Costa Coffee is a UK-based café chain founded in 1976, headquartered in Dunstable.
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Costa Coffee discloses emissions data only through Companies House filings, not directly, and relies on intensity-based targets despite rising absolute emissions (+30% in 2022). Supply chain hotspots identified but unverified; cup recycling pledge failed dramatically. Parent company Coca-Cola's plastic pollution litigation and greenwashing allegations compound reputational risk.
Costa Coffee scores 39/100 (Below expectations) on SINK's independent climate assessment, scored from public data only. Fees pay for the review, never the result. Last verified May 2026.
That places Costa Coffee joint 385th of 847 companies scored, and 17th of 49 in Food Service / Restaurants.
Where Costa Coffee sits among food service / restaurants peers.
Among the 49 major food service / restaurants brands we've scored, Costa Coffee sits 17th of 49.
Its three lowest-scoring questions, and what the evidence didn't show.
Primary target is intensity-based (halve emissions per serving by 2030), not absolute reduction.
No quantified water footprint, consumption figures, or reduction targets disclosed.
Costa publishes no standalone sustainability or ESG report.
A score changes when the evidence does. We use new published evidence at the next rescore. Evidence that isn't public can count through an evidence review.
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Get in touch →Strongest on Energy Source and Carbon Footprint — Supply Chain (6/10, 5/10). Weakest on Emissions Trajectory and Water Impact (2/10, 2/10).
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above Costa Coffee.
Chipotle reports comprehensive Scope 1 & 2 emissions tracking and SBTi-validated 2030 targets, but absolute total emissions have surged 26% year-on-year, driven by Scope 3 more than tripling since 2019.
See the breakdown →Domino's has SBTi-validated climate targets but relies on intensity-based Scope 3 reductions while absolute emissions from operations are rising.
See the breakdown →Toby Carvery's parent company M&B has SBTi-validated net zero targets and renewable electricity across its estate, but brand-level data is absent and supply chain emissions remain unquantified.
See the breakdown →The formula and all 12 sources.
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × Scale12 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
9 of 12 sources are independent of the company.
If you believe a source has been misread or a newer version exists, submit a challenge.
Costa Coffee is a UK-based café chain founded in 1976, headquartered in Dunstable. With 3,900+ stores globally and 17,809 employees, it operates in the coffee retail and food service sector. Acquired by Coca-Cola in 2019, Costa is one of Europe's largest coffee shop chains.
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