Associated British Foods sustainability score: 28/100
Below expectations starts at 31. The highest score on SINK is 71.
Limited independent evidence: only two independent sources cover this company. The score may change as more evidence appears.
Associated British Foods is a FMCG conglomerate with 102,000 employees, operating food processing (AB Sugar, AB Mauri, AB World Foods), retail (Primark, one of Europe's largest clothing retailers), and ingredients divisions. Founded 1935, headquartered London.
Head office United KingdomStaff ~102,000Revenue ~£19.5BWebsite ↗
ABF discloses operational emissions clearly but refuses to publish group-level Scope 3, the dominant carbon source across sugar, cotton, and soya supply chains. Subsidiary-level climate targets exist but no group SBTi commitment. Primark faces third-party criticism for synthetic fibre reliance and deforestation commitments remain weak.
Associated British Foods scores 28/100 (Significant gaps) 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 September 2026.
That places Associated British Foods joint 783rd of 1,023 companies scored, and joint 45th of 57 in FMCG / Consumer Goods.
What is Associated British Foods doing well, and where does it fall short?
Strongest on Carbon Footprint: Operations and Controversies & Red Flags (7/10, 6/10). Weakest on Carbon Footprint: Supply Chain and Nature & Biodiversity Impact (3/10, 3/10).
Where Associated British Foods 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
- Emissions from its supply chainAssess where its supply-chain emissions come from.
- Its effect on natureAssess its effect on nature and publish a basic environmental policy.
- Its climate targetsSet specific targets with dates.
Every question that lost points
- Emissions from its own operations7/10Its own emissions aren't independently verified or tracked over several years.
- Emissions from its supply chain3/10No assessment of where its supply-chain emissions come from.
- Whether its emissions are falling5/10No evidence of a year-on-year fall in its total emissions.
- How clean its energy is4/10Less 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 waste4/10No measurable waste or recycling targets reported publicly.
- Its effect on water4/10No water stewardship programme or verified fall in water use.
- Its climate targets3/10No specific targets with dates.
- How openly it reports5/10No dedicated sustainability role, board oversight or public report.
- Its record on controversies6/10Points 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 Associated British Foods's SINK score calculated?
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × ScaleHas Associated British Foods's score changed?
Associated British Foods's score has been reviewed 2 times and currently stands where it started, at 28.
- 28 → 2812 September 2026
Rescore 28→28 (promote-refresh, frozen base 30)
- Scored 2812 September 2026
Initial public score 28 (publish-draft)
What evidence is Associated British Foods's score based on?
15 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
80% of them were published by Associated British Foods itself; the rest come from independent sources.
“ABF Group scope 1 & 2 (market based) 2,410kt (2024: 2,627kt)”
“EY has provided limited independent assurance over the 2025 metrics”
“Primark where its supply chain's carbon emissions dwarf those that originate from within the business”
“ABF Sugar has announced the approval of its near and long-term science-based emissions reduction targets with SBTi”
“Sugar's Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions (market-based) decreased by 9% compared to 2024 and by 23% against its 2018 baseline”
“Primark is committed to secure 100% of electricity from renewable sources for owned and operated (Scope 2) emissions by 2030”
“ABF's palm consumption has been supported through RSPO sustainable supply chain routes since end of 2015”
“74% of the soya products AB Agri bought worldwide were certificated to FEFAC benchmark for responsibly sourced soya”
“This company received a score of 16.1%”
“AB Sugar represents some 96% of the Group's water abstracted”
“AB Sugar has a detailed plan to achieve its 30% absolute reduction, which it manages through its robust profit improvement system”
“this company has a zero or very low Engagement Intensity score on climate policy”
“We urged the company to set clear, time-bound targets to increase the proportion of sustainable cotton used in its products”
“near-term science-based emissions reduction targets on 16 September 2024”
“in January 2024, the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) validated its near-term and net zero GHG emissions targets”
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How does Associated British Foods compare with other fmcg / consumer goods companies?
Where Associated British Foods sits among fmcg / consumer goods peers.
Among the 57 major fmcg / consumer goods brands we've scored, Associated British Foods is tied =45th of 57, with 3 others.
Who scores higher in FMCG / Consumer Goods?
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above Associated British Foods.
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