Coventry University sustainability score: 49/100
Better than 23% of Higher Education / Universities
Leading practice starts at 60. The highest score on SINK is 71.
Coventry University is a public research institution in the UK. It operates an urban campus in Coventry specialising in engineering, business, and applied sciences.
More about Coventry University
The university divested from fossil fuels in 2019 and holds ISO 14001 environmental management certification.
Head office United KingdomStaff 3,595 FTE (HESA EMR 2023/24)Revenue ~£363MWebsite ↗
Coventry University has cut Scope 1+2 emissions 15.5% from 2005 baseline and locked in £13M in capital decarbonisation projects, but Scope 3 remains entirely unquantified. Renewable energy sits at 38% with solar and district heating in progress. Waste recycling falls 35 percentage points short of its own 80% target.
Coventry University 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 September 2026.
That places Coventry University joint 179th of 1,023 companies scored, and joint 45th of 67 in Higher Education / Universities.
What is Coventry University doing well, and where does it fall short?
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).
Where Coventry 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
- Emissions from its supply chainAssess where its supply-chain emissions come from.
- Its effect on natureAssess its effect on nature and publish a basic environmental policy.
- How clean its energy isShow at least half its energy is renewable, with a transition plan.
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 chain3/10No assessment of where its supply-chain emissions come from.
- Whether its emissions are falling5/10No evidence of a year-on-year fall in its total emissions.
- 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 water5/10No measured water footprint with reduction targets.
- Its climate targets5/10Its 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 Coventry University's SINK score calculated?
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × ScaleWhat evidence is Coventry University's score based on?
14 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
43% of them were published by Coventry University itself; the rest come from independent sources.
8 of 14 sources are independent of the company.
“Total scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions 10,874.1 tCO2e, 2023/24, UKPRN 10001726”
“Our reporting aligns with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, and we provide annual data through both HESA's estates management reporting”
“committed to achieving net-zero Scope 1 and Scope 2 carbon emissions by 2030-2031, while also reducing its Scope 3 emissions by 30 percent”
“Coventry University installed 360kWp of solar PV across five campus buildings, generating 306,850kWh annually and saving 76 tonnes of CO2.”
“overall scheme will reduce Coventry University Group's carbon emissions by more than 1,300 tonnes per year”
“DAISY project aims to examine various intervention processes that address biodiversity loss and equity”
“Coventry University has won the National Recycling Award 2025 for Waste Management Energy Innovation.”
“We have integrated reuse into our waste policies and processes, and it is proving remarkably successful when it comes to achieving our zero-to-landfill targets.”
“since 2014 the University has been externally accredited to an international standard for Environmental Management (ISO14001)”
“ISO 14001 (Environmental Management Systems) certification since 2014 and a cross-functional team looking at projects from energy reduction to bike repair”
“Our Sustainability Champions Group has over 100 members and meets at least four times a year.”
“Coventry University Group formally committed to exclude fossil fuel extractor companies from investments within its treasury and investment policy”
“Coventry University has announced it is divesting its £43.6m investment portfolio from all fossil fuel companies.”
“Organizations with targets are identified with green 'Targets Set' values in the dashboard.”
If you believe a source has been misread or a newer version exists, submit a challenge.
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How does Coventry University compare with other higher education / universities companies?
Where Coventry University sits among higher education / universities peers.
Among the 67 major higher education / universities brands we've scored, Coventry University is tied =45th of 67, with 7 others.
Who scores higher in Higher Education / Universities?
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above Coventry University.
Aberdeen has cut operational emissions 52.5% since 2005 and publishes verified data annually, but renewable energy procurement remains near-zero at 0%, and biodiversity/waste metrics lack measurable outcomes.
See the breakdown →Derby's carbon disclosures are methodologically sound but operationally modest.
See the breakdown →Manchester has science-aligned 2038 zero-carbon targets and genuine third-party verified emissions data, but is materially off-trajectory: Scope 1+2 fell only 4% in 2023 versus the required 13% annual cut, and total Scope 3 emissions rose 18% since 2018.
See the breakdown →Which companies moved this week, and why.
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