Sims Limited sustainability: eco score 71 out of 100
A leading metal recycler running on 100% renewable power, with modest climate targets.
Reviewed 3 October 2026. How we score
Sims Limited scores 71 out of 100, which places it in our strong band. The Australian company took in about 6.4 million tonnes of metal in its 2026 financial year, and Corporate Knights ranked it first in the world in 2024. It met its goals for 2025, including 100% renewable electricity. Its net zero target is weaker than its business deserves: it covers only its own operations, runs to 2050, and has no outside approval that we could find. Sims has sold its UK metal recycling business.
Sims Limited at a glance
| What it does | Recycles scrap metal and used electronics |
|---|---|
| Metal taken in for recycling | About 6.4 million tonnes in its 2026 financial year |
| Renewable electricity | 100% across its operations, a target it met in 2025 |
| Climate target | Carbon neutral in its own operations by 2030 and net zero by 2050 |
| Corporate Knights Global 100 | 1st in 2024, 2nd in 2025 and 46th in 2026 |
| Carbon saved by recycling steel | About 1.5 tonnes for every tonne of scrap used |
| In the UK | Sold its UK metal recycling business in its 2025 financial year |
Sustainability: 13 out of 20
| Test | Points out of 5 | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Net zero target | 3 | Carbon neutral in its own operations by 2030, using offsets where needed, and net zero by 2050. The targets do not cover its supply chain. Source. |
| Independent approval | 0 | We found no approval of its targets by the Science Based Targets initiative or a similar body. |
| Progress reports | 5 | It publishes a detailed sustainability report every year, and it met the targets it had set for 2025. Source. |
| Core business | 5 | Recycling metal avoids the mining and energy needed to make new metal. Source. |
Sims does not need to change what it sells, because its product is part of the answer. Using scrap in place of ore cuts the emissions from making steel, copper and aluminium. On its own footprint, it set three goals for 2025 and met all of them.
What would raise the score: a net zero target that covers its supply chain, with outside approval.
Green Credentials: 11 out of 20
| Test | Points out of 5 | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Certification | 1 | We found no outside environmental certification covering the company as a whole. |
| Independent ratings | 2 | We did not find a current published rating from an independent body that we could cite. |
| Rankings | 5 | Corporate Knights ranked it first in its Global 100 in 2024 and second in 2025. It fell to 46th in 2026, after a change in how the list is scored. Source and source. |
| Clean record | 3 | In 2022 a Canadian metal recycler part owned by Sims received a clean up order over polluted water reaching a river. It contested the order. Source. |
Metal recycling is heavy industry. Shredding cars and appliances creates dust, noise and residue, and yards are closely watched by regulators. The Canadian order concerned a business in which Sims holds a stake, and we do not know how the court case ended.
What would raise the score: a clean record at every site, including those it part owns.
Corporate Social Responsibility: 11 out of 20
| Test | Points out of 5 | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Supply chain | 2 | It reports that it checks its supply chain. We did not find published audit results. Source. |
| Pay and conditions | 3 | Its rate of recordable injuries was 1.09 in its 2026 financial year, close to the record low of 0.99 the year before. We did not find published pay data. Source and source. |
| Community | 2 | We did not find an independently checked total for community investment in our research. |
| Openness | 4 | It reports against each target every year and says plainly when a target has been met. Source. |
Scrap yards are dangerous places to work, so safety figures matter more for Sims than for most companies. Its injury rates are close to the lowest in its history. We found less evidence on supplier audits, pay and community giving.
What would raise the score: published supplier audit, pay and community figures.
Carbon Footprint: 19 out of 20
| Test | Points out of 5 | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Disclosure | 4 | It publishes emissions for its own operations each year. Source. |
| Direction | 5 | Emissions from its own operations were 50% lower in its 2026 financial year than in 2020, against a first target of 23%. It has set new targets for 2030 and 2035. Source. |
| Clean energy | 5 | All its sites now run on 100% renewable electricity. Source. |
| Scale and investment | 5 | Every tonne of scrap used to make steel avoids about 1.5 tonnes of emissions. Source. |
The carbon that Sims helps others avoid is far greater than what it emits. Its own emissions come mainly from the diesel in its machines and lorries, now that its electricity is renewable. Its electronics recycling arm cut its emissions by 71% and became carbon neutral in 2025.
