Apple Inc. scores 12 points higher than Samsung Electronics on SINK.
Apple Inc. is more sustainable according to SINK's scores, scoring 40/100 vs Samsung Electronics's 28/100, a difference of 12 points.
Apple Inc. scores 40/100 on SINK (Below expectations). Apple's total emissions fell from 23.2 Mt in FY2021 to 15.3 Mt in FY2025 but were flat from FY2024 to FY2025, and product-related Scope 3 rose in FY2025. Product manufacturing is the largest source at 8.15 Mt. A Frankfurt court barred 'CO2-neutral' Apple Watch advertising in 2025, and its carbon-neutral claims rely partly on avoidance credits.
Samsung Electronics scores 28/100 on SINK (Significant gaps). Samsung Electronics' footprint was 117.5 million tCO2e in 2025, 68% of it the electricity its products use over their lives, and it rose on 2024. 32.5% of its electricity is renewable, mostly through certificates: 94.8% in its consumer devices division but 26.2% in its chip division, and Greenpeace has criticised gas plants planned for its new chip cluster. Its targets are self-set, with no SBTi validation. Texas regulators fined its Austin chip plant in 2024, including over a 2022 acid wastewater spill. All its factories send zero waste to landfill, but its water use is rising.
Both companies are rated on the same 10-question SINK rubric: Scope 1/2/3 carbon footprint, energy source, nature and biodiversity, resource use, water, emissions trajectory, science-based targets, transparency, and controversies. Scores are 0–100, based on public data, and fully reproducible.
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