Klarna sustainability score: 54/100
Better than 93% of Financial Services / Banking
Leading practice starts at 60. The highest score on SINK is 71.
Klarna is a Swedish fintech company founded in 2005 that pioneered buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) lending. Headquartered in Stockholm, it operates globally as a mobile payment and consumer credit platform, enabling deferred payment for e-commerce purchases.
More about Klarna
Klarna holds a significant market position in the BNPL sector but faces criticism for enabling overconsumption.
Founded 2005Head office Stockholm, SwedenStaff ~3,400Revenue ~$2.8BWebsite ↗
Klarna has built credible climate infrastructure—SBTi-validated net-zero target, internal carbon pricing, and $8.5M+ channeled into carbon removal. But its 2030 interim target is intensity-based, not absolute. The bigger problem: as a BNPL lender, Klarna systematically fuels overconsumption and impulse buying, with documented class action lawsuits alleging designed-in over-indebtedness. Environmental claims cannot offset a business model engineered to drive excess consumption.
Klarna scores 54/100 (Making progress) 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 Klarna joint 71st of 1,023 companies scored, and 5th of 61 in Financial Services / Banking.
What is Klarna doing well, and where does it fall short?
Strongest on Targets & Commitments and Carbon Footprint: Operations (8/10, 7/10). Weakest on Resource Use & Waste and Water Impact (4/10, 4/10).
Where Klarna 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
- How it uses materials and handles wasteReport measurable waste or recycling targets publicly.
- Its effect on waterMeasure its water footprint and set reduction targets.
- Its record on controversiesDeal with the findings under question 10, in public.
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 chain6/10No full value-chain map or supplier engagement programme.
- Whether its emissions are falling6/10No consistent fall over several years across its operations and supply chain.
- How clean its energy is7/10Less than 90% of its energy shown to be renewable.
- Its effect on nature6/10No verified restoration beyond its own footprint, or supply chain not mapped for nature risk.
- 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 targets8/10No 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 Klarna's SINK score calculated?
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × ScaleHas Klarna's score changed?
Klarna's score has moved from 52 to 54 across 2 recorded reviews, up 2 points.
- 52 → 54+229 October 2026
Correction: score 52 → 54; the published score did not follow from its own base, performance and size deduction (arithmetic error, corrected 29 October 2026).
- Scored 526 April 2026
Initial score at platform launch
What evidence is Klarna's score based on?
14 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
43% of them were published by Klarna itself; the rest come from independent sources.
Scored on 6 April 2026 under an earlier version of our method. We're re-checking it under the current method.
8 of 14 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 Klarna compare with other financial services / banking companies?
Where Klarna sits among financial services / banking peers.
Among the 61 major financial services / banking brands we've scored, Klarna sits 5th of 61.
Who scores higher in Financial Services / Banking?
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above Klarna.
NextEnergy Solar Fund reports solar portfolio emissions with no independent assurance, relying on external calculators.
See the breakdown →LSEG publishes detailed carbon and resource data with third-party assurance, but Scope 3 lacks binding absolute targets for its largest emission source (purchased goods, 78% of total).
See the breakdown →Which companies moved this week, and why.
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