Recently scored: Dentsu, Omnicom, Publicis Groupe, WPP
Subway·Food Service / Restaurants·Shelton, Connecticut, USA·Founded 1965·Last verified 21 April 2026
21
out of 100
Significant gapsPending Review-13 since last review

Subway operates ~37,000 restaurants globally with zero emissions measurement, no targets, and no published sustainability reporting. The company acknowledges studying how to measure emissions while making vague commitments. Supply chain exposure to deforestation and factory farming is unquantified. Structural greenwashing: burden shifted to franchisees without enforcement.

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
Food Service / Restaurants sector ceiling.
45 / 100
Performance score
Sum of the 10 rubric questions, scored 0–10 each.
18 / 100
Raw score
Weighted average before scale penalty.
(0.3 × 45) + (0.7 × 18) = 26.1
Scale penalty
Multiplier based on absolute emissions volume — physics-first.
× 0.82
Final score
Rounded. Significant gaps.
21 / 100
The ten questions

Where Subway is strong, and where it isn't.

Strongest on Resource Use & Waste and Water Impact (3/10, 3/10). Weakest on Transparency & Accountability and Targets & Commitments (1/10, 1/10).

Where the evidence comes from

Every document used, listed.

12 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which rubric questions it informed.

[1]Self-reported
Subway Sustainability: Preserve Our Planet — Climate and Conservation
Ongoing
Q1Q2Q4Q7
View →
[2]Public record
Subway's Climate-Friendly Program Comes With a Major Caveat
Unknown
Q1Q8Q9
View →
[3]Self-reported
Subway Sustainability: Responsible Sourcing
Ongoing
Q2Q5
View →
[4]Public record
Subway Slowed Its Closures Last Year, Not Much
Unknown
Q3
View →
[5]Public record
Subway Introduces New Sustainability Efforts
Unknown
Q4Q7
View →
[6]Self-reported
Subway Cares 2024 Annual Report
2024
Q5
View →
[7]Self-reported
Sustainable Subway — Franchising
Ongoing
Q5Q6
View →
[8]Public record
Subway Restaurant Chain Continues to Live Green With Salad Bowls Made From 95 Percent Recycled Materials
Unknown
Q6
View →
[9]Public record
Subway's Sustainability Rules Aren't As Great As They Want Us to Think
Unknown
Q8Q10
View →
[10]Self-reported
Subway Sustainability Overview
Ongoing
Q9
View →
[11]Third-party verified
Subway Sandwiches Fuel Major Public Health Crisis
Unknown
Q10
View →
[12]Public record
Subway — Wikipedia
Ongoing
Q10
View →

If you believe a source has been misread or a newer version exists, submit a challenge.

Subway in context

Where Subway sits among food service / restaurants peers.

Among the 46 major food service / restaurants brands we've scored, Subway sits 45th of 46.

45/46
Subway's rank
34
Industry average
19
Industry low
50
Industry high
How this score has moved

Subway's score over time.

today

Score history begins 8 February 2026.

As Subway's score updates, the trajectory will appear here.

We're backfilling historical scores for FTSE 100 and S&P 100 companies over the coming weeks.

What's being contested

This score is not currently being contested.

Every challenge is published. We'd rather be corrected than wrong — that's the whole point.

No challenges submitted yet. If you have evidence that contradicts this score, you can challenge any question above — cite a public source and we'll review it.

About Subway

Subway is a global quick-service restaurant chain operating ~37,000 franchised locations across 100+ countries, serving submarine sandwiches, salads, and wraps. Founded in 1965, it is the world's largest restaurant chain by unit count. Now majority-owned by 3G Capital (acquired 2019), Subway generates ~$10 billion in system-wide sales annually.

Founded
1965
Headquarters
Shelton, Connecticut, USA
Employees
~10,000 corporate (+ ~400,000 franchise employees)
Annual revenue
~$10B system-wide sales (2023)
Company website ↗
Track Subway

We'll let you know when the score moves.

Email alerts when a rubric question is verified, a challenge is resolved, or the overall score changes.

THE SUNDAY RUNDOWN

Which companies moved this week, and why.

One email, every Sunday. Score changes, new research, the stories behind the numbers. Free.

No spam. Unsubscribe in one click.

HOW SINK STAYS INDEPENDENT

Readers and institutions support our work. Companies can pay to submit evidence we couldn't find. Neither type of payment changes a score.