Microsoft Sustainability Profile

Sustainability Summary

Good On You - Not found
Ethical Consumer - This information is locked, visit Ethical Consumer's website
B Corp - Not found
Trustpilot - 1.5/5 (321 reviews)
This is an unclaimed profile. Microsoft has not joined Sustainability Tracker to verify their sustainability credentials. We gathered what we could from public sources.

Microsoft presents sustainability as part of how it builds and runs its business, not as a side project. It says it is working toward carbon negative, zero waste, water positive, and ecosystem protection goals, with targets set for 2030 and 2025. The company also says it uses AI, cloud tools, and partnerships to help customers measure emissions, manage ESG data, and reduce environmental impact. Independent third-party signals in the material are limited, but customer review pages show mixed to negative sentiment about Microsoft products and support, while Microsoft’s own reports show detailed progress on energy, water, waste, and supply chain work.

Positive Sentiment Found
Positive sentiment in the material is limited, but there are some signs of trust in Microsoft’s sustainability work. Microsoft’s own reports describe detailed progress on renewable energy, water replenishment, waste reuse, and ecosystem projects, and the company says it publishes annual environmental reports and tracks results against set targets. Independent third-party material also shows that Microsoft’s sustainability tools are being used in the market, including references to its cloud sustainability products and AI-for-sustainability work. The Commons Earth page mentions Microsoft in the context of carbon removal purchasing, which suggests the company is seen as part of the wider climate-tech conversation. However, the strongest positive signals here come from Microsoft’s own disclosures rather than outside ratings or reviews.

Common Criticisms:
The clearest negative signal in the material comes from Trustpilot, where Microsoft’s main review page is described as having 4,052 reviewers, and a Microsoft Office page shows a TrustScore of 1.5 out of 5 from 321 reviews. The review snippet on support.microsoft.com also says the support is “utterly useless,” which points to repeated frustration with service quality. These reviews are not direct sustainability ratings, but they do shape public trust in the brand overall. There is also a transparency gap in the third-party material: no independent sustainability rating from Good On You or B Corp is shown for Microsoft, so outside assessment of its ESG performance is limited here. Most of the sustainability detail comes from Microsoft itself, which means readers should treat the company’s claims as self-reported unless confirmed elsewhere.

About Microsoft

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Unverified

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Industry
Information Technology and Services

Microsoft Sustainability Actions

Published annual sustainability reports

Microsoft says it publishes yearly environmental sustainability reports and shares progress against its 2020 baseline. In its 2025 report, it says it tracks carbon, water, waste, and ecosystems, and explains both progress and setbacks. The company also says it uses a cross-company Climate Council to help guide sustainability work across operations, products, and partnerships. This shows a formal reporting process, not just one-off announcements.

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Matched electricity with renewables

Microsoft says it matched 100% of its annual global electricity use with renewable energy. In plain terms, that means it bought or arranged enough renewable power to cover the electricity it used in that year. The company presents this as part of its carbon strategy and says it is also signing long-term power purchase agreements, or PPAs (contracts to buy electricity from a project), to bring more clean power onto the grid.

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Replenished more water than used

Microsoft says it replenished more than 14.2 million cubic meters of water and, for the first time, surpassed its global water withdrawals. Replenishment means putting water back into local systems through projects such as restoration or access work. The company also says it is improving datacenter water efficiency and has designed a new datacenter model that uses zero water for cooling, which it says could avoid about 125,000 cubic meters per facility each year.

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Improved reuse and recycling

Microsoft says it reached a 92% reuse and recycling rate for servers and components in its cloud hardware, above its 90% target. It also says it diverted 85% of construction and demolition waste in FY24, and processed packaging from more than 30,000 server racks through recycling programs. This points to a stronger focus on keeping materials in use longer instead of sending them to landfill.

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Planted native trees with local groups

Microsoft says it worked with local nonprofits, municipalities, and volunteers to plant more than 150,000 native trees. Native trees are species that naturally belong in an area, so they can help local habitats more than imported species. The company links this work to habitat creation and ecosystem protection, and says it also uses digital tools to support stronger ecosystems.

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Microsoft Sustainability Commitments

2030

Become carbon negative

Microsoft says it plans to become carbon negative by 2030. That means it wants to remove more carbon from the atmosphere than it emits across its operations and value chain, which includes suppliers and product use. The company says it will work on this by reducing emissions and increasing carbon removal.

2030

Reach zero waste

Microsoft says it aims to become zero waste by 2030. In simple terms, this means reducing waste at the source, keeping products and materials in use longer, and recovering what remains instead of sending it to landfill.

2030

Become water positive

Microsoft says it plans to become water positive by 2030. That means it wants to reduce water use, replenish more water than it withdraws, expand access to water and sanitation, and support better water stewardship.

