Southwest Airlines sustainability score: 21/100
Southwest Airlines is a major US low-cost carrier founded in 1976, headquartered in Dallas. Operating 59,793 employees and generating $23.8 billion in annual revenue (FY2022), it ranks among the largest domestic US airlines.
More about Southwest Airlines
The company operates a point-to-point network focused on short-haul domestic routes across North America.
Founded 1976Head office Dallas, United StatesStaff ~72,450Revenue ~$27.5BWebsite ↗
Southwest's sustainability record is fundamentally weak. Absolute emissions are rising despite intensity-based targets. The airline has gutted its sustainability team and sold its renewable fuel subsidiary under activist pressure in 2025, signaling a retreat from climate commitments. Scope 3 coverage is limited, SAF adoption negligible, and net zero excludes most supply chain emissions.
Southwest Airlines scores 21/100 (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 May 2026.
That places Southwest Airlines joint 884th of 934 companies scored, and joint 18th of 23 in Airlines / Aviation.
What is Southwest Airlines doing well, and where does it fall short?
Strongest on Carbon Footprint: Operations and Carbon Footprint: Supply Chain (6/10, 5/10). Weakest on Emissions Trajectory and Energy Source (0/10, 1/10).
Where Southwest Airlines 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 falling0/10No evidence its emissions are falling, not even from energy bills or mileage.
- How clean its energy is1/10No renewable energy tariff or major efficiency investment shown.
- Its effect on nature2/10No assessment of its effect on nature, and no basic environmental policy.
- How it uses materials and handles waste3/10No active waste reduction, reuse or repair shown.
- Its effect on water2/10No monitoring of water use, or no measures to reduce it.
- Its climate targets2/10No specific targets with dates.
- How openly it reports5/10No dedicated sustainability role, board oversight or public report.
- Its record on controversies5/10Points 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 Southwest Airlines's SINK score calculated?
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × ScaleHas Southwest Airlines's score changed?
Southwest Airlines's score has moved from 23 to 21 across 2 recorded reviews, down 2 points.
- 23 → 21-218 August 2026
Re-classified Aerospace[38] -> Airlines / Aviation[28]; score 23->21
- Scored 234 April 2026
Initial score at platform launch
What evidence is Southwest Airlines's score based on?
14 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
43% of them were published by Southwest Airlines itself; the rest come from independent sources.
8 of 14 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 Southwest Airlines compare with other airlines / aviation companies?
Where Southwest Airlines sits among airlines / aviation peers.
Among the 23 major airlines / aviation brands we've scored, Southwest Airlines is tied =18th of 23, with 2 others.
Who scores higher in Airlines / Aviation?
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above Southwest Airlines.
IAG's emissions are rising in absolute terms while it claims progress via intensity metrics.
See the breakdown →Cathay Pacific discloses emissions data and publishes annual sustainability reports, but absolute emissions are rising sharply as the airline expands.
See the breakdown →American Airlines reports comprehensive emissions data and holds SBTi validation, but absolute emissions rose 6% in 2023 while the CEO acknowledged climate targets are in jeopardy.
See the breakdown →Which companies moved this week, and why.
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