Balenciaga sustainability score: 24/100
Better than 35% of Apparel (Fast Fashion)
Below expectations starts at 31. The highest score on SINK is 71.
Balenciaga is a luxury fashion house founded in 1917, headquartered in Paris and owned by Kering. It designs and manufactures high-end apparel, footwear, and leather goods, with production concentrated in Italy.
More about Balenciaga
The brand operates as a mid-sized subsidiary within one of fashion's largest conglomerates, serving global wholesale and retail channels.
Founded 1917Head office Paris, FranceStaff ~3,300Revenue ~€1.2BWebsite ↗
Balenciaga has no brand-level sustainability reporting. Parent Kering's validated net-zero targets and 100% renewable electricity are genuine, but Balenciaga discloses zero independent emissions data, waste metrics, or water use. The luxury brand relies entirely on group-level programs while operating leather-intensive supply chains with unverified outcomes.
Balenciaga scores 24/100 (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 May 2026.
That places Balenciaga joint 903rd of 1,023 companies scored, and 12th of 18 in Apparel (Fast Fashion).
What is Balenciaga doing well, and where does it fall short?
Strongest on Energy Source and Controversies & Red Flags (6/10, 6/10). Weakest on Carbon Footprint: Operations and Carbon Footprint: Supply Chain (2/10, 3/10).
Where Balenciaga 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 own operationsPublish emissions figures for its own operations, even an estimate from energy bills.
- Emissions from its supply chainAssess where its supply-chain emissions come from.
- Whether its emissions are fallingShow its emissions are falling, even from energy bills or mileage.
Every question that lost points
- Emissions from its own operations2/10No emissions figures for its own operations, not even an estimate from energy bills.
- Emissions from its supply chain3/10No assessment of where its supply-chain emissions come from.
- Whether its emissions are falling3/10No evidence its emissions are falling, not even from energy bills or mileage.
- How clean its energy is6/10Less than 90% of its energy shown to be renewable.
- Its effect on nature5/10Its effect on nature isn't measured or independently verified.
- How it uses materials and handles waste4/10No measurable waste or recycling targets reported publicly.
- Its effect on water4/10No measured water footprint with reduction targets.
- Its climate targets5/10Its targets aren't science-based or committed to the Science Based Targets initiative.
- How openly it reports4/10No 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 Balenciaga's SINK score calculated?
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × ScaleHas Balenciaga's score changed?
Balenciaga's score has moved from 32 to 24 across 2 recorded reviews, down 8 points.
- 32 → 24-87 November 2026
Sources replaced with the company's own or independent reports. With no brand-level emissions figure, the 0.70x size step now applies.
- Scored 329 April 2026
Initial score at platform launch
What evidence is Balenciaga's score based on?
12 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
17% of them were published by Balenciaga itself; the rest come from independent sources.
Scored on 9 April 2026 under an earlier version of our method. We're re-checking it under the current method.
10 of 12 sources are independent of the company.
If you believe a source has been misread or a newer version exists, submit a challenge.
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How does Balenciaga compare with other apparel (fast fashion) companies?
Where Balenciaga sits among apparel (fast fashion) peers.
Among the 18 major apparel (fast fashion) brands we've scored, Balenciaga sits 12th of 18.
Who scores higher in Apparel (Fast Fashion)?
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above Balenciaga.
Abercrombie & Fitch discloses operational emissions transparently but has no Scope 3 target despite it representing 92% of its footprint.
See the breakdown →Givenchy publishes no brand-level emissions data despite being a major luxury fashion house.
See the breakdown →Which companies moved this week, and why.
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