What would raise the score: cuts in diesel use, which is the hard part of its remaining footprint.
Recycling, Reuse, Reduction: 17 out of 20
| Test | Points out of 5 | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Waste | 3 | Shredding leaves a residue that is hard to recycle. Sims has a plan to find uses for more than a million tonnes of it by 2030. Source. |
| Materials and packaging | 5 | Its whole product is recycled metal. It took in about 6.4 million tonnes in its 2026 financial year. Source. |
| Take back and repair | 5 | Its electronics arm takes back used computer equipment, reuses what it can and recovers metals from the rest. Source. |
| Reduction | 4 | It is recovering rare earth metals from old hard drives, which cuts the need for new mining. Source. |
This is the area closest to what The Green Alchemist does, and Sims scores well. The weak spot is the residue left after shredding, which has long gone to landfill. Sims sold its UK metal business for about 195 million pounds, so it no longer runs scrap yards here.
What would raise the score: published figures for how much shredder residue still goes to landfill.
How Sims Limited ranks in the Sustainability Index
Sims Limited is joint 9th of the 34 companies in the Green Alchemist Sustainability Index, with 71 out of 100. See the full index.
| Rank | Company | Sustainability | Green credentials | CSR | Carbon footprint | Recycling | Score out of 100 | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ERGSustainability 19, Green 13, CSR 17, Carbon 18, Recycling 14 | 19 | 13 | 17 | 18 | 14 | 81 | Leader |
| 2= | PatagoniaSustainability 17, Green 17, CSR 16, Carbon 13, Recycling 14 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 77 | Strong |
| 2= | Schneider ElectricSustainability 19, Green 13, CSR 13, Carbon 17, Recycling 15 | 19 | 13 | 13 | 17 | 15 | 77 | Strong |
| 2= | VestasSustainability 18, Green 13, CSR 12, Carbon 18, Recycling 16 | 18 | 13 | 12 | 18 | 16 | 77 | Strong |
| 5 | ØrstedSustainability 20, Green 13, CSR 12, Carbon 18, Recycling 12 | 20 | 13 | 12 | 18 | 12 | 75 | Strong |
| 6 | CascadesSustainability 15, Green 14, CSR 13, Carbon 15, Recycling 17 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 74 | Strong |
| 7= | Nudie JeansSustainability 13, Green 14, CSR 15, Carbon 15, Recycling 16 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 73 | Strong |
| 7= | RicohSustainability 17, Green 12, CSR 12, Carbon 17, Recycling 15 | 17 | 12 | 12 | 17 | 15 | 73 | Strong |
| 9= | IKEASustainability 16, Green 11, CSR 15, Carbon 16, Recycling 13 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 71 | Strong |
| 9= | Sims LimitedSustainability 13, Green 11, CSR 11, Carbon 19, Recycling 17 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 19 | 17 | 71 | Strong |
| 9= | Triodos BankSustainability 16, Green 14, CSR 14, Carbon 19, Recycling 8 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 19 | 8 | 71 | Strong |
| 12 | AppleSustainability 17, Green 7, CSR 13, Carbon 17, Recycling 15 | 17 | 7 | 13 | 17 | 15 | 69 | Strong |
| 13= | Marks & SpencerSustainability 17, Green 10, CSR 14, Carbon 14, Recycling 13 | 17 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 68 | Strong |
| 13= | ZaraSustainability 16, Green 13, CSR 14, Carbon 13, Recycling 12 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 68 | Strong |
| 15 | UniqloSustainability 15, Green 11, CSR 14, Carbon 16, Recycling 11 | 15 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 11 | 67 | Strong |
| 16 | WaitroseSustainability 16, Green 11, CSR 13, Carbon 14, Recycling 12 | 16 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 66 | Strong |
| 17 | Too Good To GoSustainability 11, Green 13, CSR 12, Carbon 13, Recycling 16 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 65 | Strong |
| 18= | GoogleSustainability 16, Green 6, CSR 12, Carbon 10, Recycling 15 | 16 | 6 | 12 | 10 | 15 | 59 | Mixed |
| 18= | NikeSustainability 13, Green 7, CSR 12, Carbon 16, Recycling 11 | 13 | 7 | 12 | 16 | 11 | 59 | Mixed |
