Comparisons
Most sustainable AI apps in 2026
Which AI tools are doing something real for the environment, and which are just talking about it
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Last updated September 2026
AI has an environmental problem. Training a large language model can emit as much carbon as five cars over their lifetimes. Running one consumes electricity and water at data centre scale. As AI tools become part of daily work for hundreds of millions of people, the question of what these companies are doing about their environmental footprint is worth asking. The answers range from concrete action to corporate pledges to nothing at all.
Here is how the major AI tools compare on what they are doing for the environment, not what they say they plan to do someday.
Comparison table
Fabric | ChatGPT (OpenAI) | Gemini (Google) | Copilot (Microsoft) | Notion AI | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Direct environmental action per user | Yes. Every subscriber plants mangrove trees in Kenya and Brazil | No | No | No | No |
Verified tree planting | Yes. GPS-tagged, photographed, independently audited by Veritree | No | No | No | No |
Renewable energy commitment | Working toward 100% carbon and water neutral by 2030 | No public commitment | Google-wide: matched 100% renewable purchases (not real-time) | Microsoft-wide: 100% renewable by 2025 (corporate pledge) | No public commitment |
Carbon neutrality target | 2030 (carbon and water) | No public target | Google-wide: net-zero by 2030 (emissions rose 50% since 2019) | Microsoft-wide: carbon negative by 2030 (emissions rose 29%) | No public target |
Transparency | Per-subscriber impact, partner documentation, field reports | No environmental reporting | Annual Environmental Report (corporate-wide, not product-specific) | Annual Sustainability Report (corporate-wide, not product-specific) | No environmental reporting |
Product-level action | Every subscription funds restoration directly | None | None | None | None |
Fabric
Fabric is the only AI tool on this list where every paid subscription directly funds environmental restoration. Every Fabric subscriber plants mangrove trees along the coasts of Kenya and Brazil for as long as they are subscribed. There is nothing extra to opt into and no additional cost.
The planting is carried out by local community teams on the Kenyan and Brazilian coastlines. Every site is mapped with GPS coordinates, satellite imagery, and drone footage. Planters document their work on mobile devices with photos, video, and field sensors that capture survival rates and biodiversity. Sites are monitored for three years to ensure the forests survive and are not cleared. The tracking and reporting runs through GoodAPI. On-the-ground verification in Kenya is handled by Veritree, which manages the mapping, monitoring, field documentation, and independent audits.
Mangroves are some of the hardest-working trees on the planet. They grow along tropical coastlines, and their roots hold shorelines together, soften the impact of storms, trap carbon in the mud beneath them, and provide breeding habitat for fish, crabs, and birds. Across East Africa, communities depend on mangrove forests for food, work, and income. Replanting restores both the ecosystem and the livelihoods built around it.
Beyond the tree planting, Fabric is working toward being 100% carbon and water neutral by 2030. For a deeper look at the programme, see Fabric's environmental page.
Fabric's AI uses four model families (Gemini, Claude, Grok, OpenAI) and provides AI search, notes and documents, a spatial canvas, and a cloud drive that streams files with zero disk space from any device. Pricing starts at $8/mo billed yearly, with a free tier that includes limited storage and AI.
ChatGPT (OpenAI)
OpenAI has no public environmental sustainability programme, no carbon neutrality commitment, and no product-level environmental action tied to ChatGPT subscriptions. The company does not publish an environmental report or disclose its carbon footprint in detail.
ChatGPT's environmental impact is substantial. Estimates suggest each query emits roughly 4 to 10 times more CO2 than a standard web search. With hundreds of millions of weekly users, the aggregate energy and water consumption of OpenAI's data centres is significant and growing. OpenAI partners with Microsoft Azure for its compute infrastructure, which means its environmental footprint is partially covered by Microsoft's broader sustainability commitments, but those commitments are corporate-wide and not specific to OpenAI's products.
There is no mechanism by which a ChatGPT subscription funds environmental action, offsets carbon, or contributes to restoration projects.
Gemini (Google)
Google has the most extensive corporate sustainability programme of any company on this list. The company has published annual Environmental Reports for over a decade. Google matched 100% of its electricity consumption with renewable energy purchases in 2017 and has maintained that since. The company set a net-zero emissions target for 2030.
The reality is more complicated. Google's total emissions rose approximately 50% between 2019 and 2024, driven largely by data centre expansion for AI workloads. The company's 2025 Environmental Report showed progress on some metrics (reduced data centre emissions intensity, more efficient AI models) while total Scope 3 emissions continued climbing due to supply chain growth.
