General Motors sustainability score: 26/100
Below expectations starts at 31. The highest score on SINK is 71.
General Motors designs, manufactures, and sells vehicles globally under brands including Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac, and Buick. The Detroit-based automaker employs approximately 156,000 people and generated $185 billion in revenue in 2025, competing in a sector undergoing rapid electrification.
Founded 2009Head office Detroit, Michigan, USStaff ~156,000 (FY2025)Revenue $185,019M revenues (FY2025)Website ↗
GM reports 2.3 Mt of operational emissions, with a selection of its GHG data third-party verified, but Scope 3 rose from 327 Mt in 2022 to 388 Mt in 2024 despite intensity targets, and it is not shown as assured. GM paid nearly $146M in a 2024 EPA settlement over vehicles found to emit more CO2 than certified (it denied wrongdoing), and it lobbies against vehicle-emission rules.
General Motors scores 26/100 (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 October 2026.
That places General Motors joint 847th of 1,023 companies scored, and joint 25th of 36 in Automotive.
What is General Motors doing well, and where does it fall short?
Strongest on Carbon Footprint: Operations and Carbon Footprint: Supply Chain (8/10, 6/10). Weakest on Controversies & Red Flags and Nature & Biodiversity Impact (1/10, 2/10).
Where General Motors 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.
- Whether its emissions are fallingShow its emissions are falling.
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 chain6/10No full value-chain map or supplier engagement programme.
- Whether its emissions are falling3/10No evidence its emissions are falling.
- How clean its energy is5/10Less than half its energy shown to be renewable, or no transition plan.
- Its effect on nature2/10No 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 water5/10No measured water footprint with reduction targets.
- Its climate targets6/10Its targets aren't validated by the Science Based Targets initiative.
- 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.
How is General Motors's SINK score calculated?
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × ScaleHas General Motors's score changed?
General Motors's score has moved from 29 to 26 across 2 recorded reviews, down 3 points.
- 29 → 26-317 October 2026
Fortune 50 re-score (owner-approved batch 2, 2026-10-17). History gap: the last recorded row is 29 (2026-02-08, initial_score), but the live score before this change was 25 (previousScore 29). The intermediate change(s) were not recorded at the time and are not reconstructed here.
- Scored 298 February 2026
Initial score at platform launch
What evidence is General Motors's score based on?
9 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
22% of them were published by General Motors itself; the rest come from independent sources.
“We have engaged an independent third party to verify a selection of the greenhouse gas (GHG) and certain sustainability data for our global operations”
“We are subject to risks associated with climate change, including evolving regulation of GHG emissions”
“the GM pickup trucks and SUVs emit over 10 percent more carbon dioxide on average than GM's initial compliance testing claimed”
“GM recently opposed the Advanced Clean Cars II and Advanced Clean Trucks rules”
“unbundled renewable energy credits (14%)”
“On April 22, the company received approval from the Science-Based Targets initiative for interim, science-based, scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions targets.”
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How does General Motors compare with other automotive companies?
Where General Motors sits among automotive peers.
Among the 36 major automotive brands we've scored, General Motors is tied =25th of 36, with 4 others.
Who scores higher in Automotive?
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above General Motors.
Continental's 2025 footprint was 83.5 MtCO2e, most of it from tyres in use.
See the breakdown →Stellantis' footprint was 391.9 Mt CO2e in 2025, down from 414.7 Mt in 2024, with much of the fall tracking lower volumes.
See the breakdown →Geely Auto's footprint was 86.2 million tCO2e in 2025, mostly from the use of the cars it sells and the parts it buys, and it has risen every year since 2023 as sales grew.
See the breakdown →Which companies moved this week, and why.
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