Brenntag sustainability score: 35/100
Making progress starts at 46. The highest score on SINK is 71.
Brenntag is a German chemicals distributor headquartered in Essen; its roots go back to 1874. It had about 17,300 employees and €15.2 billion sales in 2025.
Head office Essen, GermanyStaff ~17,300 (2025)Revenue ~€15.2B (FY2025)Website ↗
Brenntag's total emissions fell to 24.2 MtCO2e in 2025 against SBTi-validated targets, though its largest category is estimated with no supplier data. North Carolina is suing its US subsidiary over repeated water pollution near Durham. It rates biodiversity as not material, and it belongs to US chemical trade groups including AFPM and the American Chemistry Council.
Brenntag scores 35/100 (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 Brenntag joint 572nd of 1,023 companies scored, and 7th of 22 in Shipping / Logistics.
What is Brenntag doing well, and where does it fall short?
Strongest on Carbon Footprint: Operations and Targets & Commitments (9/10, 8/10). Weakest on Nature & Biodiversity Impact and Water Impact (2/10, 3/10).
Where Brenntag 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 effect on natureAssess its effect on nature and publish a basic environmental policy.
- Its effect on waterMonitor its water use and take measures to reduce it.
- How it uses materials and handles wasteReport measurable waste or recycling targets publicly.
Every question that lost points
- Emissions from its own operations9/10No 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 is6/10Less than 90% of its energy shown to be renewable.
- Its effect on nature2/10No 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 water3/10No monitoring of water use, or no measures to reduce it.
- Its climate targets8/10No validated long-term net zero target.
- How openly it reports8/10No mission-locked structure, such as B Corp certification.
- Its record on controversies4/10Points 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 Brenntag's SINK score calculated?
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × ScaleWhat evidence is Brenntag's score based on?
16 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
25% of them were published by Brenntag itself; the rest come from independent sources.
12 of 16 sources are independent of the company.
“Scope 1 GHG emissions (t COe) 176,381 185,546 –4.9% 194,390”
“20% reduction in spill rate vs. 2025 (2030)”
“Scope 1 and 2 CO₂e emissions in 2025 in comparison to 2024”
“Brenntag commits to reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 58.8% by 2034 from a 2023 base year.”
“more than 85% of our Scope 3 emissions come from the products we trade”
“The company posted €15.2 billion in sales, a 3.7% decline from 2024”
“Dazu ist man der weltweiten Initiative RE100 beigetreten.”
“discharging methylene chloride, 1,4-dioxane, ethanol, toluene, and acetone, thereby contaminating groundwater and surface-water”
“has repeatedly cited Brenntag for multiple violations related to water quality and reporting”
“Since 2023, the city of Durham has fined Brenntag $157,000 for violations related to water contamination.”
“accusing the Durham-based chemical distributor of illegally releasing industrial chemicals into state waters”
“American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM)”
“has agreed to a court order requiring it to stop polluted discharges, investigate the source of contamination and develop a plan to clean up the site”
“With its workforce of over 17,300 employees, Brenntag”
“A Global Chemical Giant Racks Up Violations in Durham, N.C., Where Drinking Water for a Million Is Threatened”
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How does Brenntag compare with other shipping / logistics companies?
Where Brenntag sits among shipping / logistics peers.
Among the 22 major shipping / logistics brands we've scored, Brenntag sits 7th of 22.
Who scores higher in Shipping / Logistics?
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above Brenntag.
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See the breakdown →DHL Supply Chain UK discloses operational emissions granularly but lacks third-party verification.
See the breakdown →Bunzl reports comprehensive Scope 1 and 2 emissions with third-party assurance and has SBTi-validated targets, but absolute emissions ticked upward in 2024–2025 despite an 18% reduction since 2019.
See the breakdown →Which companies moved this week, and why.
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