ChemScore is an initiative from pollution watchdog ChemSec, the International Chemical Secretariat, that aims to rank the efforts of the world’s largest chemical companies to reduce their production of toxic chemicals and investment in safer alternatives.

ChemScore is the only independent ranking of companies producing hazardous chemicals and their efforts to transition to less hazardous alternatives. Production of such chemicals increases corporate exposure to regulation, litigation and shifting consumer sentiment, making ChemScore an authoritative guide to medium and long-term investor risks and opportunities stemming from these threats.

Detailed report cards on each individual company benchmark numerous factors summarised below. ChemScore is updated in the last quarter of every year. 2025 marks the sixth annual update.

The ranking method

Firms are ranked together with all their subsidiaries. Points are awarded or deducted according to performance in four categories, each of which scores a maximum of 25 points:

1. Transparency
2. Phase-out of persistent chemicals
3. Product portfolio
4. Safer solutions

Where companies fail to provide information, ChemScore assesses performance from public information, such as annual and sustainability reports and corporate websites.

Firms are presented with their draft score ahead of publication and invited to provide ChemSec with additional information or inform us about possible errors.

The points scored in each of these categories are summed to give an overall score (maximum = 100). The menu to the left provides more detail on how each of the categories is scored.

The companies we rank

ChemScore covers 40 of the largest global stock-listed companies with hazardous chemical portfolios. The companies have been chosen on the basis of:

• The size of their revenue;
• The size of their hazardous chemical portfolio;
• Investor interest in these companies.

Due to the nature of this work and limited resources, we have decided to focus on the 40 companies this year (down from 50 the year prior).

What the index doesn’t rank

ChemScore only tracks publicly traded companies, because these are where investors are most able to influence company decisions.

Most Chinese chemical firms are state-owned and are therefore excluded from ChemScore, despite China being the world’s largest producer of chemicals by volume. Additionally, stock-listed Chinese firms publish little or no information in English and information in Chinese is extremely sparse. These firms are therefore not possible to assess.

Reliable public records do not exist for chemical production outside the EU and US. Points are deducted for lack of information.