Carbon Footprint — Operations: How does OpenAI score?

OpenAI has published zero verified Scope 1, 2, or 3 emissions figures as of March 2026 (The Sustainable Innovation, April 2025). The Stanford Foundation Model Transparency Index (Dec 2025) found OpenAI disclosed none of the key environmental metrics: energy usage, carbon emissions, or water consumption. Third-party estimates place GPT-4 training emissions alone at 12,000–15,000 tCO2e, and annual inference energy for GPT-4o at 391,000–463,000 MWh. Given the company's massive and rapidly growing c

Carbon Footprint — Supply Chain: How does OpenAI score?

OpenAI has no published Scope 3 data and no known supply chain emissions assessment. Its supply chain is massive and global: tens of thousands of NVIDIA GPUs manufactured in Taiwan via TSMC, data center construction across multiple US states, and infrastructure partnerships with Microsoft, Oracle, SoftBank, and others. Microsoft's own Scope 3 emissions accounted for 66% of its total 17.1 million tonnes in 2023, and OpenAI is a significant driver of Microsoft's compute expansion. Hardware manufac

Emissions Trajectory: How does OpenAI score?

OpenAI's emissions are demonstrably rising. ChatGPT users grew from 100 million (Jan 2023) to 800 million weekly (April 2025). Inference energy for GPT-4o alone is estimated at 391,000–463,000 MWh annually, and the Stargate project targets 10 GW of infrastructure by 2029. Training GPT-4 consumed roughly 50x more energy than GPT-3. There is no trajectory data because there is no emissions baseline, but all available evidence — user growth, model complexity, infrastructure expansion — points to ra

Energy Source: How does OpenAI score?

OpenAI claims 50% of its data center operations ran on renewable energy as of 2024, but this flows through Microsoft Azure's renewable energy certificates rather than OpenAI's own PPAs, and the claim is unverified. The first Stargate facility in Abilene, Texas features an on-site natural gas plant as the primary power source. Stargate Norway is planned with hydropower. OpenAI has stated a goal of 100% renewable by 2027, but this currently relies on Microsoft's RECs with no direct additionality f

Nature & Biodiversity Impact: How does OpenAI score?

OpenAI has no published biodiversity or nature policy, no TNFD disclosure, and no known assessment of nature dependencies. Data center construction in multiple US locations (Texas, Wisconsin, Michigan, New Mexico) involves land use and potential ecosystem impact with no disclosed environmental impact assessments. The supply chain includes semiconductor manufacturing, which involves mining of rare earth minerals, water-intensive fabrication, and toxic chemicals. Cornell research (2025) highlights

Resource Use & Waste: How does OpenAI score?

OpenAI has no published waste strategy, circular economy targets, or resource use data. AI infrastructure involves rapid hardware turnover — GPUs and servers have limited lifespans and contribute to growing e-waste. The company plans massive infrastructure expansion (10 GW by 2029) with no disclosed lifecycle management for hardware. There is no evidence of supplier sustainability requirements or material stewardship beyond general efficiency claims for model computation. A score of 1 reflects a

Water Impact: How does OpenAI score?

OpenAI has published no water consumption data. Precise water consumption figures for OpenAI's operations in 2024 or 2025 remain unpublished. Academic research estimates GPT-3 training alone consumed ~700,000 litres of freshwater, and inference at scale consumes substantially more. In February 2026, CEO Sam Altman publicly dismissed water concerns as 'fake' at the India AI Impact Summit, calling the 17 gallons per query claim 'completely untrue, totally insane.' While some specific viral claims

Targets & Commitments: How does OpenAI score?

OpenAI has stated a goal of carbon neutrality by 2030 and 100% renewable energy by 2027, but these are informal, unverified claims with no published pathway, interim milestones, or methodology. The company has not registered with SBTi and has no science-based targets. The 100% renewable claim by 2027 currently relies entirely on Microsoft Azure's RECs rather than direct PPAs. The Stargate expansion targets 10 GW by 2029 with no lifecycle carbon analysis disclosed. The carbon neutrality by 2030 t

Transparency & Accountability: How does OpenAI score?

OpenAI does not publish an annual sustainability report, ESG data tables, or third-party audited emissions figures. The company has no sustainability governance structure, no dedicated sustainability role, no TCFD or CSRD disclosure, and no public environmental data. Its DitchCarbon score is 23/100. The Stanford Foundation Model Transparency Index (Dec 2025) found that OpenAI disclosed none of the key environmental metrics. OpenAI is transitioning from a capped-profit to a for-profit structure,

Controversies & Red Flags: How does OpenAI score?

Starting from 8, multiple deductions apply. Global Witness investigation (Jan 2025) found ChatGPT producing greenwashing content about fossil fuel companies (-1). Beyond Fossil Fuels/DeSmog report (Feb 2026) found 74% of big tech AI climate claims were unproven, naming OpenAI's sector specifically (-1). CEO Sam Altman dismissed water concerns as 'fake' at India AI Summit (Feb 2026), signaling limited internal urgency despite undisclosed consumption data (-1). Sam Altman donated $1M to Trump's in

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OpenAI Sustainability Score: 25/100

◌ Pending Review

🤖 SaaS / Digital ServicesUSSignificant gaps

~4,500–7,200 employees~$10B (annualized 2025) revenueRanked #437 of 503Website ↗

OpenAI is a saas / digital services company headquartered in US. Based on our 10-question rubric, OpenAI scores 25/100 — rated as showing significant gaps in its sustainability performance.

SINK Score Breakdown

How we calculated OpenAI's score using our formula: (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × Scale Penalty

Base Impact

SaaS / Digital Services industry ceiling

Performance

8/100

10 questions scored below

Scale Penalty

0.95x

emissions volume multiplier

SINK Score

(0.3 × 70 + 0.7 × 8) × 0.95 = 25

10-Question Rubric Breakdown

Click any question to see the reasoning, sources and community challenges.

1/10

Carbon Footprint — Operations

0/10

Carbon Footprint — Supply Chain

0/10

Emissions Trajectory

2/10

Energy Source

0/10

Nature & Biodiversity Impact

1/10

Resource Use & Waste

0/10

Water Impact

1/10

Targets & Commitments

0/10

Transparency & Accountability

Q10

3/10

Controversies & Red Flags

Community Verification

0 verifications · 0 challenges · Scored using SINK editorial review

Last scored: 6 Apr 2026

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