Associated British Foods is a FMCG conglomerate with 102,000 employees, operating food processing (AB Sugar, AB Mauri, AB World Foods), retail (Primark, one of Europe's largest clothing retailers), and ingredients divisions.
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ABF discloses operational emissions clearly but refuses to publish group-level Scope 3, the dominant carbon source across sugar, cotton, and soya supply chains. Subsidiary-level climate targets exist but no group SBTi commitment. Primark faces third-party criticism for synthetic fibre reliance and deforestation commitments remain weak.
Associated British Foods scores 28/100 (Significant gaps) on SINK's independent climate assessment, scored from public data only. Fees pay for the review, never the result. Last verified September 2026.
That places Associated British Foods joint 658th of 847 companies scored, and 41st of 45 in FMCG / Consumer Goods.
Where Associated British Foods sits among fmcg / consumer goods peers.
Among the 45 major fmcg / consumer goods brands we've scored, Associated British Foods sits 41st of 45.
Its three lowest-scoring questions, and what the evidence didn't show.
No consolidated group Scope 3 inventory published in FY2025 SECR filing or Annual Report.
No group TNFD disclosure.
ABF plc holds no group-level SBTi-validated target.
A score changes when the evidence does. We use new published evidence at the next rescore. Evidence that isn't public can count through an evidence review.
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Get in touch →Strongest on Carbon Footprint — Operations and Controversies & Red Flags (7/10, 6/10). Weakest on Carbon Footprint — Supply Chain and Nature & Biodiversity Impact (3/10, 3/10).
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above Associated British Foods.
Kraft Heinz reports emissions data with third-party assurance but Scope 3 remains 95% of total with qualified audits and unverified categories.
See the breakdown →Method Products hides behind parent SC Johnson's vague sustainability claims while dodging material disclosure.
See the breakdown →Unilever has reduced operational emissions 77% but Scope 3 is rising, missing 1.5°C targets by 45%.
See the breakdown →Associated British Foods's score has been reviewed 2 times and currently stands where it started, at 28.
Rescore 28→28 (promote-refresh, frozen base 30)
Initial public score 28 (publish-draft)
The formula and all 15 sources.
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × Scale15 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
“ABF Group scope 1 & 2 (market based) 2,410kt (2024: 2,627kt)”
“EY has provided limited independent assurance over the 2025 metrics”
“Primark where its supply chain's carbon emissions dwarf those that originate from within the business”
“ABF Sugar has announced the approval of its near and long-term science-based emissions reduction targets with SBTi”
“Sugar's Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions (market-based) decreased by 9% compared to 2024 and by 23% against its 2018 baseline”
“Primark is committed to secure 100% of electricity from renewable sources for owned and operated (Scope 2) emissions by 2030”
“ABF's palm consumption has been supported through RSPO sustainable supply chain routes since end of 2015”
“74% of the soya products AB Agri bought worldwide were certificated to FEFAC benchmark for responsibly sourced soya”
“This company received a score of 16.1%”
“AB Sugar represents some 96% of the Group's water abstracted”
“AB Sugar has a detailed plan to achieve its 30% absolute reduction, which it manages through its robust profit improvement system”
“this company has a zero or very low Engagement Intensity score on climate policy”
“We urged the company to set clear, time-bound targets to increase the proportion of sustainable cotton used in its products”
“near-term science-based emissions reduction targets on 16 September 2024”
“in January 2024, the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) validated its near-term and net zero GHG emissions targets”
If you believe a source has been misread or a newer version exists, submit a challenge.
Associated British Foods is a FMCG conglomerate with 102,000 employees, operating food processing (AB Sugar, AB Mauri, AB World Foods), retail (Primark, one of Europe's largest clothing retailers), and ingredients divisions. Founded 1935, headquartered London.
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