University of Bristol scores 54/100 (Making progress) on SINK's independent climate assessment — scored from public data only, no company payment can change a number. Last verified September 2026.
That places University of Bristol joint 60th of 780 companies scored, and joint 11th of 66 in Higher Education / Universities.
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.
This score is built from public data only. If your practice is stronger than your disclosure, submit evidence for review — or challenge any question, free.
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × ScaleStrongest on Carbon Footprint — Operations and Emissions Trajectory (8/10, 7/10). Weakest on Carbon Footprint — Supply Chain and Water Impact (3/10, 5/10).
15 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which rubric 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.
Where University of Bristol sits among higher education / universities peers.
Among the 66 major higher education / universities brands we've scored, University of Bristol is tied =11th of 66, with 4 others.
As University of Bristol's score updates, the trajectory will appear here.
This score is not currently being contested.
Every challenge is published. We'd rather be corrected than wrong — that's the whole point.
No challenges submitted yet. If you have evidence that contradicts this score, you can challenge any question above — cite a public source and we'll review it.
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.
Peer research-intensive UK university with significant carbon footprint and supply chain exposure.
View breakdown →Comparable Russell Group institution; higher education sector carbon and governance benchmarking.
View breakdown →Direct material relevance: major fossil fuel funder of Bristol's research programmes since 2020.
View breakdown →Direct material relevance: mining corporation funding Bristol research; subject of divestment controversy.
View breakdown →Email alerts when a rubric question is verified, a challenge is resolved, or the overall score changes.
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 →Been scored?
See what's behind your number →Nobody can pay us to change a number.