University of Portsmouth is a public research institution in southern England.
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Portsmouth has cut operational emissions 61% since 2005 and completed fossil fuel divestment, but Scope 3 emissions remain unmeasured and crude. Supply chain emissions are unquantified and unverified. Net-zero 2030 relies partly on unproven carbon sequestration, and no third-party validation of targets exists.
University of Portsmouth scores 51/100 (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 Portsmouth joint 126th of 847 companies scored, and joint 32nd of 67 in Higher Education / Universities.
Where University of Portsmouth sits among higher education / universities peers.
Among the 67 major higher education / universities brands we've scored, University of Portsmouth is tied =32nd of 67, with 6 others.
Its three lowest-scoring questions, and what the evidence didn't show.
Scope 3 not submitted via HESA.
City-centre campus with inherently limited nature exposure.
No industrial discharge risk.
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 Controversies & Red Flags and Carbon Footprint — Operations (8/10, 7/10). Weakest on Carbon Footprint — Supply Chain and Nature & Biodiversity Impact (3/10, 3/10).
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above University of Portsmouth.
Edinburgh Napier has achieved substantial operational emissions reductions (49% absolute since 2018/19) and maintains transparent public reporting via HESA.
See the breakdown →UAL has verified operational emissions reductions (48% since 2005) but supply-chain emissions remain unquantified and rising.
See the breakdown →Warwick has met interim carbon targets through operational gas phase-out and renewable electricity, but Scope 3 emissions—three-quarters of its footprint—lack annual disclosure and reduction milestones.
See the breakdown →The formula and all 9 sources.
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × Scale9 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 6,054.9 tCO2e, University of Portsmouth, 2023/24”
“Scope 1 and 2 emissions have been accurately monitored since 2009 (using invoice data)”
“Of the 136 HE providers who submitted data for the past two years, 96 (71%) saw a decrease in emissions”
“replacing the current fossil-fuelled heating plants with all electric air source heat pumps powered by renewable electricity”
“University of Portsmouth was one of the first to sign up to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's (EMF) New Plastics Economy Global Commitment”
“Portsmouth becomes the 101st university to commit to divestment off the back of the long running Fossil Free campaign”
“The whole of the South East of England has been classified as an area of serious water stress”
“award-winning sustainable sports centre”
“Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice”
If you believe a source has been misread or a newer version exists, submit a challenge.
University of Portsmouth is a public research institution in southern England. It operates a city-centre campus in Portsmouth with research strengths in engineering, technology, and marine sciences. As a member of the Million+ group, it sits in the mid-tier of UK higher education.
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