Farrow & Ball sustainability score: 45/100
Farrow & Ball is a UK maker and retailer of premium paint and wallpaper, owned by Hempel A/S. Incorporated in 1971 (its roots go back to 1946, according to its filed strategic report), it has its registered office in Wimborne, Dorset.
More about Farrow & Ball
It had about 561 staff and revenue of about £105m in FY2025.
Founded 1971Head office Wimborne, UKStaff ~561 (average staff, FY2025 filed accounts)Revenue ~£105m (FY2025 filed accounts)Website ↗
Farrow & Ball reports Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions without independent assurance; Scope 3 is 98.9% of its 2024 footprint, with no category breakdown. It reports lower purchased electricity emissions and zero waste to landfill. It publishes no water figure or quantified nature footprint, and its Scope 3 targets are its parent's, which earn the brand no credit.
Farrow & Ball scores 45/100 (Below expectations) 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 November 2026.
That places Farrow & Ball joint 287th of 1,024 companies scored, and 3rd of 17 in Chemicals.
What is Farrow & Ball doing well, and where does it fall short?
Strongest on Controversies & Red Flags and Carbon Footprint: Operations (8/10, 7/10). Weakest on Nature & Biodiversity Impact and Water Impact (3/10, 3/10).
Where Farrow & Ball lost points
For each question that lost points, the evidence our public rubric looks for that we didn't find.
- 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 is6/10Less than 90% of its energy shown to be renewable.
- Its effect on nature3/10No assessment of its effect on nature, and no basic environmental policy.
- How it uses materials and handles waste6/10No verified figures for reuse and recycling across the business.
- Its effect on water3/10No monitoring of water use, or no measures to reduce it.
- Its climate targets4/10Its targets aren't science-based or committed to the Science Based Targets initiative.
- How openly it reports5/10No dedicated sustainability role, board oversight or public report.
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 Farrow & Ball's SINK score calculated?
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × ScaleWhat evidence is Farrow & Ball's score based on?
16 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
44% of them were published by Farrow & Ball itself; the rest come from independent sources.
9 of 16 sources are independent of the company.
“purchased electricity (Scope 2) | Emissions (tCO2e) 348.24 279.11”
“purchased electricity (Scope 2) | Emissions (tCO2e) 412.40 348.24”
“Our 2024 Scope 2 emissions total is 136 t”
“100% of our energy comes from renewable sources such as wind and solar farms”
“Titanium dioxide is our ingredient with the largest environmental footprint.”
“the rare chalkstream that runs through our local landscape and serves as one of our main water sources”
“We also thoroughly clean all of our waste water to remove pollutants”
“We will contribute to the Hempel A/S target to reduce Scope 3 of the group's carbon footprint by 50% by 2030”
“Of the brands we have rated in this guide only some of AURO and Earthborn’s products are free from titanium dioxide.”
“Around £46.50 per 2.5L Modern Emulsion, which contains acrylic.”
“Hempel will acquire 100% of the share capital in, and sole control over, FBA.”
“Farrow & Ball has been given a below-benchmark score on The Good Shopping Guide’s Ethical Paint Ratings Table”
“Farrow & Ball paints represent a trusted green choice for decorating.”
If you believe a source has been misread or a newer version exists, submit a challenge.
Is this your company? Claim this profile (free)
Use this score in tenders
Send the link, or the one-page score sheet. It links back to this page and every source. Free.
Open the score sheet →Send new evidence, free
Scored low because little is published? Publish what you do and send us the link, free. If it holds up, your score changes, and the change is logged on your page.
How to send evidence →Put your score on your website, free
It shows the current score and links to this page, so it changes when the score does.
Track this score
Bidding for a public contract? Check if you need a Carbon Reduction Plan, free →
Want your own page like this?
Free, independent, every source shown. Send it to any buyer who asks about your sustainability.
How does Farrow & Ball compare with other chemicals companies?
Where Farrow & Ball sits among chemicals peers.
Among the 17 major chemicals brands we've scored, Farrow & Ball sits 3rd of 17.
Who scores higher in Chemicals?
The 2 companies in the sector scoring nearest above Farrow & Ball.
Corbion's total footprint fell from 1.03 MtCO2e in 2021 to 862,000 tCO2e in 2025, against SBTi-validated absolute targets, but its own emissions rose 11% in 2025 as a Thai plant ramped up.
See the breakdown →Novonesis has cut Scope 1+2 emissions 63% absolute since 2018 and hit 100% renewable electricity in 2025, backed by SBTi validation.
See the breakdown →Which companies moved this week, and why.
One email, every Sunday. Score changes, new research, the stories behind the numbers. Free.
We'll send one email to confirm. No spam. Unsubscribe in one click.
Checking a company?
Search free →Asked to prove you're sustainable?
Get your business scored, free →Been scored?
Find your page and claim it, free →Scores are free. Nobody can pay to change a score, speed it up or hide it.