Mastercard Incorporated sustainability score: 53/100
Better than 92% of Financial Services / Banking
Leading practice starts at 60. The highest score on SINK is 71.
Mastercard is a payments technology company whose card network runs in more than 220 countries and territories. Mastercard Incorporated was incorporated in Delaware in 2001; its roots go back to 1966, when its operating company, Mastercard International, was formed.
More about Mastercard Incorporated
It is headquartered in Purchase, New York, and had about 39,800 employees and $32.8 billion in net revenue in FY2025. With Visa it controls about 80% of the US credit card market.
Founded 2001Head office Purchase, New York, United StatesStaff ~39,800 (FY2025)Revenue $32,791M net revenue (FY2025)Website ↗
Mastercard met its SBTi-approved 2025 targets and publishes PwC-assured emissions data, but its Scope 1 and 2 emissions rose in 2025 and its total fell only 1%. 27% of its 100% renewable electricity comes from unbundled certificates, and its carbon-neutral operations claim relies partly on carbon credits. As half of the Visa–Mastercard card duopoly it carries fossil-sector commerce: it has cut off other categories (Pornhub, 2020) but applies no restriction to fossil commerce. Its CEO is a Business Roundtable member, and Mastercard funds the Roundtable.
Mastercard Incorporated scores 53/100 (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 October 2026.
That places Mastercard Incorporated joint 86th of 1,023 companies scored, and 6th of 61 in Financial Services / Banking.
What is Mastercard Incorporated doing well, and where does it fall short?
Strongest on Carbon Footprint: Operations and Targets & Commitments (8/10, 8/10). Weakest on Controversies & Red Flags and Water Impact (1/10, 4/10).
Where Mastercard Incorporated 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 waterMeasure its water footprint and set reduction targets.
- Its effect on natureMeasure its effect on nature and have it independently verified.
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 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 nature5/10Its effect on nature isn't measured or independently verified.
- How it uses materials and handles waste5/10No 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 reports8/10No mission-locked structure, such as B Corp certification.
- 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 Mastercard Incorporated's SINK score calculated?
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × ScaleHas Mastercard Incorporated's score changed?
Mastercard Incorporated's score has moved from 63 to 53 across 2 recorded reviews, down 10 points.
- 63 → 53-1026 October 2026
Re-scored under the current method. Up from 52: emissions now come from Mastercard's own assured 2025 report, and higher marks for its emissions trend, targets and governance outweigh a lower renewable-electricity mark, because 27% of its renewable electricity is unbundled certificates.. History gap: the last recorded row is 63 (2026-04-06, initial_score), but the live score before this change was 52 (previousScore 55). The intermediate change(s) were not recorded at the time and are not reconstructed here.
- Scored 636 April 2026
Initial score at platform launch
What evidence is Mastercard Incorporated's score based on?
18 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
6% of them were published by Mastercard Incorporated itself; the rest come from independent sources.
17 of 18 sources are independent of the company.
“Scope 1 GHG emissions MTCO e 3,444 2,962 3,556”
“We enable transactions for our customers through our payment network in more than 150 currencies and in more than 220 countries and territories.”
“However, Scope 3 emissions declined 10% in 2024.”
“suppliers account for 76% of its overall greenhouse gas emissions, according to the impact report”
“Scope 3 emissions, which cover supply chain and purchased goods and services, fell 46% compared to a 20% target.”
“the company's total greenhouse gas emissions fell to 512,781 metric tons of CO₂ equivalent (tCO₂e) from 515,981 tCO₂e in 2024”
“reducing absolute Scope 1 and 2 location-based emissions by 44% (target was 38%) and Scope 3 by 46% (target was 20%) from 2016 levels”
“Around ten percent of the data center's energy needs are already met by onsite solar”
“Progress is monitored with the Tree Restoration Framework , which measures how impacts on biodiversity and carbon sequestration, among other things.”
“was the first company in the payments industry to have its emissions targets approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)”
“Mastercard has a goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2040”
“the company funds industry associations like the Business Roundtable that opposes meaningful climate action.”
“Mastercard Incorporated has a target to reduce absolute Scope 3 (upstream & downstream) CO2e emissions 20% by 2025 from a base year of 2016.”
“injecting additional competition into a market the two networks dominate.”
“Together, Visa and Mastercard control about 80% of the credit card market”
“we instructed the financial institutions that connect the site to our network to terminate acceptance.”
“Michael Miebach is chief executive officer of Mastercard and a member of its board of directors.”
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How does Mastercard Incorporated compare with other financial services / banking companies?
Where Mastercard Incorporated sits among financial services / banking peers.
Among the 61 major financial services / banking brands we've scored, Mastercard Incorporated sits 6th of 61.
Who scores higher in Financial Services / Banking?
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above Mastercard Incorporated.
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