University of Bristol is a research-intensive institution in southwest England.
Is this your business? Add your evidence →
Bristol has cut Scope 1+2 emissions 56% since 2005 and publishes verified data. But Scope 3 remains unmeasured and unverified, masking 70% of its true footprint. Supply chain emissions are unquantified. More damaging: the university accepted over £3M in research funding from BP, Shell, Total, Equinor, Chevron, and others since its 2020 divestment pledge, with no formal policy restricting fossil sector money.
University of Bristol scores 54/100 (Making progress) on SINK's independent climate assessment, scored from public data only. Fees pay for the review, never the result. Last verified September 2026.
That places University of Bristol joint 64th of 847 companies scored, and joint 11th of 67 in Higher Education / Universities.
Where University of Bristol sits among higher education / universities peers.
Among the 67 major higher education / universities brands we've scored, University of Bristol is tied =11th of 67, with 4 others.
Its three lowest-scoring questions, and what the evidence didn't show.
No current baseline total in accessible public form.
But ~600 gas boilers remain operational as of 2025 (per Climate Action Plan), driving Scope 1 emissions of 22,153 tCO₂e.
No TNFD disclosure or verified nature footprint metric; Living Estate Strategy (2017–22) without confirmed successor.
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.
Use this score in tenders
Send the link, or the one-page score sheet. It links back to this page and every source. Free.
Open the score sheet →Add your evidence, £99
Scored low because little is published? Send us your evidence. A person reviews it and your score reflects what you really do. Done within 5 working days.
Evidence review →Go tender-ready, £495 a year
A yearly rescore, a check of up to 25 key suppliers and a score badge for your website (coming soon).
Get in touch →Strongest on Carbon Footprint — Operations and Emissions Trajectory (8/10, 7/10). Weakest on Carbon Footprint — Supply Chain and Energy Source (3/10, 5/10).
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above University of Bristol.
Aberystwyth has cut Scope 1+2 emissions 50% from 2005 baseline and publishes statutory HESA data annually, backed by £10m renewable investment.
See the breakdown →DMU has cut operational carbon 62% since 2005 via efficiency gains, but supply chain emissions are rising 40% above baseline.
See the breakdown →Edinburgh has cut operational carbon intensity 35% over a decade and acquired 5,035 hectares for habitat restoration, but leaves Scope 3 emissions unquantified—likely exceeding 300,000 tCO₂e when included.
See the breakdown →The formula and all 15 sources.
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × Scale15 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
“Total scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions: 22,153.2 tCO₂e; reduction vs 2005 baseline: 55.7% (HESA EMR 2023/24, Table-3)”
“Our greenhouse gas emissions calculations are certified to ISO 14064.”
“Environmental Sustainability Annual Report 2024-25 (PDF, 6,701kB)”
“Scope 3: All other indirect 'value chain' emissions, e.g. purchased goods and services, construction and business travel.”
“ambitious new target for emissions related to its value/supply chain (Scope 3) to reduce emissions by 42% by 2030”
“the University has a contract for the greenest energy tariff available”
“estate expands well beyond our urban campus and spreads over 1000 acres, including two farms...four habitat types which are of local and national importance”
“the site of the former Royal Mail sorting office is being redeveloped into the University of Bristol's new £500million campus, and will feature landscaping and tree planting”
“Where we can't reuse or recycle, we use offsite recovery and energy generation technologies, meaning that less than 5% of our overall waste ends up in landfill.”
“the Procurement team has earned the CIPS Ethical mark and appears on its Ethical Register.”
“Bristol has taken £3m from oil, gas and mining companies since 2017, according to a recent report by investigative outlet openDemocracy.”
“Climate academics at the University of Bristol have drawn attention to the £3 million taken from oil, gas and mining companies including from BP, Shell, Total, Equinor, Chevron and Petrobras.”
“Some of the university's top climate academics spoke out after this funding came to light, branding it 'hypocritical and unacceptable'.”
“from 2030 allow us to start exploring concepts such as water neutrality in future developments, where future expansion would place no additional strain on local water supplies.”
“reduced its Scope 1 and 2 emissions under ISO 14064 from 46,919tCO2e in 2007-8 to 28,905tCO2e in 2021-22”
If you believe a source has been misread or a newer version exists, submit a challenge.
University of Bristol is a research-intensive institution in southwest England. It ranks among the UK's top 10 research universities and operates across 13 academic schools with significant global research programmes. As a higher education provider, it manages substantial campus infrastructure, supply chains, and research portfolios.
One email, every Sunday. Score changes, new research, the stories behind the numbers. Free.
No spam. Unsubscribe in one click.
Checking a company?
Search free →Asked to prove you're sustainable?
Get your business scored, free →Been scored?
See what's behind your number →Fees pay for the review, never the result.