Tesla, Inc. sustainability score: 23/100
Below expectations starts at 31. The highest score on SINK is 71.
Tesla designs, makes and sells electric vehicles, battery energy storage and solar products, with gigafactories in North America, Europe and Asia. It is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and had about 134,785 employees and $94.8 billion in revenue in FY2025.
Founded 2003Head office Austin, Texas, United StatesStaff ~134,785 (FY2025)Revenue $94,827M revenues (FY2025)Website ↗
Tesla's absolute emissions are rising: Scope 3 grew 14% from 2023 to 2025 and Scope 1 rose 43% over the same period, while it highlights emissions its customers avoid. Its 2040 net-zero target has no near-term milestone or SBTi validation, renewable matching is partial (100% in Berlin, 28% in Texas), and its Fremont factory has a long record of air-quality violations.
Tesla, Inc. scores 23/100 (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 Tesla, Inc. joint 925th of 1,023 companies scored, and 34th of 36 in Automotive.
What is Tesla, Inc. doing well, and where does it fall short?
Strongest on Carbon Footprint: Operations and Carbon Footprint: Supply Chain (7/10, 6/10). Weakest on Emissions Trajectory and Nature & Biodiversity Impact (0/10, 2/10).
Where Tesla, Inc. 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
- Whether its emissions are fallingShow its emissions are falling.
- Its effect on natureAssess its effect on nature and publish a basic environmental policy.
- Its climate targetsSet specific targets with dates.
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 falling0/10No evidence its emissions are falling.
- How clean its energy is4/10Less 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 water4/10No measured water footprint with reduction targets.
- Its climate targets3/10No specific targets with dates.
- How openly it reports5/10No dedicated sustainability role, board oversight or public report.
- 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 Tesla, Inc.'s SINK score calculated?
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × ScaleHas Tesla, Inc.'s score changed?
Tesla, Inc.'s score has moved from 26 to 23 across 2 recorded reviews, down 3 points.
- 26 → 23-317 October 2026
Fortune 50 re-score (owner-approved batch 2, 2026-10-17)
- Scored 264 April 2026
Initial score at platform launch
What evidence is Tesla, Inc.'s score based on?
10 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
20% of them were published by Tesla, Inc. itself; the rest come from independent sources.
“Its Scope 1 emissions (from operations) have grown 43 percent since 2023, while its Scope 2 (purchased electricity) number is up 80 percent”
“won an injunction over threats to the habitats of resident lizards and snakes”
“resulting in over 112 Notices of Violation since 2019”
“Tesla has agreed to pay a $275,000 fine in a settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency”
“violating the federal Clean Air Act hundreds of times”
“every one of those automakers except Tesla”
“continues to cause worries about the production”
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How does Tesla, Inc. compare with other automotive companies?
Where Tesla, Inc. sits among automotive peers.
Among the 36 major automotive brands we've scored, Tesla, Inc. sits 34th of 36.
Who scores higher in Automotive?
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above Tesla, Inc..
Honda's footprint was 232.38 Mt CO2e in the year to March 2026 and has risen for two years, driven by emissions from the fuel its vehicles use, while emissions from its own operations fell.
See the breakdown →Mazda's footprint was 62,978,000 tCO2e in the year to March 2025, up on the previous year, and most of it comes from the fuel and electricity its cars use.
See the breakdown →Suzuki's footprint was 115.97 million tCO2e in the year to March 2026, 99% of it in its value chain and mostly from the use of the cars it sells, and it has risen every year since FY2022. 44% of its electricity is renewable: 100% in Japan but 20% in India.
See the breakdown →Which companies moved this week, and why.
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