Carbon Footprint — Operations: How does Alphabet Inc. (Google) score?

Google reports full Scope 1 (73,100 tCO2e) and Scope 2 market-based (~3.1Mt) in its 2025 Environmental Report covering FY2024. GHG Protocol methodology is used with multi-year tracking since 2019 baseline. Data is third-party verified and publicly disclosed with granular breakdown by scope. However, there is a notable gap between market-based and location-based Scope 2 (11.2Mt location-based vs ~3.1Mt market-based), raising questions about the real-world emissions picture.

Carbon Footprint — Supply Chain: How does Alphabet Inc. (Google) score?

Google quantifies Scope 3 across 6 of 15 GHG Protocol categories, reporting 12.05Mt CO2e in 2024, which represents 73% of its ambition-based carbon footprint. Key categories include purchased goods & services (3.6Mt), upstream transportation (853Kt), and fuel/energy-related (714Kt). Capital expenditures and use of sold products leapt 38% to 6.3Mt. Google has an active supplier engagement programme including the Clean Energy Addendum requiring 100% renewable electricity for manufacturing supplier

Emissions Trajectory: How does Alphabet Inc. (Google) score?

Absolute total emissions are demonstrably rising. Total emissions reached 15.2Mt in 2024, up 11% year-on-year and 51% above the 2019 baseline. While Scope 1+2 operational emissions fell 11% in 2024, Scope 3 rose 22%, with capital expenditure-related emissions surging 38%. The company's net-zero by 2030 target requires a 50% absolute reduction from 2019, but emissions have moved in the opposite direction for five consecutive years. Google reframed its targets as 'moonshots' and 'ambition-based' i

Energy Source: How does Alphabet Inc. (Google) score?

Google has matched 100% of global electricity use with renewable energy purchases annually since 2017 via PPAs, and is a founding RE100 member. In 2024, it achieved 66% carbon-free energy on an hourly basis across all grids, up from 64% in 2023. It signed contracts for 8GW of new clean energy in 2024 — the largest annual volume in its history — including solar, wind, geothermal, and the world's first corporate SMR nuclear agreement with Kairos Power. However, APAC carbon-free energy is just 12%,

Nature & Biodiversity Impact: How does Alphabet Inc. (Google) score?

Google's 2024 and 2025 Environmental Reports include nature and biodiversity as a strategic pillar. The company reports creating or rehabilitating native habitat at campus sites and incorporating nature-based solutions in water stewardship projects across 68 watersheds. Over 300 offices have LEED certification. However, there is no formal TNFD-aligned disclosure, no quantified biodiversity footprint, and no deforestation commitment relevant to its supply chain (hardware components, rare earth mi

Resource Use & Waste: How does Alphabet Inc. (Google) score?

Google diverted 84% of operational waste from disposal across data centers in 2024. Its Reverse Supply Chain programme harvested 8.8 million components from decommissioned hardware for reuse or resale, with 44% of components for server builds coming from reused inventory. Product packaging reached 100% plastic-free for new products in 2024, meeting a 2025 goal early. Pixel devices use recycled aluminium. These are measurable circular economy initiatives with public reporting and year-on-year tra

Water Impact: How does Alphabet Inc. (Google) score?

Google's data center water consumption is significant and rising: 6.1 billion gallons in 2023 (17% increase), with withdrawals reaching over 11 billion gallons in 2024 (up 28%). Total water consumption rose to approximately 30 billion litres in 2024. However, Google has a quantified water stewardship programme with a 120% replenishment target by 2030. In 2024, replenishment reached 64% of freshwater consumption (4.5 billion gallons), up dramatically from 18% in 2023 and 6% in 2022, through 112 p

Targets & Commitments: How does Alphabet Inc. (Google) score?

Google's emissions reduction strategy was validated by SBTi in February 2025, calling for a 50% cut to market-based Scope 1+2 and absolute Scope 3 by 2030 from a 2019 baseline. It plans to neutralise residual emissions with carbon removals ($100M contracted in 2024). However, credibility is undermined by several factors: emissions are 51% above baseline with only 5 years remaining; the company reframed targets as 'moonshots' and 'ambition-based'; Scope 3 boundary was adjusted in 2024; and third-

Transparency & Accountability: How does Alphabet Inc. (Google) score?

Google publishes its 10th annual Environmental Report (2025), with a dedicated Chief Sustainability Officer (Kate Brandt), board-level oversight, and TCFD-aligned disclosure. Emissions data is publicly available with methodology documentation. Google provides per-data-center water and energy data and offers a Carbon Footprint tool for Cloud customers. However, transparency is partially undermined by: Scope 3 boundary changes that obscure year-on-year comparisons; the gap between market-based and

Controversies & Red Flags: How does Alphabet Inc. (Google) score?

Starting at 8. Deductions: Kairos Fellowship 'Google's Eco-Failures' report (July 2025) credibly criticised emissions transparency and accused greenwashing through selective disclosure (-1). CCDH reported Google profits from fossil fuel companies' greenwashing search ads while pledging climate action (-1). InfluenceMap notes Google is a member of the US Chamber of Commerce and BusinessEurope, both of which actively oppose binding climate measures, despite Google's own positive direct climate adv

Alphabet Inc. (Google) Sustainability Score: 42/100

Recently scored: Dentsu, Omnicom, Publicis Groupe, WPP

507 companies scored·4 score updates this week

Alphabet Inc. (Google)·SaaS / Digital Services·Mountain View, California, US·Founded 2015·Last verified 21 April 2026

out of 100

Below expectationsPending Review

Alphabet's emissions have risen 51% since 2019 despite renewable energy PPAs, driven by explosive data center expansion for AI. The net-zero 2030 target is implausible: absolute emissions climb, Scope 3 surges 22% annually, and the company has reframed targets as 'moonshots.' Greenwashing concerns are credible.

No challenges currently filed

The calculation

Every score shows its working.

Same formula for every company. No curve. No private weighting.

SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × Scale

Industry base impact

SaaS / Digital Services sector ceiling.

70 / 100

Performance score

Sum of the 10 rubric questions, scored 0–10 each.

56 / 100

Raw score

Weighted average before scale penalty.

(0.3 × 70) + (0.7 × 56) = 60.2

Scale penalty

Multiplier based on absolute emissions volume — physics-first.

× 0.7

Final score

Rounded. Below expectations.

42 / 100

The ten questions

Where Alphabet Inc. (Google) is strong, and where it isn't.

Strongest on Carbon Footprint — Operations and Carbon Footprint — Supply Chain (7/10, 7/10). Weakest on Emissions Trajectory and Nature & Biodiversity Impact (1/10, 4/10).

Where the evidence comes from

Every document used, listed.

15 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which rubric questions it informed.

[1]Self-reported

Google 2025 Environmental Report

2025

Q1Q9

Every score shows its working.

Where Alphabet Inc. (Google) is strong, and where it isn't.

Every document used, listed.

Where Alphabet Inc. (Google) sits among saas / digital services peers.

Alphabet Inc. (Google)'s score over time.

This score is not currently being contested.

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We'll let you know when the score moves.

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