| 20 | Jaguar Land RoverSustainability 13, Green 9, CSR 10, Carbon 13, Recycling 13 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 58 | Mixed |
| 21 | TeslaSustainability 13, Green 9, CSR 8, Carbon 12, Recycling 12 | 13 | 9 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 54 | Mixed |
| 22 | NestléSustainability 16, Green 4, CSR 9, Carbon 15, Recycling 9 | 16 | 4 | 9 | 15 | 9 | 53 | Mixed |
| 23= | AmazonSustainability 10, Green 4, CSR 10, Carbon 10, Recycling 14 | 10 | 4 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 48 | Mixed |
| 23= | PepsiCoSustainability 11, Green 8, CSR 8, Carbon 13, Recycling 8 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 13 | 8 | 48 | Mixed |
| 25 | Coca-ColaSustainability 10, Green 5, CSR 9, Carbon 12, Recycling 9 | 10 | 5 | 9 | 12 | 9 | 45 | Mixed |
| 26 | Thames WaterSustainability 9, Green 2, CSR 8, Carbon 12, Recycling 10 | 9 | 2 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 41 | Mixed |
| 27= | Halo CoffeeSustainability 4, Green 9, CSR 6, Carbon 4, Recycling 13 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 13 | 36 | Weak |
| 27= | SheinSustainability 13, Green 1, CSR 8, Carbon 9, Recycling 5 | 13 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 36 | Weak |
| 29 | HovisSustainability 4, Green 8, CSR 4, Carbon 7, Recycling 11 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 34 | Weak |
| 30 | ShellSustainability 7, Green 4, CSR 9, Carbon 8, Recycling 3 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 31 | Weak |
| 31 | Coal IndiaSustainability 4, Green 4, CSR 10, Carbon 4, Recycling 6 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 28 | Weak |
| 32= | BPSustainability 6, Green 3, CSR 9, Carbon 6, Recycling 3 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 27 | Weak |
| 32= | Saudi AramcoSustainability 4, Green 7, CSR 9, Carbon 4, Recycling 3 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 27 | Weak |
| 34 | ExxonMobilSustainability 4, Green 3, CSR 10, Carbon 6, Recycling 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 26 | Weak |
Each area is scored out of 20, which gives a total out of 100. CSR stands for corporate social responsibility. Recycling covers recycling, reuse and reduction.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sims Limited sustainable?
Sims Limited scores 71 out of 100 in our review, which places it in the strong band. It recycles more than 6 million tonnes of metal a year, runs on 100% renewable electricity and was ranked first in the world by Corporate Knights in 2024.
What does Sims Limited do?
Sims Limited is an Australian company that buys, processes and sells scrap metal, and recycles used electronics through Sims Lifecycle Services.
Does Sims Metal still operate in the UK?
Sims completed the sale of its UK metal recycling business in its 2025 financial year, for about 195 million pounds.
How much carbon does recycling metal save?
According to Sims, every tonne of scrap used to make steel avoids about 1.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide compared with making steel from raw materials.
What is Sims Limited's net zero target?
Sims aims to be carbon neutral in its own operations by 2030 and to reach net zero emissions from its operations by 2050.
Sources
- Sustainability Online: Corporate Knights Global 100 ranking for 2026
- Sims Limited: reports and FY26 Sustainability Databook
- Sims Limited: results for the 2026 financial year (August 2026)
- Sims Limited: preliminary final report for FY25
- Sims Limited: Sustainability Report 2025
- Sims Limited: Annual Report 2025
- Sims Limited: Annual Report 2024
- Sims Limited: Climate change
- Corporate Knights: Sims is the most sustainable corporation of 2024
- Corporate Knights: 2025 Global 100
- Sims Lifecycle Services: Sustainability that delivers
- Environment and Energy Leader: Sims Limited zeroes in on metal recycling
About this review
Our scores follow a published method and rest on public sources. No company can pay for a review, a score or a place in the index. If you represent Sims Limited and believe something here is wrong, tell us and we will correct it and date the correction.