Udemy sustainability score: 37/100

Udemy's 2024 Impact Report and SASB Disclosure Table (published October 2024, covering FY2023 data) confirms it engaged S&P Global Sustainable1 to calculate Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 emissions for 2023. A separate FY2024 GHG Footprint Assessment PDF (published May 2025) exists on about.udemy.com. However, the specific tonne figures for Scope 1 and Scope 2 were not surfaced in search results — only the methodology and tool were confirmed. The calculation was performed using a recognised third-party platform (Sustainable1), which provides a level above self-reported data, but no independent external assurance statement (e.g. ISAE 3000) was identified. As a SaaS company with ~1,246 employees operating in leased offices, estimated operational emissions are well under 10,000 tonnes. This falls between the 'GHG Protocol methodology' tier (6) and 'partial data, unverified from a larger company' — scored at 5 to reflect quantified data with a recognised tool but absence of confirmed independent assurance.

Udemy's 2024 Impact Report confirms Scope 3 was calculated via S&P Global Sustainable1 for FY2023, and the FY2024 GHG Footprint Assessment PDF also covers Scope 3. As a SaaS / digital marketplace platform, Udemy's supply chain is relatively limited — no physical goods manufacturing, no heavy logistics. Key upstream emissions would relate to cloud computing/data centre hosting (third-party AWS and similar), instructor content creation (remote), and employee commuting. Scope 3 categories were assessed, representing meaningful coverage given the inherently simple supply chain. Specific tonne figures per category were not surfaced in search results. Scored at 4 — supply chain has been assessed with a recognised methodology and the inherent supply chain complexity is low, but granular category-level data and active supplier engagement programme were not evidenced.

Udemy has published carbon emissions reports for both FY2023 and FY2024, which in principle allows year-on-year comparison. However, specific absolute figures were not surfaced in search results, and no public statement confirming an absolute year-on-year reduction was found. Udemy laid off 13.65% of its workforce between 2023 and 2024 (from 1,443 to 1,246 employees per SEC filing), which suggests operational footprint likely shrank, but this is inference not confirmed data. No trajectory narrative — neither absolute decline nor increase — was explicitly published in accessible form. Given the company's headcount reduction and stable-to-declining revenue in the consumer segment, a stable or modestly declining trajectory is plausible but unconfirmed. Scored at 3 — small/stable company with shrinking workforce, reasonable basis to infer stable or declining operational emissions, but no formally evidenced year-on-year absolute reduction in published figures.

Udemy's 2024 Impact Report and SASB Disclosure Table states that Udemy uses renewable energy in over 70% of its long-term leased office space and prioritises LEED-certified or equivalent office buildings. The company also employs videoconferencing to reduce business travel emissions. However, Udemy is not a RE100 member, no PPA was evidenced, and no market-based Scope 2 figure using certified renewable attributes was confirmed in search results. The 70% renewable claim applies to leased offices — the methodology (green tariff, unbundled RECs, or physical attribute) was not confirmed. As a SaaS platform, primary energy consumption relates to leased offices and third-party data centre/cloud hosting (AWS noted as partner); energy strategy for the latter was not evidenced. Scored at 5 — above a basic green tariff claim (4) given the 70% threshold and LEED preference, but below the 6 tier because the methodology behind the renewable figure and any data centre energy strategy were not confirmed.

Udemy is a digital learning marketplace with no physical product manufacturing, no land use, no agriculture, and no deforestation exposure. Its nature impact is inherently minimal — confined to office space in leased buildings (LEED-preferred) and the hardware lifecycle of devices used by employees and, indirectly, learners. No TNFD disclosure, no biodiversity policy, and no formal nature dependency assessment was found. The company's LEED office prioritisation and virtual-first model indicate basic environmental awareness. No evidence of nature-related harm or high-risk ecosystem exposure was found. Scored at 4 — genuinely negligible nature impact with demonstrated awareness (LEED preference, virtual operations), consistent with the rubric guidance for SaaS companies with minimal nature exposure.

Udemy operates as a software platform with minimal physical material throughput. No physical product is manufactured or shipped. Key resource considerations are office consumables, employee hardware (laptops, peripherals), and server hardware in third-party data centres. The 2024 Impact Report references a sustainable travel policy, LEED-certified offices, and videoconferencing as substitutes for travel. No formal circular economy programme, hardware take-back scheme, or waste data was found in accessible search results. No evidence of significant waste generation or landfill impact. For a SaaS company with ~1,246 employees in leased offices, physical resource impact is inherently low. Scored at 4 — active waste minimisation posture evidenced through travel policy and office procurement choices, but no measurable circular targets or public waste data found.

Udemy is a software platform operating in leased office spaces. Water consumption is confined to standard office use (sanitary, kitchen) with no industrial process water, no cooling towers owned by Udemy, and no chemical discharge risk. No water consumption data, water targets, or water stewardship programme was found in accessible sources. No pollution incidents were identified. As a SaaS company with negligible water exposure and awareness of its low-impact nature (LEED-certified offices implicitly address water efficiency), this is consistent with a score of 4 per the rubric guidance for companies with genuinely low water impact. No evidence of water-related harm found.

No SBTi commitment or validated target was found for Udemy in any search result. No formal net-zero target with a specific year, no absolute reduction target with a baseline, and no publicly stated reduction percentage were identified. The 2024 Impact Report references emissions calculation and ESG governance but no specific measurable reduction targets were surfaced. Udemy has not joined RE100. The company does publish carbon emissions reports and has an ESG committee with board oversight, which evidences process, but the rubric requires specific measurable targets with timelines. Without confirmed targets, the score is capped near the informal/process-only tier. Scored at 3 — above 'no targets at all' given the emissions measurement infrastructure and ESG governance, but below 4 as no specific, measurable, time-bound reduction commitment was evidenced.

Udemy has an ESG Committee that reports quarterly to the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (2024 Impact Report and SASB Disclosure Table). The committee is chaired by the Chief Technology Officer and includes a cross-functional working group. A 'Climate Oversight at the Board' PDF is publicly available on the ESG disclosures page. Udemy publishes annual carbon emissions reports (FY2023 and FY2024), an Impact Report with SASB disclosures, and a GHG Footprint Assessment. Sustainalytics rated Udemy as ESG Industry Top Rated in 2025. As a Nasdaq-listed company, annual report filings are publicly available via SEC EDGAR. The ESG framework includes board-level oversight and a dedicated cross-functional working group — meeting the 6-tier criteria for dedicated sustainability governance and public reporting. Executive compensation linkage to sustainability targets was not evidenced.

No environmental controversies, regulatory actions, greenwashing findings, or climate-related lawsuits were identified for Udemy in any search. InfluenceMap does not track Udemy — the platform covers the world's largest 1,000 industrial companies and Udemy, as a mid-sized SaaS company at ~$787M revenue, does not appear. No trade association climate lobbying concerns were found. Udemy is not in fossil fuels, advertising, financial services, or any sector attracting structural enablement scrutiny. No deductions apply. Starting score of 8 is maintained — clean record with no known controversies and no structural enablement pattern. Score does not reach 9–10 because no proactive lobbying audit or verified advocacy on climate policy was evidenced.