Barclays is a multinational investment and retail bank headquartered in London, operating across Europe, North America, and Asia.
Is this your business? Add your evidence →
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.
Barclays scores 33/100 (Below expectations) on SINK's independent climate assessment, scored from public data only. Fees pay for the review, never the result. Last verified May 2026.
That places Barclays joint 539th of 847 companies scored, and joint 31st of 51 in Financial Services / Banking.
Where Barclays sits among financial services / banking peers.
Among the 51 major financial services / banking brands we've scored, Barclays is tied =31st of 51, with 2 others.
Its three lowest-scoring questions, and what the evidence didn't show.
Mighty Earth FCA complaint: $3B JBS sustainability-linked bond despite deforestation.
No water stewardship programme or reduction targets identified for financed exposure.
However, location-based reduced only 56%; 48% of renewable energy via unbundled EACs.
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.
Use this score in tenders
Send the link, or the one-page score sheet. It links back to this page and every source. Free.
Open the score sheet →Add your evidence, £99
Scored low because little is published? Send us your evidence. A person reviews it and your score reflects what you really do. Done within 5 working days.
Evidence review →Go tender-ready, £495 a year
A yearly rescore, a check of up to 25 key suppliers and a score badge for your website (coming soon).
Get in touch →Strongest on Carbon Footprint — Operations and Energy Source (8/10, 7/10). Weakest on Controversies & Red Flags and Water Impact (1/10, 3/10).
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above Barclays.
Legal & General discloses carbon targets and renewable energy progress but relies on intensity metrics for its largest climate impact—financed emissions.
See the breakdown →Investec discloses operational emissions and has joined RE100, but financed emissions rose 65% year-over-year with no SBTi validation.
See the breakdown →Aberdeen is a £511bn asset manager with operational emissions down 74–80% since 2018, but this masks a fundamental problem: financed emissions of ~111.7 billion kg CO₂e dwarf operational progress.
See the breakdown →Barclays's score has moved from 39 to 33 across 2 recorded reviews, down 6 points.
v2.5.7 financed-emissions rule applied retroactively (record last scored before the rule): scale 0.82 -> 0.7, score 39 -> 33. No question marks changed.
Initial score at platform launch
The formula and all 14 sources.
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × Scale14 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
7 of 14 sources are independent of the company.
If you believe a source has been misread or a newer version exists, submit a challenge.
Barclays is a multinational investment and retail bank headquartered in London, operating across Europe, North America, and Asia. Founded in 1690, it is one of the UK's largest financial institutions by assets, employing approximately 79,900 people. The bank provides commercial, investment, and consumer banking services globally.
One email, every Sunday. Score changes, new research, the stories behind the numbers. Free.
No spam. Unsubscribe in one click.
Checking a company?
Search free →Asked to prove you're sustainable?
Get your business scored, free →Been scored?
See what's behind your number →Fees pay for the review, never the result.