Barclays scores 4 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 35/100 — a difference of 4 points.
Barclays scores 39/100 on the SINK sustainability index (Below expectations). Barclays is Europe's largest fossil fuel financier at $35.4B in 2024 and is actively lobbying against UK sustainable finance regulation. Its operational emissions reductions are genuine but largely driven by renewable certificates rather than physical cuts. The bank's core environmental impact—financed emissions—is increasing, not declining, making climate commitments greenwash.
HSBC Holdings plc scores 35/100 on the SINK sustainability index (Below expectations). HSBC rolled back its net-zero target by 20 years in 2025, exited SBTi validation, and continues financing fossil fuel expansion at nearly 3:1 the rate of green finance. An ASA-upheld greenwashing ruling, active lobbying against climate policy, and policy weakening across energy and thermal coal expose systematic misalignment between public commitments and actual financing behaviour.
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.
See the full leaderboard — 500+ companies ranked.
View full leaderboard →