3M Company·Chemicals·St. Paul, Minnesota, US·Founded 1902·Last verified 31 May 2026
38
out of 100
Below expectationsPending Review

3M has cut operational emissions 59% ahead of SBTi targets but is defined by massive PFAS contamination across three continents. A $10.3–12.5 billion US settlement, Belgian criminal investigation, and Dutch liability claims reveal systemic environmental damage that no carbon reduction offsets. Water and nature scores collapse under documented pollution legacies.

The calculation

Every score shows its working.

Same formula for every company. No curve. No private weighting.

SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × Scale
Industry base impact
Chemicals sector ceiling.
25 / 100
Performance score
Sum of the 10 rubric questions, scored 0–10 each.
47 / 100
Raw score
Weighted average before scale penalty.
(0.3 × 25) + (0.7 × 47) = 40.4
Scale penalty
Multiplier based on absolute emissions volume — physics-first.
× 0.95
Final score
Rounded. Below expectations.
38 / 100
The ten questions

Where 3M Company is strong, and where it isn't.

Strongest on Carbon Footprint — Operations and Emissions Trajectory (6/10, 6/10). Weakest on Controversies & Red Flags and Nature & Biodiversity Impact (2/10, 2/10).

Where the evidence comes from

Every document used, listed.

19 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which rubric questions it informed.

11 of 19 sources are third-party verified or public record.

[1]Self-reported
3M Achieves Science-Based Targets Initiative Validation
2024
Q1Q2Q3Q8
View →
[2]Third-party verified
3M Climate Targets Tracker
Ongoing
Q1Q2Q3
View →
[3]Self-reported
3M 2025 Global Impact Report
2025
Q1Q3Q4Q6
View →
[4]Public record
3M Commits to 40% Supply Chain Emissions Reduction by 2030
2024
Q3
View →
[5]Third-party verified
Manufacturing Giant 3M Commits to 100% Renewable Power for Global Operations
2023
Q4
View →
[6]Self-reported
Reinventing Impact: 3M Global Impact
2024
Q4Q6
View →
[7]Self-reported
3M Carbon Reduction Plan for UK
2023
Q2Q4Q8
View →
[8]Third-party verified
PFAS Contamination and 3M Lawsuits
2024
Q5Q7Q10
View →
[9]Public record
PFAS Crisis in Flanders, Belgium: The Butterfly Effect
2024
Q5
View →
[10]Self-reported
3M Sustainability: Circularity
Ongoing
Q5Q6Q7
View →
[11]Public record
EPA Sustainability: 3M Lean Six Sigma
Unknown
Q6
View →
[12]Public record
Dutch Government to Hold 3M Liable for Forever Chemicals Damage
2023
Q7Q10
View →
[13]Self-reported
3M Water Resilience Coalition Commitment
Unknown
Q7
View →
[14]Self-reported
3M Global Sustainability Reports
Ongoing
Q9
View →
[15]Self-reported
3M Climate Policy
Ongoing
Q9
View →
[16]Third-party verified
Green Century: 3M to Publish Climate Plan by End of 2025
2025
Q9Q10
View →
[17]Public record
3M PFAS Lawsuit and Settlement
2024
Q10
View →
[18]Public record
3M on Trial in Belgium Over Forever Chemicals
2026
Q10
View →
[19]Third-party verified
InfluenceMap: 3M Company Lobbying Profile
Ongoing
Q10
View →

If you believe a source has been misread or a newer version exists, submit a challenge.

3M Company in context

3M Company is the highest-scoring chemicals company we've rated.

Among the 8 major chemicals brands we've scored, 3M Company sits 1st of 8.

1/8
3M Company's rank
30
Industry average
20
Industry low
38
Industry high
How this score has moved

3M Company's score over time.

today

Score history begins 11 April 2026.

As 3M Company's score updates, the trajectory will appear here.

We're backfilling historical scores for FTSE 100 and S&P 100 companies over the coming weeks.

What's being contested

This score is not currently being contested.

Every challenge is published. We'd rather be corrected than wrong — that's the whole point.

No challenges submitted yet. If you have evidence that contradicts this score, you can challenge any question above — cite a public source and we'll review it.

About 3M Company

3M is a diversified manufacturing and chemicals company headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, producing over 60,000 products across adhesives, abrasives, electronics, automotive, safety, and consumer goods. With ~95,000 employees and $34 billion in revenue, it is a global industrial conglomerate spanning occupational safety, mining supply, and consumer markets.

Founded
1902
Headquarters
St. Paul, Minnesota, US
Employees
~70,000
Annual revenue
~$24.6B
Company website ↗
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