Google's sustainability efforts are real, well-documented, and corporate-wide. They are not product-specific. There is no mechanism by which using Gemini specifically funds environmental action. The AI product benefits from Google's broader renewable energy investments, but those investments exist regardless of whether any individual uses Gemini.
Copilot (Microsoft)
Microsoft pledged in 2020 to be carbon negative by 2030 and to remove all historical emissions by 2050. The company has invested in carbon removal projects, including direct air capture, and is building data centres with wood-based construction to reduce embodied carbon. Microsoft's sustainability reports are detailed and transparent about both progress and setbacks.
The setbacks are significant. Microsoft's emissions rose 29% between 2020 and 2024, driven almost entirely by data centre construction and AI infrastructure. The company has acknowledged that its 2030 carbon negative target is at risk.
Like Google, Microsoft's sustainability efforts are corporate-wide. There is no product-specific environmental action tied to Copilot subscriptions. Using Copilot does not fund carbon removal, tree planting, or any environmental programme beyond what Microsoft would do regardless.
Notion AI
Notion does not publish environmental sustainability information. There is no public carbon footprint disclosure, no sustainability report, no renewable energy commitment, and no environmental programme tied to the product. Notion AI is available as part of the Business plan at $20/user/month or as an add-on.
Notion hosts its infrastructure on AWS, which has its own renewable energy commitments at the corporate level, but those are Amazon's initiatives and not specific to Notion.
How to choose
If environmental impact matters in the choice of AI tool, the comparison is stark. Fabric is the only option where the subscription directly funds verified environmental restoration. Google and Microsoft have substantial corporate sustainability programmes, but their emissions are rising due to AI infrastructure expansion and their environmental initiatives are not tied to individual product subscriptions. OpenAI and Notion have no public environmental programmes.
Every AI tool consumes energy. The question is which ones are doing something concrete about it. For solopreneurs, students, and teams who want their AI subscription to contribute to something beyond the product itself, Fabric provides that. For a full look at what Fabric offers as an AI tool, see Fabric's features. For the environmental programme details, see Fabric's environment page.
Frequently asked questions
Does using AI harm the environment?
AI workloads consume electricity and water at data centre scale. Training large models has a significant carbon footprint, and inference (answering each query) adds to it incrementally. The impact per query is small, but across hundreds of millions of users, the aggregate is substantial. The environmental cost varies by provider, model efficiency, and data centre energy source.
What does Fabric do for the environment?
Every Fabric paid subscription plants mangrove trees along the coasts of Kenya and Brazil. The planting is carried out by local community teams, GPS-tagged, photographed, and independently audited by Veritree. Sites are monitored for three years. Fabric is also working toward being 100% carbon and water neutral by 2030. See Fabric's environment page.
Do the trees cost extra?
No. The tree planting is included in every Fabric paid subscription. There is nothing to opt into and no additional fee.
How do I know the trees are real?
Every planting is geotagged with GPS coordinates, photographed, and recorded with drone footage and satellite imagery. Field data is checked internally against project plans and then reviewed by independent auditors through Veritree. Each tree is recorded individually so it cannot be counted twice.
Why mangroves instead of other trees?
Mangroves protect coastlines from storms, support marine biodiversity, provide livelihoods for coastal communities, and store carbon in the sediment beneath them for decades. Few trees provide as many benefits simultaneously. Development and land clearing have destroyed large stretches of mangrove forest across the tropics, making restoration both ecologically and socially valuable.
Is Google carbon neutral?
Google matched 100% of its electricity consumption with renewable energy purchases starting in 2017. However, total emissions have risen significantly due to AI-driven data centre expansion. The company has a net-zero target for 2030, but its own reporting acknowledges the challenge of reaching it while growing AI infrastructure.
Does Microsoft offset its carbon emissions?
Microsoft has invested in carbon removal projects, including direct air capture technology, and has a target to be carbon negative by 2030. The company's emissions have risen since the pledge was made, and Microsoft has acknowledged the target is at risk. The sustainability efforts are corporate-wide, not tied to any individual product.
Are there eco-friendly AI tools?
Fabric is the only major AI tool with verified, per-subscriber environmental action. The distinction between corporate pledges and product-level action matters: a company promising to be carbon neutral by 2030 while its emissions are rising is a different proposition from a product that plants trees with every subscription today.
Do free Fabric users plant trees?
Tree planting comes with Fabric's paid plans. The free tier includes limited storage and AI but does not include tree planting. See pricing.
Is Fabric free?
Fabric does have a free tier with limited storage and AI. Paid plans start at $8/mo billed yearly.
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