Barclays scores 7 points higher than HSBC Holdings plc on SINK's sustainability index.
Barclays is more sustainable according to SINK's open sustainability index, scoring 39/100 vs HSBC Holdings plc's 32/100 — a difference of 7 points.
Barclays scores 39/100 on the SINK sustainability index (Below expectations). Barclays reports comprehensive operational emissions data with 97% Scope 1+2 reductions, yet remains Europe's largest fossil fuel financier at $35.4B in 2024—increasing year-over-year. The bank lobbies against climate regulation, greenwashes 'sustainable finance' through fossil fuel inclusion, and faces NGO complaints over deforestation-linked bond underwriting. Operational progress masks financed emissions deterioration.
HSBC Holdings plc scores 32/100 on the SINK sustainability index (Below expectations). HSBC's operational emissions have genuinely declined 76% since 2019, but financed emissions — the bank's true environmental footprint — have worsened. Targets were systematically weakened in February 2025: net-zero operations pushed to 2050, oil & gas reduction halved to 14–30%, power utilities switched to intensity metrics. The bank exited SBTi validation and the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, and faces an upheld ASA ruling for greenwashing. Leadership position on climate regulation is actively obstructive.
Both companies are rated on the same 10-question SINK rubric: Scope 1/2/3 carbon footprint, energy source, nature and biodiversity, resource use, water, emissions trajectory, science-based targets, transparency, and controversies. Scores are 0–100, based on public data, and fully reproducible.
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