Samsung Electronics sustainability score: 28/100
Samsung Electronics is a South Korean maker of phones, TVs and home appliances (its DX division, about 56% of revenue before intra-group sales) and memory chips (DS, about 39%), and also owns Samsung Display and Harman. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. was established in 1969 as Samsung Electronics Industry Co., Ltd. It had 259,149 employees at the end of 2025 and KRW 333.6 trillion revenue in 2025.
Founded 1969Head office Suwon, South KoreaStaff ~259,149 (31 December 2025)Revenue ~KRW 333.6T revenue (2025)Website ↗
Samsung Electronics' footprint was 117.5 million tCO2e in 2025, 68% of it the electricity its products use over their lives, and it rose on 2024. 32.5% of its electricity is renewable, mostly through certificates: 94.8% in its consumer devices division but 26.2% in its chip division, and Greenpeace has criticised gas plants planned for its new chip cluster. Its targets are self-set, with no SBTi validation. Texas regulators fined its Austin chip plant in 2024, including over a 2022 acid wastewater spill. All its factories send zero waste to landfill, but its water use is rising.
Samsung Electronics scores 28/100 (Significant gaps) 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 Samsung Electronics joint 731st of 934 companies scored, and joint 31st of 37 in Electronics / Hardware.
What is Samsung Electronics doing well, and where does it fall short?
Strongest on Carbon Footprint: Operations and Carbon Footprint: Supply Chain (8/10, 8/10). Weakest on Emissions Trajectory and Energy Source (0/10, 3/10).
Where Samsung Electronics lost points
For each question that lost points, the evidence our public rubric looks for that we didn't find.
- Emissions from its own operations8/10No verified figures published with their method and a falling trend.
- Emissions from its supply chain8/10Its Scope 3 emissions aren't fully verified or falling year on year.
- Whether its emissions are falling0/10No evidence its emissions are falling, not even from energy bills or mileage.
- How clean its energy is3/10No renewable energy tariff or major efficiency investment shown.
- Its effect on nature4/10Its effect on nature isn't measured or independently verified.
- How it uses materials and handles waste6/10No verified figures for reuse and recycling across the business.
- Its effect on water5/10No 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 reports7/10No annual impact report, or no pay linked to climate targets.
- Its record on controversies4/10Points 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 Samsung Electronics's SINK score calculated?
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × ScaleHas Samsung Electronics's score changed?
Samsung Electronics's score has been reviewed 2 times and currently stands where it started, at 28.
- 28 → 284 November 2026
Re-scored on v2.5 (brand batch: Black Friday, owner rulings 2026-11-04): Argos Online Retail by its own online-sales share, 0.70x (no Argos Scope 3), swing signed off as owner; Samsung unchanged at 28
- Scored 288 February 2026
Initial score at platform launch
What evidence is Samsung Electronics's score based on?
16 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
13% of them were published by Samsung Electronics itself; the rest come from independent sources.
14 of 16 sources are independent of the company.
“Direct emissions (Scope 1) 1,000 tonnes CO₂e 211 3,522 236 4,489 256 4,390 (SR 2026 p.72, DX then DS, 2023-2025)”
“The verification of our GHG emissions was performed under the reasonable level of assurance for Scope 1 and 2”
“saw its year-on-year greenhouse gas emissions grow by 3 per cent in South Korea in 2022”
“Annual GHG emissions from the 3 GW gas-fired power plants planned for the Yongin Industrial Complex are expected to reach approximately 9.77 million tCO2e”
“the semiconductor cluster would be fueled by new LNG power plants being built within the Cluster”
“This company received a CDP Water Security score of A.”
“the first discharge killed off "virtually all" aquatic life in a Harris Branch Creek tributary”
“Total Penalty Assessed: $186,326”
“Accuracy of Indirect Climate Policy Engagement Disclosure No, does not meet criteria”
“Seventeen types of PFAS, the ‘zombie chemicals,’ detected in effluent from the Godeok Industrial Complex that houses Samsung Electronics”
“a Director at Samsung Electronics, Park Seung-hee, is the Vice President of the Korea Enterprises Federation (KEF)”
“Samsung, and TSMC – actually increased their emissions during 2022 compared to 2020, according to Greenpeace”
“A 2050 target puts Samsung far behind many of its peers, including Apple, Sony, and Intel.”
“In 2025, the Company recorded total revenue of KRW 333,605.9 billion, an increase of 10.9% year-on-year.”
“Samsung Electronics received the lowest grade of all chipmakers in the ranking, at a D+”
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How does Samsung Electronics compare with other electronics / hardware companies?
Where Samsung Electronics sits among electronics / hardware peers.
Among the 37 major electronics / hardware brands we've scored, Samsung Electronics is tied =31st of 37, with 2 others.
Who scores higher in Electronics / Hardware?
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above Samsung Electronics.
NVIDIA's reported Scope 3 nearly tripled in two years, from 3.6 Mt in FY2024 to 10.7 Mt in FY2026, and it does not report the use-phase emissions of the GPUs it sells, which Greenpeace estimates at up to 21 Mt in 2025.
See the breakdown →Xiaomi reports emissions data and circular economy progress but faces critical credibility gaps.
See the breakdown →Which companies moved this week, and why.
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