New Balance sustainability score: 36/100
New Balance designs, makes and sells athletic footwear and apparel, from its own shoe factories in the US and at Flimby in the UK and from third-party suppliers. It is privately owned and files no public accounts, so no filed founding year is available for its operating company, New Balance Athletics, Inc. It reported more than 7,500 employees in its 2023 CDP response, and announced global sales of about US$9.2 billion for 2025.
Head office Boston, United StatesStaff ~7,500+ (company's 2023 CDP response)Revenue ~US$9.2B (2025, company-announced global sales)Website ↗
New Balance's footprint was about 1.2 million tCO2e in 2023, about 95% of it in its supply chain, and it rose against about 1.11 million tCO2e in 2019. Its own operations emitted 6,324 tCO2e, 59% below 2019. 90% of its electricity in 2023 was renewable, mostly through certificates. The SBTi approved its 2030 targets in 2023: a 60% cut in its own emissions and a 50% cut in emissions from materials, production and transport, but it says its supply-chain goal is not on track. No external check of its figures could be read. Zero Waste France filed a greenwashing complaint against it in 2022; no ruling has been found.
New Balance scores 36/100 (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 November 2026.
That places New Balance joint 530th of 969 companies scored, and joint 39th of 55 in Apparel (Durable / Outdoor).
What is New Balance doing well, and where does it fall short?
Strongest on Targets & Commitments and Controversies & Red Flags (7/10, 7/10). Weakest on Emissions Trajectory and Nature & Biodiversity Impact (0/10, 3/10).
Where New Balance lost points
For each question that lost points, the evidence our public rubric looks for that we didn't find.
- Emissions from its own operations6/10Its 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, not even from energy bills or mileage.
- How clean its energy is5/10Less 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 water5/10No measured water footprint with reduction targets.
- Its climate targets7/10Its targets aren't validated by the Science Based Targets initiative.
- How openly it reports6/10No annual impact report, or no pay linked to climate targets.
- Its record on controversies7/10Points 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 New Balance's SINK score calculated?
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × ScaleWhat evidence is New Balance's score based on?
14 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
36% of them were published by New Balance itself; the rest come from independent sources.
9 of 14 sources are independent of the company.
“were 6,324 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2e). This is a 59% reduction from our 2019 baseline year”
“In 2019, our baseline emissions year, our Scope 1 and 2 emissions were 15,467 MTCO2e”
“By 2025, source 100% renewable electricity for owned operations (On Target)”
“In 2022, for example, New Balance was scored 2 out of 5”
“In 2023 its estimated total emissions were 1 ,190 ,643 MT CO2e”
“New Balance has achieved global sales of $7.8 billion in 2024, reflecting a 20% increase from 2023”
“In 2016, we began collecting water consumption data from strategic tanneries and textile mills”
“This company received a score of 22.3%. Source: Forest 500 (2025)”
“hardly any products were found to contain compostable, recyclable, repairable or recycled materials”
“« norme Green leaf » (feuille verte) que Zero Waste France vise en particulier”
“filed a complaint with the courts of Strasbourg and Paris against the sports equipment manufacturers Adidas and New Balance”
“recording an annual global sales growth of 19 percent year-over-year, amounting to 9.2 billion dollars”
“Zero Waste France vient de déposer une plainte contre Adidas et New Balance”
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How does New Balance compare with other apparel (durable / outdoor) companies?
Where New Balance sits among apparel (durable / outdoor) peers.
Among the 55 major apparel (durable / outdoor) brands we've scored, New Balance is tied =39th of 55, with 5 others.
Who scores higher in Apparel (Durable / Outdoor)?
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above New Balance.
Berluti publishes sustainability commitments but withholds the numbers that matter.
See the breakdown →adidas' footprint was 6,364,851 tCO2e in 2025, not counting the use of its products, and it rose 18% on 2024 while net sales rose 5%.
See the breakdown →Lucy & Yak publishes materials and circularity data but fails on emissions.
See the breakdown →Which companies moved this week, and why.
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