Canterbury Christ Church University sustainability score: 51/100
Better than 45% of Higher Education / Universities
Leading practice starts at 60. The highest score on SINK is 71.
Canterbury Christ Church University is a teaching-focused institution in Kent, England, serving students across teacher education, theology, social sciences, and arts. Mid-sized UK HEI with campus-based operations and no research-intensive facilities.
Head office GBStaff 1,780 FTE (HESA EMR 2023/24)Revenue £319M (HESA EMR 2023/24)Website ↗
CCCU has cut operational emissions 51% since 2005 and ranks gold-tier for energy efficiency among UK universities. But Scope 3 supply chain emissions remain unmapped and unverified. Targets are vague—a 20-year range to net-zero—and no science-based reduction pathway is published.
Canterbury Christ Church University scores 51/100 (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 September 2026.
That places Canterbury Christ Church University joint 129th of 1,023 companies scored, and joint 31st of 67 in Higher Education / Universities.
What is Canterbury Christ Church University doing well, and where does it fall short?
Strongest on Controversies & Red Flags and Carbon Footprint: Operations (8/10, 7/10). Weakest on Targets & Commitments and Carbon Footprint: Supply Chain (3/10, 4/10).
Where Canterbury Christ Church University 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
- Its climate targetsSet specific targets with dates.
- Emissions from its supply chainMeasure most of its supply-chain (Scope 3) emissions.
- How it uses materials and handles wasteReport measurable waste or recycling targets publicly.
Every question that lost points
- Emissions from its own operations7/10Its own emissions aren't independently verified or tracked over several years.
- Emissions from its supply chain4/10Most of its supply-chain (Scope 3) emissions aren't measured.
- Whether its emissions are falling7/10No consistent fall over several years across its operations and supply chain.
- How clean its energy is5/10Less than half its energy shown to be renewable, or no transition plan.
- Its effect on nature5/10Its effect on nature isn't measured or independently verified.
- How it uses materials and handles waste4/10No measurable waste or recycling targets reported publicly.
- Its effect on water5/10No measured water footprint with reduction targets.
- Its climate targets3/10No specific targets with dates.
- 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 Canterbury Christ Church University's SINK score calculated?
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × ScaleWhat evidence is Canterbury Christ Church University's score based on?
12 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
33% of them were published by Canterbury Christ Church University itself; the rest come from independent sources.
8 of 12 sources are independent of the company.
“Total scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions 3397.9 tCO2e, 2023/24, UKPRN 10001143”
“The total scope one emissions for the year was 1,789 tCO2e”
“procurement, including construction and refurbishment (45%) ... of our current emissions”
“Canterbury Christ Church University [listed as Wilder Kent Awards winner 2025-26]”
“transformation into an urban biodiversity hub which reflects its rich cultural and environmental heritage”
“The 'Biodiversity' initiative around the Canterbury Christ Church University North Holmes campus has a rich selection of landscapes”
“work in partnership with the University to achieve associated targets in the Sustainability Policy, Waste and Recycling Management Policy”
“The SBTi's Target Dashboard lists companies and financial institutions that have set science-based targets”
“Pledging to reach net-zero by 2030 or 2050 at the very latest”
“Academy for Sustainable Futures community team page”
“Canterbury Christ Church University [listed as UK Universities Climate Network member]”
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How does Canterbury Christ Church University compare with other higher education / universities companies?
Where Canterbury Christ Church University sits among higher education / universities peers.
Among the 67 major higher education / universities brands we've scored, Canterbury Christ Church University is tied =31st of 67, with 6 others.
Who scores higher in Higher Education / Universities?
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above Canterbury Christ Church University.
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 →Which companies moved this week, and why.
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