Carbon Footprint — Operations: How does NVIDIA Corporation score?

NVIDIA discloses Scope 1 (12,952 tCO2e) and Scope 2 market-based (0 tCO2e) and location-based (228,378 tCO2e) for FY25, following GHG Protocol methodology. PwC provided limited assurance over select FY25, FY24, and FY23 metrics. Multi-year data is available back to FY19 with granular breakdown. However, Scope 1 emissions increased 8.9% YoY and location-based Scope 2 rose 28%, indicating growing physical energy consumption despite market-based claims. Deducted from 8 for rising operational emissi

Carbon Footprint — Supply Chain: How does NVIDIA Corporation score?

NVIDIA reports Scope 3 emissions of 6,912,577 tCO2e across 8 of 15 GHG Protocol categories. Purchased Goods and Services (Cat. 1) at ~6 million tCO2e accounts for 87% of Scope 3. The company has engaged suppliers covering over 80% of Category 1 emissions, exceeding its 67% target. However, Greenpeace East Asia ranked NVIDIA last among top 10 AI companies for supply chain decarbonization, noting no direct investments in supplier renewable energy and no 2030 deadline for major suppliers to transit

Emissions Trajectory: How does NVIDIA Corporation score?

NVIDIA's total emissions are rising dramatically: from ~3.8 million tCO2e in FY24 to ~7.15 million tCO2e in FY25, an 87% increase in one year. Scope 3 nearly doubled from 3.5M to 6.9M tCO2e. Scope 1 increased 8.9%. Even location-based Scope 2 rose 28%. The company's GHG inventory doubled from FY23 to FY25. The Scope 3 target is intensity-based (per PFLOP), not absolute, meaning total emissions can continue rising indefinitely as production scales. There is no absolute Scope 3 reduction target. T

Energy Source: How does NVIDIA Corporation score?

NVIDIA achieved 100% renewable electricity for offices and data centers under operational control in FY25, purchasing 779,316 MWh of renewable energy and generating 818 MWh from on-site solar. Sourcing includes utility renewable tariffs, energy attribute certificates (EACs), and power purchase agreements. However, the claim relies primarily on annual-matched RECs/EACs, not 24/7 carbon-free energy matching. Location-based Scope 2 actually rose 28% to 228,378 tCO2e, showing the grid is not cleaner

Nature & Biodiversity Impact: How does NVIDIA Corporation score?

NVIDIA has no TNFD-aligned disclosure, no formal biodiversity policy, and no deforestation commitments found in public reporting. The company's supply chain has significant nature impacts: semiconductor fabrication by TSMC, Samsung, and SK Hynix involves rare earth mining, toxic chemical processing, and massive water extraction from stressed watersheds. A South Korean semiconductor cluster under construction will consume one-seventh of the country's electricity and impact water systems. The GPU

Resource Use & Waste: How does NVIDIA Corporation score?

NVIDIA upholds the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) Code of Conduct and evaluates supplier EHS practices in procurement. The company generates considerable waste and e-waste annually. Closed-loop liquid cooling systems are being introduced across data centers. ISO 14001 certification at some facilities (Santa Clara, Israel). However, as a fabless company selling hardware products consumed in data centers with limited product life cycles, the fundamental model remains linear. No comprehensive

Water Impact: How does NVIDIA Corporation score?

NVIDIA conducts annual water-risk assessments near all facilities and has water treatment at Santa Clara and Hyderabad sites for wastewater reuse in irrigation. The company reports water withdrawal of approximately 795,000 m3, with over 50% from high water-stressed areas. Blackwell liquid cooling delivers 300x improvement in water efficiency per computation. However, the most material water impacts sit with TSMC, Samsung, and SK Hynix — whose fabs consume massive quantities of ultra-pure water —

Targets & Commitments: How does NVIDIA Corporation score?

NVIDIA's first SBTi-validated targets were disclosed in June 2025: 50% absolute Scope 1+2 reduction by FY30 (1.5°C aligned) and 75% Scope 3 intensity reduction per PFLOP by FY30, both from FY23 baseline. These are near-term validated targets — a significant milestone. However, critical gaps remain: the Scope 3 target is intensity-based only (per PFLOP), not absolute, meaning total Scope 3 emissions can continue rising with production growth. There is no absolute Scope 3 reduction target and no f

Transparency & Accountability: How does NVIDIA Corporation score?

NVIDIA publishes annual sustainability reports aligned with GRI, SASB, and TCFD frameworks. The FY25 report includes PwC limited assurance over select emissions metrics. A double-materiality assessment was conducted in FY25. A sustainability team of six reports to a steering committee with executive leadership; board-level governance committee receives semiannual updates. NVIDIA is a signatory of the UN Global Compact and Paris Agreement Business Ambition campaign. However, the sustainability te

Controversies & Red Flags: How does NVIDIA Corporation score?

Starting at 8. Greenpeace East Asia ranked NVIDIA last among top 10 AI companies for supply chain decarbonization (October 2025) and published 'Green Illusion' report (March 2026) identifying a decarbonisation deficit — credible NGO criticism, deduct 2. NVIDIA and Broadcom 'have shown no evidence of direct advocacy for renewable energy policies' per Greenpeace — deduct 1 for mixed trade association memberships (e.g., US Chamber of Commerce membership common among Big Tech per InfluenceMap). Corp

NVIDIA Corporation Sustainability Score: 32/100

Recently scored: Dentsu, Omnicom, Publicis Groupe, WPP

507 companies scored·4 score updates this week

NVIDIA Corporation·Electronics / Hardware·Santa Clara, United States·Founded 1993·Last verified 21 April 2026

out of 100

Below expectationsPending Review+4 since last review

NVIDIA's emissions nearly doubled in one year to 7.15 million tCO2e, driven by explosive AI chip demand. Scope 3 targets are intensity-based only, allowing absolute emissions to rise indefinitely. Supply chain decarbonization lags critically: Greenpeace ranked NVIDIA last among major AI firms. The company discloses comprehensively but acts too slowly.

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

Electronics / Hardware sector ceiling.

40 / 100

Performance score

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

38 / 100

Raw score

Weighted average before scale penalty.

(0.3 × 40) + (0.7 × 38) = 38.6

Scale penalty

Multiplier based on absolute emissions volume — physics-first.

× 0.82

Final score

Rounded. Below expectations.

32 / 100

The ten questions

Where NVIDIA Corporation is strong, and where it isn't.

Strongest on Carbon Footprint — Operations and Carbon Footprint — Supply Chain (7/10, 5/10). Weakest on Emissions Trajectory and Nature & Biodiversity Impact (0/10, 1/10).

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

NVIDIA Sustainability Report Fiscal Year 2025

2025

Q1Q9

Every score shows its working.

Where NVIDIA Corporation is strong, and where it isn't.

Every document used, listed.

Where NVIDIA Corporation sits among electronics / hardware peers.

NVIDIA Corporation's score over time.

This score is not currently being contested.

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