Apple Inc. sustainability score: 40/100
Better than 67% of Electronics / Hardware
Making progress starts at 46. The highest score on SINK is 71.
Apple designs and makes consumer electronics, software and digital services, including iPhone, Mac, wearables and cloud services. Incorporated in 1977 (its roots go back to 1976) and headquartered in Cupertino, California, it had about 166,000 employees and $416 billion in revenue in FY2025.
Founded 1977Head office Cupertino, United StatesStaff ~166,000 (FY2025)Revenue $416,161M net sales (FY2025)Website ↗
Apple's total emissions fell from 23.2 Mt in FY2021 to 15.3 Mt in FY2025 but were flat from FY2024 to FY2025, and product-related Scope 3 rose in FY2025. Product manufacturing is the largest source at 8.15 Mt. A Frankfurt court barred 'CO2-neutral' Apple Watch advertising in 2025, and its carbon-neutral claims rely partly on avoidance credits.
Apple Inc. scores 40/100 (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 October 2026.
That places Apple Inc. joint 421st of 1,023 companies scored, and 16th of 46 in Electronics / Hardware.
What is Apple Inc. doing well, and where does it fall short?
Strongest on Energy Source and Carbon Footprint: Operations (9/10, 8/10). Weakest on Emissions Trajectory and Nature & Biodiversity Impact (4/10, 5/10).
Where Apple Inc. 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
- Whether its emissions are fallingShow a year-on-year fall in its total emissions.
- Its effect on natureMeasure its effect on nature and have it independently verified.
- Its record on controversiesDeal with the findings under question 10, in public.
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 chain8/10Its Scope 3 emissions aren't fully verified or falling year on year.
- Whether its emissions are falling4/10No evidence of a year-on-year fall in its total emissions.
- How clean its energy is9/10Its own operations aren't shown to run on 100% renewable energy.
- Its effect on nature5/10Its effect on nature isn't measured or independently verified.
- How it uses materials and handles waste7/10No verified figures for reuse and recycling across the business.
- Its effect on water6/10No water stewardship programme or verified fall in water use.
- Its climate targets6/10No validated long-term net zero target.
- How openly it reports7/10No annual impact report, or no pay linked to climate targets.
- Its record on controversies5/10Points 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.
How is Apple Inc.'s SINK score calculated?
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × ScaleHas Apple Inc.'s score changed?
Apple Inc.'s score has moved from 49 to 40 across 2 recorded reviews, down 9 points.
- 49 → 40-917 October 2026
Fortune 50 re-score (owner-approved batch 1, 2026-10-17). History gap: the last recorded row is 49 (2026-02-08, initial_score), but the live score before this change was 42 (previousScore 49). The intermediate change(s) were not recorded at the time and are not reconstructed here.
- Scored 498 February 2026
Initial score at platform launch
What evidence is Apple Inc.'s score based on?
8 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
13% of them were published by Apple Inc. itself; the rest come from independent sources.
“Scope 1 55,200”
“Global climate change is resulting in certain types of natural disasters and extreme weather occurring more frequently or with more intense effects.”
“Last year, Apple suppliers brought online more than 20 gigawatts of renewable energy, avoiding more than 26 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.”
“3-06 O 8/24”
“Apple is not fully transparent regarding its indirect engagement with climate policy”
“Apple’s mandatory lobbying disclosures to the European Union reveal the company is a member of Confederation of European Business”
“new arrivals DSM-Firmenich and Saint-Gobain in Europe, Apple and Trane Technologies in the U.S.”
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How does Apple Inc. compare with other electronics / hardware companies?
Where Apple Inc. sits among electronics / hardware peers.
Among the 46 major electronics / hardware brands we've scored, Apple Inc. sits 16th of 46.
Who scores higher in Electronics / Hardware?
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above Apple Inc..
Infineon cut its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 83.6% from 2019, beating its 70% interim target, but its Scope 3 rose from 1.49 Mt to 2.55 Mt over the same period.
See the breakdown →Siltronic's total footprint fell to 2.7 MtCO2e in 2025 and its own market-based emissions are 31% below 2021, but the cut comes from buying certificates while its energy use rises.
See the breakdown →HP has built genuinely strong absolute carbon reductions (27% since 2019) and SBTi-validated targets including a 90% reduction by 2040.
See the breakdown →Which companies moved this week, and why.
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