KFC (Yum! Brands) sustainability score: 32/100
KFC is a quick-service restaurant chain specialising in fried chicken, operating over 61,000 locations globally through a heavily franchised model. Founded in 1930 and headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, KFC is owned by Yum!
More about KFC (Yum! Brands)
Brands alongside Taco Bell and Pizza Hut. It dominates the global QSR chicken category.
Founded 1930Head office Louisville, United StatesStaff ~40,000 (corporate); ~1M+ system-wideRevenue ~$7.55B (FY2024)Website ↗
KFC operates 98% franchised restaurants, severely limiting emissions visibility and control. Scope 3 targets are intensity-based rather than absolute—masking likely growth in total emissions despite per-unit improvements. The company withdrew from animal welfare commitments in 2026 and lost SBTi net-zero validation in 2024, signalling credibility erosion.
KFC (Yum! Brands) scores 32/100 (Below expectations) on SINK's independent climate assessment, scored from public data only. Scores are free. Companies can never pay for anything about their own score. Last verified May 2026.
That places KFC (Yum! Brands) joint 620th of 934 companies scored, and joint 28th of 51 in Food Service / Restaurants.
What is KFC (Yum! Brands) doing well, and where does it fall short?
Strongest on Carbon Footprint: Operations and Transparency & Accountability (7/10, 6/10). Weakest on Nature & Biodiversity Impact and Emissions Trajectory (3/10, 4/10).
Where KFC (Yum! Brands) 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 chain5/10Most of its supply-chain (Scope 3) emissions aren't measured.
- Whether its emissions are falling4/10No evidence of a year-on-year fall in its total emissions.
- How clean its energy is4/10Less than half its energy shown to be renewable, or no transition plan.
- Its effect on nature3/10No assessment of its effect on nature, and no basic environmental policy.
- How it uses materials and handles waste4/10No measurable waste or recycling targets reported publicly.
- Its effect on water4/10No measured water footprint with reduction targets.
- Its climate targets4/10Its targets aren't science-based or committed to the Science Based Targets initiative.
- How openly it reports6/10No annual impact report, or no pay linked to climate targets.
- Its record on controversies5/10Points 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 KFC (Yum! Brands)'s SINK score calculated?
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × ScaleWhat evidence is KFC (Yum! Brands)'s score based on?
16 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
38% of them were published by KFC (Yum! Brands) itself; the rest come from independent sources.
Scored on 4 April 2026 under an earlier version of our method. We're re-checking it under the current method.
10 of 16 sources are independent of the company.
If you believe a source has been misread or a newer version exists, submit a challenge.
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How does KFC (Yum! Brands) compare with other food service / restaurants companies?
Where KFC (Yum! Brands) sits among food service / restaurants peers.
Among the 51 major food service / restaurants brands we've scored, KFC (Yum! Brands) is tied =28th of 51, with 3 others.
Who scores higher in Food Service / Restaurants?
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above KFC (Yum! Brands).
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