WPP is a London-based advertising and marketing communications conglomerate founded in 1971, employing 109,000 people globally.
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WPP has achieved meaningful operational carbon reductions (82% since 2019) and renewable energy coverage, but these gains are overwhelmed by unverified Scope 3 emissions and structural complicity. The company holds 79 fossil fuel contracts—more than any competitor—and two ASA-upheld rulings for misleading advertising confirm systematic greenwashing for major polluters including Shell and Toyota.
WPP scores 43/100 (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 WPP joint 296th of 847 companies scored, and 4th of 4 in Advertising / Marketing Services.
WPP sits at the bottom of the advertising / marketing services pack.
Among the 4 major advertising / marketing services brands we've scored, WPP sits 4th of 4.
Its three lowest-scoring questions, and what the evidence didn't show.
OECD complaint filed February 2025.
No TNFD disclosure, deforestation commitment, or nature footprint quantified.
No published waste tonnage, circular economy targets, or hardware lifecycle management.
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 Emissions Trajectory (7/10, 7/10). Weakest on Controversies & Red Flags and Nature & Biodiversity Impact (0/10, 3/10).
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above WPP.
Dentsu operates as a Big Six advertising holding company with documented fossil-fuel client work—18 contracts in 2024–2025—undercutting its otherwise-ambitious net-zero science-based targets.
See the breakdown →Publicis Groupe publishes detailed Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions data aligned with GHG Protocol, but absolute emissions rose 29% year-on-year to FY2024, missing its own SBTi 2030 targets.
See the breakdown →Omnicom reports credible operational emissions reductions and SBTi validation, but is structurally complicit in fossil fuel greenwashing.
See the breakdown →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.
WPP is a London-based advertising and marketing communications conglomerate founded in 1971, employing 109,000 people globally. It operates as one of the Big Six agency holding companies, providing creative, media planning, and digital services to multinational clients across consumer, financial, and energy sectors. The company generates revenue primarily from campaign development and media buying.
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