?

15 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.

33% of them were published by 3M Company itself; the rest come from independent sources.

10 of 15 sources are independent of the company.

[1]Self-reported
3M 2025 Nonfinancial Metrics Workbook

“Base year 2019, 5,160,000 metric tons CO”

2026
Q1Q2Q3Q4Q6Q7Q8
View →
[2]Self-reported
3M 2026 Global Impact Report

“independent third-party assurance process.”

2026
Q1Q2Q3Q4Q6Q7Q8Q9
View →
[3]Self-reported
3M Carbon Reduction Plan

“all categories of scope 3 emissions have been third party assured”

Unknown
Q1
View →
[4]SEC filing
3M FY2025 Form 10-K SEC Filing

“3M completed its exit of PFAS manufacturing at the end of 2025.”

2026
Q3Q7Q9Q10
View →
[5]Self-reported
3M Forest Products Sourcing Policy

“Free of deforestation and degradation, meaning not from areas where natural forests are being converted to other land uses or plantations after March 5, 2015.”

Unknown
Q5
View →
[6]Public record
Flemish Government PFAS Remediation — Zwijndrecht

“3M is als vervuiler verantwoordelijk voor het onderzoek en de sanering van de PFAS-verontreiniging.”

Unknown
Q5
View →
[7]Public record
Japan Ministry of the Environment — TNFD Case Study

“調査事例(3M):PFASの排出により、多額の賠償責任”

Unknown
Q5
View →
[8]Independent source
ESG Today — 3M SBTi Validation Report

“its near-term emissions reduction goals have been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)”

2024
Q8
View →
[9]Self-reported
3M SBTi Validation Announcement
2024
Q8
View →
[10]Independent source
LobbyMap — 3M Company Profile

“3M has not published a review of its alignment with its industry associations.”

Ongoing
Q9Q10
View →
[11]Independent source
Philadelphia Inquirer — New Jersey PFAS Settlement Reporting

“3M will pay a total of $400 million to $450 million”

2026
Q10
View →
[12]Independent source
Fortune — 3M New Jersey PFAS Settlement Analysis

“3M agreed to pay up $450 million to resolve lawsuits over natural resource contamination stemming from PFAS”

2026
Q10
View →
[13]
vrt.be

“The Flemish government will also get 100 million in compensation.”

Q10
View →
[14]
chemanager-online.com

“The Flemish government had ordered 3M to halt PFAS production at Zwijndrecht last October because of contamination levels.”

Q10
View →
[15]
vrt.be

“De gemeente Zwijndrecht krijgt de komende jaren 15 miljoen euro van multinational 3M voor de PFAS-vervuiling.”

Q10
View →

If you believe a source has been misread or a newer version exists, submit a challenge.

For 3M Company

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    3M Company: SINK sustainability score 32.

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3M Company in context

How does 3M Company compare with other chemicals companies?

Where 3M Company sits among chemicals peers.

Among the 17 major chemicals brands we've scored, 3M Company sits 10th of 17.

10/17
3M Company's rank
35
Industry average
20
Industry low
50
Industry high
See all 17 in Chemicals →
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