Thomas Franks sustainability score: 32/100
Thomas Franks is a UK contract caterer headquartered in Hook Norton, Oxfordshire, running catering for schools and other clients in the UK and Europe; all its turnover is catering sales. Thomas Franks Limited was incorporated in 2004.
More about Thomas Franks
It had 2,732 employees and £131.0 million turnover in its year to September 2025.
Founded 2004Head office Hook Norton, Oxfordshire, UKStaff ~2,732 (FY2025 average)Revenue ~£131.0M turnover (FY to Sep 2025)Website ↗
Thomas Franks reports a 'net carbon footprint' of 34,604 tCO2e for its year to September 2025 but does not say whether it covers its supply chain, and the year before was restated from 507 t to 46,072 t after a wider boundary and a change of assessor. Its fleet emissions nearly doubled. It aims for net zero by 2040 with no published roadmap or SBTi target and publishes no water figures, though it targets halving food waste by 2030 and 99% of its fish is MSC-certified.
Thomas Franks scores 32/100 (Below expectations) on SINK's independent climate assessment, scored from public data only. Scores are free. Companies can never pay for anything about their own score. Last verified November 2026.
That places Thomas Franks joint 620th of 934 companies scored, and joint 28th of 51 in Food Service / Restaurants.
What is Thomas Franks doing well, and where does it fall short?
Strongest on Controversies & Red Flags and Carbon Footprint: Operations (8/10, 6/10). Weakest on Water Impact and Emissions Trajectory (2/10, 3/10).
Where Thomas Franks lost points
For each question that lost points, the evidence our public rubric looks for that we didn't find.
- Emissions from its own operations6/10Its own emissions aren't independently verified or tracked over several years.
- Emissions from its supply chain6/10No full value-chain map or supplier engagement programme.
- Whether its emissions are falling3/10No evidence its emissions are falling, not even from energy bills or mileage.
- How clean its energy is4/10Less than half its energy shown to be renewable, or no transition plan.
- Its effect on nature3/10No assessment of its effect on nature, and no basic environmental policy.
- How it uses materials and handles waste5/10No measurable waste or recycling targets reported publicly.
- Its effect on water2/10No monitoring of water use, or no measures to reduce it.
- Its climate targets4/10Its targets aren't science-based or committed to the Science Based Targets initiative.
- How openly it reports6/10No annual impact report, or no pay linked to climate targets.
A score changes when the evidence does. We use new published evidence at the next rescore. Anyone can send us new evidence, free. How to send it.
How is Thomas Franks's SINK score calculated?
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × ScaleWhat evidence is Thomas Franks's score based on?
19 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
26% of them were published by Thomas Franks itself; the rest come from independent sources.
Thomas Franks's accounts give a 'net carbon footprint' of 34,604 tCO2e for its year to September 2025, but do not say whether it includes its supply chain (Scope 3) or what 'net' means, so the size deduction for an incomplete footprint (0.70x) applies. Its accounts for the year before reported 507 tCO2e; this year's restate that year as 46,072 tCO2e after a wider boundary and a change of assessor (Planet Mark to Flotilla).
14 of 19 sources are independent of the company.
“1,2,3 Building 147,476 31.80 157,817 38.20 1,2,3 Fleet Travel 492,091 116.33 288,218 60.80”
“The Planet Mark measurement methodology is fully aligned to Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol”
“1,2,3 Fleet Travel 288,218 61.4 274,269 65.8”
“60% of our key suppliers measure their scope 1 and”
“The Norwich School, catered by Thomas Franks, reduced meat in three dishes and served these twice a month to 600 students.”
“introduced Cool Food Pro to all of their 100+ sites”
“in September 2025 the ESG team launched the Thomas Franks Great Nature and Biodiversity Challenge”
“visited school to launch The Great Food Waste Challenge”
“over 12 tonnes of surplus food that would have otherwise gone to landfill”
“Not only do they aim to eliminate their use of plastic packing”
“At Thomas Franks, we are doing our best to reduce water usage where possible in our kitchens”
“are working on a realistic plan to be Net Zero by 2040”
“Thomas Franks Ltd. earned an overall score of 91.5”
“The B Lab awarded caterer Thomas Franks an impact score of 91.5”
“Thomas Franks has achieved B Corp certification.”
“The next phase is a solar park, generating over 300kWp, which will supply around 60% of our electricity.”
“Founded in 2004, by Frank Bothwell, Thomas Franks is a contract catering company.”
“this includes new objectives around energy, waste,”
“Bothwell has also spearheaded a plan for Thomas Franks to achieve carbon-neutral status”
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How does Thomas Franks compare with other food service / restaurants companies?
Where Thomas Franks sits among food service / restaurants peers.
Among the 51 major food service / restaurants brands we've scored, Thomas Franks is tied =28th of 51, with 3 others.
Who scores higher in Food Service / Restaurants?
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above Thomas Franks.
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