Free report · November 2026
Consumers punish cheats, not polluters
What thirteen years of Sustainable Brand Index data show about which brand scandals stick, and which pass without a trace.
23
scandals tested
2014–26
thirteen survey waves
5 markets
SE, NO, DK, FI, NL
80,000+
consumer interviews a year
What you will find
- 01
A scandal sticks where someone close to home acts on it.
Danske Bank's money laundering: +17 points in Denmark, +4 in Finland.
- 02
Cheating and broken promises stick.
8 of 11 deliberate cases raised negatives by 7 to 33 points in one wave.
- 03
Footprint does not move opinion.
A refinery, coal, palm oil and logging reports: all between −4 and +4.
- 04
A ruling against a green ad barely registers.
Arla, KLM, Danish Crown: −5 to +3.
- 05
Every scandal spills over to both scales.
Consumers judge whether it is a decent company.
- 06
Recovery depends on whether the story ends.
Tesla, Marabou and Shell are still rising in 2026.
Source: Sustainable Brand Index 2014–2026
Who it is for
Heads of brand, communication and sustainability, and the agencies and legal teams who advise them.