Vale is a Brazilian multinational mining company founded in 1942 and headquartered in Rio de Janeiro.
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Vale reports meaningful absolute emissions reductions and 84% renewable electricity globally, but operates at a scale (466 MtCO₂e total) that dwarfs these gains. Two catastrophic dam collapses—Mariana (2015) and Brumadinho (2019)—killed 289 people and devastated major river systems. An SEC fraud settlement and Brazilian fines for withholding dam safety information reveal systemic transparency failures. Nature impact claims are contradicted by documented environmental devastation.
Vale scores 22/100 (Significant gaps) 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 Vale joint 784th of 847 companies scored, and joint 9th of 14 in Mining & Extraction.
Where Vale sits among mining & extraction peers.
Among the 14 major mining & extraction brands we've scored, Vale is tied =9th of 14, with 2 others.
Its three lowest-scoring questions, and what the evidence didn't show.
SEC fraud settlement $55.9M (2023) for misleading dam safety disclosures.
However, 2019 Brumadinho collapse killed 270 and devastated Paraopeba River; 2015 Mariana disaster destroyed Rio Doce, Brazil's worst environmental disaster.
However, core mining remains linear and extractive.
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 Carbon Footprint — Supply Chain (8/10, 7/10). Weakest on Controversies & Red Flags and Nature & Biodiversity Impact (0/10, 2/10).
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above Vale.
Newmont has comprehensive emissions reporting and SBTi-validated 2030 targets, but absolute emissions rose 17% post-acquisition and remain on an upward trajectory.
See the breakdown →Fortescue reports detailed emissions data and has ambitious 2030/2040 decarbonisation targets backed by US$6.2B investment and major equipment orders.
See the breakdown →BHP reports comprehensive climate data with verified operational emissions reductions, but Scope 3 emissions—97% of total—lack absolute reduction targets.
See the breakdown →The formula and all 12 sources.
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × Scale12 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
If you believe a source has been misread or a newer version exists, submit a challenge.
Vale is a Brazilian multinational mining company founded in 1942 and headquartered in Rio de Janeiro. It is the world's largest iron ore producer and a major producer of nickel, copper, and coal. Vale operates mines and processing facilities across Brazil, Indonesia, Zambia, and other regions, supplying steel and battery industries globally.
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