Young's sustainability score: 49/100
Better than 94% of Food Service / Restaurants
Leading practice starts at 60. The highest score on SINK is 71.
Limited independent evidence: only two independent sources cover this company. The score may change as more evidence appears.
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Young's is a London-listed operator of managed pubs. It reported £508.2 million of revenue for the 52 weeks to 30 March 2026, with about 7,536 employees.
Founded 1890Head office London, United KingdomStaff ~7,536 (2026)Revenue £508.2 million revenue (52 weeks ended 30 Mar 2026)Website ↗
Young's reports Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, buys its electricity through a wind power purchase agreement, and says its Scope 1 and 2 fell 12.21% in FY26. Its Scope 3, mostly food and drink, has grown with its City Pub acquisition, with no like-for-like trend. It has a 2040 net-zero goal but no SBTi validation, no assurance and no water volumes.
Young's scores 49/100 (Making progress) on SINK's independent climate assessment, scored from public data only. Scores are free. Nobody can pay to change a score, speed it up or hide it. Last verified November 2026.
That places Young's joint 200th of 1,118 companies scored, and joint 3rd of 55 in Food Service / Restaurants.
What is Young's doing well, and where does it fall short?
Strongest on Controversies & Red Flags and Transparency & Accountability (8/10, 7/10). Weakest on Emissions Trajectory and Nature & Biodiversity Impact (4/10, 4/10).
Where Young's lost points
For each question that lost points, the evidence our public rubric looks for that we didn't find.
What would raise this score
- Whether its emissions are fallingShow a year-on-year fall in its total emissions.
- Its effect on natureMeasure its effect on nature and have it independently verified.
- Its effect on waterMeasure its water footprint and set reduction targets.
Every question that lost points
- 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 falling4/10No evidence of a year-on-year fall in its total emissions.
- How clean its energy is6/10Less than 90% of its energy shown to be renewable.
- Its effect on nature4/10Its effect on nature isn't measured or independently verified.
- How it uses materials and handles waste6/10No verified figures for reuse and recycling across the business.
- Its effect on water4/10No measured water footprint with reduction targets.
- Its climate targets4/10Its targets aren't science-based or committed to the Science Based Targets initiative.
- How openly it reports7/10No 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 Young's's SINK score calculated?
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × ScaleWhat evidence is Young's's score based on?
8 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
38% of them were published by Young's itself; the rest come from independent sources.
“This report has been prepared following the GHG Reporting Protocol”
“Annual Report for the 52 weeks ended 30 March 2026”
“Since April 2021, 100% of its electricity is from renewable sources.”
“The group was applauded for its sourcing and procurement across its seasonal menus, with a focus on locally sourced ingredients from trusted suppliers.”
“100% of our commercial waste is now diverted from landfill and recycled.”
“Young's & Co pubs (74%)”
“followed by Nando’s, Frankie & Benny’s, Young’s & Co Pubs, Pret a Manger and Wagamama.”
If you believe a source has been misread or a newer version exists, submit a challenge.
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How does Young's compare with other food service / restaurants companies?
Where Young's sits among food service / restaurants peers.
Among the 55 major food service / restaurants brands we've scored, Young's is tied =3rd of 55, with 1 other.
Who scores higher in Food Service / Restaurants?
The 2 companies in the sector scoring nearest above Young's.
Greene King has credible emissions data and SBTi-validated targets, but Scope 3—92% of its footprint—is barely moving: only 12.8% down against a 50%-by-2030 commitment.
See the breakdown →Wahaca has built a credible mid-scale sustainability programme with certified carbon neutrality since 2016, menu-wide carbon labelling, and strong waste diversion (86% recycling).
See the breakdown →Which companies moved this week, and why.
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