Manchester City Football Club, founded 1894, is a professional football club based in Manchester, England, competing in the Premier League.
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Manchester City reports 21 years of sustainability data but lacks third-party verification of emissions claims. Scope 3 emissions dominate at 89% of total reported output; methodology deviates from GHG Protocol standards. No SBTi validation of net-zero target. Etihad Airways sponsorship and past greenwashing allegations undermine climate credibility.
Manchester City Football Club scores 56/100 (Making progress) on SINK's independent climate assessment, scored from public data only. Fees pay for the review, never the result. Last verified August 2026.
That places Manchester City Football Club joint 34th of 847 companies scored, and joint 2nd of 22 in Professional Sports Clubs.
Where Manchester City Football Club sits among professional sports clubs peers.
Among the 22 major professional sports clubs brands we've scored, Manchester City Football Club is tied =2nd of 22, with 2 others.
Its three lowest-scoring questions, and what the evidence didn't show.
No formal supplier engagement programme with reduction targets.
Including embodied/retrofit carbon, gross total reaches 37,301 t. Single-year decline insufficient given absence of consistent downward trend.
No SBTi registration; Arsenal only Premier League club with SBTi-approved net-zero target as of November 2024.
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 Resource Use & Waste (7/10, 7/10). Weakest on Carbon Footprint — Supply Chain and Emissions Trajectory (5/10, 5/10).
The one company in the sector scoring above Manchester City Football Club.
See the full Professional Sports Clubs table →The formula and all 13 sources.
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × Scale13 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
9 of 13 sources are independent of the company.
“Scope 1: 1,411 tCO2e; Scope 2: 1,694.6 tCO2e (location-based), 2024-25 season”
“For thirteen years, we have utilised the DEFRA GHG Protocol for our emissions impact measurement”
“Wildlife counts reaffirmed the healthy status of the landscape and air and water qualities at the CFA, with new fauna species naturally seeding”
“Manchester City Football Club has reduced its carbon emissions by 25% across the 2024/25 season”
“Manchester City Football Club's overall emissions increased by 50.6% year-on-year, compared to a 31.8% reduction in the previous year”
“the Club purchasing 100% renewable electricity under a power agreement for the past eight years”
“City Football Academy, home to the club's 16 training pitches, now irrigates exclusively with rainwater”
“New Manchester City shirts now comprise 75% repurposed football jerseys and 25% SEAQUAL marine plastic”
“MCFC is committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2030—five years ahead of Greater Manchester's target”
“In November 2024, Arsenal became the only football club in the world to have a net-zero target approved by the Science Based Targets initiative”
“the 'Own Goal' award… Manchester City F.C's water bottle for air miles recycling exchange scheme took the top prize”
“Etihad Airways (Manchester City) are significant contributors to climate change, with air travel accounting for over 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions”
“Manchester City adopt their own bespoke emissions reporting approach, not aligned with the 15 categories in the GHG protocol scope 3 standard”
If you believe a source has been misread or a newer version exists, submit a challenge.
Manchester City Football Club, founded 1894, is a professional football club based in Manchester, England, competing in the Premier League. The club operates the City Football Academy and Etihad Stadium, generating revenue from ticketing, broadcasting, merchandise, and commercial partnerships including principal sponsorship from Etihad Airways.
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