Meta Platforms delivered a standout Q2 2025, reporting $47.5 billion in revenue and $7.14 in earnings per share—both well above analyst expectations. The company’s stock jumped over 11% after the announcement. This rise came from high advertising demand and ongoing investment in AI.
At the same time, Meta reaffirmed its leadership in sustainability, maintaining net-zero emissions across global operations since 2020 and advancing its goal to reach full value-chain net-zero by 2030.
Stock Reaction: Sudden Surge after Earnings
Meta reported results for the quarter ending June 30, 2025. Revenue reached $47.5 billion, up 22% year‑over‑year, exceeding analyst estimates near $44.8 billion. Earnings per share came in at $7.14, a 36–38% rise above forecasts of about $5.88–5.92.
Advertising revenue drove the results, rising 21% to $46.6 billion. Meta raised its Q3 revenue guidance to a range of $47.5–50.5 billion, above prior expectations. The company also narrowed its full‑year expense range to $114–118 billion and capital expenditures to $66–72 billion.
Meta’s stock price jumped sharply after hours. Shares rose nearly 11% on the day the results were released. Investors reacted favorably to the strong ad revenue, solid earnings beat, and guidance above consensus.
Confidence in Meta’s AI strategy also supported the rally. The stock is up almost 20% year‑to‑date and over 50% in the past 12 months.
Building the AI Empire: Llama 4 and Superintelligence Labs
Meta continues to place AI at the center of its growth plan. The company is investing heavily in infrastructure, talent, and tools like its Llama 4 model and Advantage+ ad platform.
It plans up to $70 billion in capital spending in 2025, most of which will fund AI data centers and talent recruitment. While this drives costs, it also improves ad conversion rates—early AI tools reportedly boosted Reels conversion by about 5%.
Meta also took a $15 billion stake in Scale AI and formed a new Superintelligence Labs division led by the founder of Scale AI.
Green Tech Titan: Meta’s Sustainability Wins and Net Zero Goals
Apart from its financial wins, Meta has also made a series of climate and sustainability commitments over the past 5 years. The company published its latest Sustainability Report in 2024, which outlined progress toward its long-term goal of reaching net-zero emissions across its entire value chain by 2030.
Meta already achieved net-zero emissions for its global operations (Scope 1 and 2) in 2020. This includes emissions from company offices, owned data centers, and electricity use. It has accomplished this by reducing direct emissions and purchasing renewable energy for 100% of its operations.
From a 2017 baseline, Meta has cut its operational emissions by 94%. This reduction comes from both energy efficiency improvements and a major shift to renewable power.
As of 2023, the company had signed contracts for over 11.7 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy, placing it among the world’s largest corporate buyers of clean electricity.
However, Meta’s Scope 3 emissions — which come from its suppliers, business travel, hardware manufacturing, logistics, and cloud usage — remain significantly larger. In 2023, its market-based net emissions were about 7.5 million metric tons of CO₂e, while location-based emissions stood at 14 million metric tons.
The difference reflects the use of renewable energy certificates (RECs), which have been criticized by some experts as less effective than direct decarbonization.
To address these upstream emissions, Meta has launched a Net Zero Supplier Engagement Program. It encourages its suppliers to set their own science-based targets.
By the end of 2023, around 28% of supplier-related emissions were covered by supplier reduction plans. The company is working to increase this figure by expanding engagement, improving tracking, and offering guidance to smaller vendors.
Other Major Sustainability Initiatives
In addition to climate targets, Meta is also addressing water use, waste, and biodiversity:
- Water restoration is a key part of its environmental strategy. The tech giant aims to become water positive by 2030, meaning it will restore more water to the environment than it withdraws. In 2024, the company restored over 1.5 billion gallons of water through 18 nature-based projects across North America, India, and Southeast Asia. These include wetland rehabilitation, forest restoration, and rainwater harvesting.
- Zero-waste and circularity programs are expanding. Meta diverted over 80% of operational waste from landfills in 2023 and is exploring ways to reuse server parts and electronics from decommissioned data centers.
- Sustainable design is also integrated into Meta’s buildings and data centers. Many facilities are certified under LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). The company also uses low-carbon materials like mass timber in construction.
Meta supports broader climate disclosure frameworks as well. It aligns its climate-related reporting with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). It also follows guidance from the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB). Furthermore, the company supports policies that promote clean energy adoption and sustainable supply chains.
Despite these advances, Meta still faces ESG challenges. Critics point out that the company relies heavily on carbon offsets and RECs. Moreover, they claim that it has not disclosed a detailed decarbonization pathway for its full Scope 3 emissions.
Still, Meta’s environmental performance shows clear progress. Its operational footprint has shrunk significantly, and its large investments in renewables and water restoration have measurable impacts.
The next phase—achieving net zero across its supply chain—will require more supplier collaboration, stronger accountability, and continued transparency.
Dual Strategy: Balancing AI Growth with Green Responsibility
Meta shows it can grow rapidly while investing in AI. The strong Q2 results reflect healthy ad demand and early returns from AI ad tools. But AI expansion also raises environmental and governance questions.
Capital spending is increasing emissions from data centers and infrastructure—even as Meta offsets these with renewables and carbon accounting. The company must balance scaling AI with deeper value‑chain decarbonization. Its net‑zero goal across Scope 3 by 2030 remains ambitious but challenging.
Governance risks tied to policy changes and moderation remain material. These could affect ESG ratings over time, especially if controversies arise.
Meta posted strong 2025 second-quarter earnings. Heavy AI investments drive growth and costs alike. At the same time, it has also maintained net‑zero operations since 2020 and targets full value‑chain net‑zero by 2030. As such, the company continues to balance expansion with sustainability and net-zero goals.