Frequently Asked Questions

Has Microsoft published a sustainability report?

Confidence: High. As of September 2026, Microsoft has published an Environmental Sustainability Report and says it updates this report each year. The company says the report covers progress on carbon, water, waste, and ecosystems, and that it uses a 2020 baseline to track change over time. The report is self-published, so it shows Microsoft’s own view of progress rather than an outside audit. Consumers who want the latest details can review Microsoft’s report hub and compare it with any independent coverage that becomes available.. Sources: Microsoft Environmental Sustainability Report, Microsoft Sustainability - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility/topics/sustainability/report/, https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility/sustainability

What is Microsoft's sustainability rating?

Confidence: Low. As of September 2026, Microsoft does not have a public Good On You rating or a public B Corp certification shown in the material provided. The only third-party review data here is Trustpilot, where Microsoft Office is shown with a TrustScore of 1.5 out of 5 from 321 reviews. That score reflects customer experience, not sustainability performance. Microsoft’s own sustainability pages are detailed, but they are self-reported. Consumers who want a fuller outside view may need to look for additional independent ESG assessments.. Sources: Trustpilot Microsoft Office, Microsoft Sustainability - https://www.trustpilot.com/review/office.com, https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility/sustainability

What sustainability certifications does Microsoft have?

Confidence: Low. As of September 2026, no sustainability certification such as B Corp, GOTS, or ISO 14001 is shown in the material provided for Microsoft. The company does publish sustainability reports and describes its own targets, but those are not the same as an outside certification. Microsoft also mentions tools for ESG reporting and compliance, including a CSRD template, which helps with reporting rules but is not a certification. Consumers should not assume a certification exists unless Microsoft or a third-party certifier states it clearly.. Sources: Microsoft Sustainability, Microsoft for Sustainability - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility/sustainability, https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/industry/sustainability/overview

What is Microsoft's carbon footprint?

Confidence: Moderate. As of September 2026, Microsoft says its total emissions, including Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions (direct emissions, purchased electricity, and supply-chain emissions), were 23.4% above its 2020 baseline in FY24. It also says Scope 1 and 2 emissions were down 29.9% from that baseline, while Scope 3 emissions were up 26%. Microsoft has not published a simple single-number carbon footprint in the material provided, so the full picture is spread across different emissions categories. Consumers who want the latest breakdown should check the annual environmental report.. Sources: Microsoft 2025 Environmental Sustainability Report, Microsoft Sustainability - https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2025/05/29/environmental-sustainability-report/, https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility/sustainability

Is Microsoft's packaging sustainable?

Confidence: Moderate. As of September 2026, Microsoft says the Surface Copilot+ PCs use its most sustainable packaging design yet, and it also says packaging from more than 30,000 server racks was processed through recycling programs in FY24. That suggests the company is trying to reduce packaging waste and improve recycling. However, the material does not give a full life-cycle breakdown of the packaging or independent proof of the claim. Consumers who care about packaging impact may want to ask Microsoft for more detail on recycled content, recyclability, and disposal guidance.. Sources: Microsoft 2025 Environmental Sustainability Report, Microsoft Sustainability - https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2025/05/29/environmental-sustainability-report/, https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility/sustainability

Is Microsoft ethical in its supply chain?

Confidence: Moderate. As of September 2026, Microsoft says it works with hundreds of suppliers and uses a Supplier Code of Conduct to set standards across its supply chain. It also says select large suppliers must move to 100% carbon-free electricity for delivered goods and services. That shows some supply-chain rules are in place, but the material does not provide independent verification of labour conditions or full supplier audits. The company’s own reporting is detailed, but consumers should treat it as self-reported unless backed by outside assessment.. Sources: Microsoft Sustainability, Microsoft 2025 Environmental Sustainability Report - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility/sustainability, https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2025/05/29/environmental-sustainability-report/

What is Microsoft doing about sustainability?

Confidence: High. As of September 2026, Microsoft says it is working on carbon, water, waste, and ecosystem goals at the same time. It reports 100% renewable electricity matching, more than 14.2 million cubic meters of water replenished, a 92% reuse and recycling rate for cloud hardware, and more than 150,000 native trees planted with local partners. It also offers sustainability software for customers, such as Microsoft Sustainability Manager and ESG data tools. Most of this information comes from Microsoft’s own reporting, so it is detailed but self-reported.. Sources: Microsoft Sustainability, Microsoft Environmental Sustainability Report, Microsoft for Sustainability - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility/sustainability, https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility/topics/sustainability/report/, https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/industry/sustainability/overview

Sustainability Summary

About Microsoft