Building Materials / Ceramics / Glass / Cement

Emma Bridgewater sustainability score: 17/100

Below expectations starts at 31. The highest score on SINK is 71.

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About Emma Bridgewater

Emma Bridgewater is a UK pottery company that makes hand-decorated pottery at its own factory in Stoke-on-Trent and sells it through its shops, online and wholesale. Incorporated in 1985, it had about 345 staff and revenue of £27.4m in FY2025.

Founded 1985Head office Stoke-on-Trent, UKStaff ~345Revenue ~£27.4MWebsite ↗

Our verdict

Emma Bridgewater fires pottery in kilns at its Stoke-on-Trent factory but discloses no Scope 1, 2 or 3 emissions, energy figures or water data. It says 90% of its clay is recycled and its packaging is 100% recycled paper, with no method or verification published. It has no emissions target.

Emma Bridgewater scores 17/100 (Significant gaps) 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 Emma Bridgewater joint 1004th of 1,023 companies scored, and 5th of 5 in Building Materials / Ceramics / Glass / Cement.

The ten questions

What is Emma Bridgewater doing well, and where does it fall short?

Strongest on Controversies & Red Flags and Resource Use & Waste (8/10, 4/10). Weakest on Water Impact and Carbon Footprint: Operations (0/10, 1/10).

What's missing

Where Emma Bridgewater 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 effect on waterPublish figures for its water use.
  • Emissions from its own operationsPublish emissions figures for its own operations, even an estimate from energy bills.
  • Whether its emissions are fallingShow its emissions are falling, even from energy bills or mileage.

Every question that lost points

  • Emissions from its own operations1/10No emissions figures for its own operations, not even an estimate from energy bills.
  • Emissions from its supply chain2/10No assessment of where its supply-chain emissions come from.
  • Whether its emissions are falling1/10No evidence its emissions are falling, not even from energy bills or mileage.
  • How clean its energy is2/10No renewable energy tariff or major efficiency investment shown.
  • Its effect on nature1/10No evidence it knows its main risks to nature.
  • How it uses materials and handles waste4/10No measurable waste or recycling targets reported publicly.
  • Its effect on water0/10No figures for its water use.
  • Its climate targets1/10No emissions reduction targets.
  • How openly it reports3/10No published sustainability data, or no one named as responsible for it.

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.

The calculation

How is Emma Bridgewater's SINK score calculated?

Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.

SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × Scale
Industry base impact
Building Materials / Ceramics / Glass / Cement sector ceiling.
28 / 100
Performance score
Sum of the ten questions, each scored 0 to 10.
23 / 100
Raw score
Weighted average before scale penalty.
(0.3 × 28) + (0.7 × 23) = 24.5
Scale penalty
Multiplier based on total emissions. Bigger polluters lose more.
× 0.7
Final score
Rounded. Significant gaps.
17 / 100
Where the evidence comes from

What evidence is Emma Bridgewater's score based on?

14 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.

21% of them were published by Emma Bridgewater itself; the rest come from independent sources.

11 of 14 sources are independent of the company.

[1]Public record
Companies House filing history — Emma Bridgewater Limited

“Unbudgeted increases in factory raw material costs and energy non-commodity costs led to a higher than planned cost of production in the factory.”

Ongoing
Q1Q2Q9
View →
[2]Self-reported
About the Factory — Emma Bridgewater

“wheeled into the kiln for 7 hours of firing”

Ongoing
Q1Q2Q3Q5Q6Q7
View →
[3]Self-reported
About Us — Emma Bridgewater

“1.3m pieces produced annually”

Ongoing
Q3Q4Q6
View →
[4]Self-reported
Hooray, We're a B Corp! — Emma Bridgewater blog

“Improving our supply chain transparency for lifestyle product categories”

2022
Q2Q4Q8
View →
[5]Third-party verified
Emma Bridgewater Ltd — B Lab Directory

“Land & Life 5.1”

Ongoing
Q5Q7Q9
View →
[6]Independent source
The Potteries — Heritage and directory

“entirely produced in Stoke-on-Trent using traditional methods”

Unknown
Q2
View →
[7]Independent source
Emma Bridgewater reports £1.4 million losses — Housewares Live

“All its ceramics are still manufactured at the Stoke-on-Trent foundry”

Unknown
Q1
View →
[8]Independent source
A toast and marmalade factory tour — Milady's Boudoir

“All the clay not used is recycled.”

2017
Q6
View →
[9]Independent source
Energy prices are shattering Britain's remaining potteries — The Spectator

“fortunate enough to fix its energy prices a few years ago”

Unknown
Q4
View →
[10]Independent source
Emma Bridgewater interview — Labour meddling — Yahoo News

“an energy-dependent business like ours”

Unknown
Q4
View →
[11]Public record
Emma Bridgewater Limited — Companies House filing history (FY25)

“Turnover for the year decreased by 12% to £27.4 million (2024: £31.3 million)”

2025
Q3Q8
View →
[12]Public record
HSE prosecution — Emma Bridgewater Limited — Health and Safety Executive

“was fined £266,666 and ordered to pay costs of £4931”

2026
Q10
View →
[13]
cityam.com

“Emma Bridgewater reduced its headcount in the year from 469 to 409”

Q3
View →
[14]
find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk

“As a BCorp business Emma Bridgewater Ltd is an enthusiastic member of a global movement”

Q9
View →

If you believe a source has been misread or a newer version exists, submit a challenge.

For Emma Bridgewater

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    Emma Bridgewater: SINK sustainability score 17.

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Emma Bridgewater in context

How does Emma Bridgewater compare with other building materials / ceramics / glass / cement companies?

Emma Bridgewater sits at the bottom of the building materials / ceramics / glass / cement pack.

Among the 5 major building materials / ceramics / glass / cement brands we've scored, Emma Bridgewater sits 5th of 5.

5/5
Emma Bridgewater's rank
34
Industry average
17
Industry low
45
Industry high
See all 5 in Building Materials / Ceramics / Glass / Cement →
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