Publicis Groupe sustainability score: 48/100
Publicis Groupe is a global advertising and marketing services holding company headquartered in Paris, France, with 101,000 employees and €13.1bn FY2023 revenue. One of the 'Big Six' ad holding companies, it operates hundreds of subsidiary agencies across creative, media, and digital services, serving multinational clients across sectors.
Founded 1926Head office Paris, FranceStaff ~101,000Revenue 13,099,000,000 EUR (FY2023)Website ↗
Publicis Groupe publishes detailed Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions data aligned with GHG Protocol, but absolute emissions rose 29% year-on-year to FY2024, missing its own SBTi 2030 targets. The company relies on discredited offsets to claim carbon neutrality and operates fossil fuel ad contracts at scale—including TotalEnergies rebranding work—undermining credibility.
Publicis Groupe scores 48/100 (Making progress) 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 Publicis Groupe joint 210th of 934 companies scored, and 4th of 6 in Advertising / Marketing Services.
What is Publicis Groupe doing well, and where does it fall short?
Strongest on Transparency & Accountability and Carbon Footprint: Operations (7/10, 6/10). Weakest on Emissions Trajectory and Controversies & Red Flags (2/10, 2/10).
Where Publicis Groupe 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 chain5/10Most of its supply-chain (Scope 3) emissions aren't measured.
- Whether its emissions are falling2/10No 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 nature4/10Its effect on nature isn't measured or independently verified.
- 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 targets6/10Its targets aren't validated by the Science Based Targets initiative.
- How openly it reports7/10No annual impact report, or no pay linked to climate targets.
- Its record on controversies2/10Points 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 Publicis Groupe's SINK score calculated?
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × ScaleWhat evidence is Publicis Groupe's score based on?
16 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
50% of them were published by Publicis Groupe itself; the rest come from independent sources.
8 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 Publicis Groupe compare with other advertising / marketing services companies?
Where Publicis Groupe sits among advertising / marketing services peers.
Among the 6 major advertising / marketing services brands we've scored, Publicis Groupe sits 4th of 6.
Who scores higher in Advertising / Marketing Services?
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above Publicis Groupe.
JCDecaux has cut its total emissions 41% since 2019 and has SBTi-validated net-zero targets, but most of its renewable electricity comes from certificates bought separately.
See the breakdown →MSQ's footprint was 5,007 tCO2e in its year to February 2025, flat against its 2020 baseline: its own operations' emissions are down 68%, but its supply-chain emissions rose.
See the breakdown →Dentsu operates as a Big Six advertising holding company with documented fossil-fuel client work—18 contracts in 2024–2025—undercutting its otherwise-ambitious net-zero science-based targets.
See the breakdown →Which companies moved this week, and why.
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