Glasgow School of Art sustainability score: 46/100
Better than 15% of Higher Education / Universities
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.
Glasgow School of Art is a specialist art and design institution, headquartered in Glasgow, Scotland. With approximately 2,400 students and 800 staff, it operates a 66,757 m² urban campus in Garnethill.
More about Glasgow School of Art
The school combines studio-based arts education with research, including environmental architecture and urban design programmes.
Head office GBStaff 515 FTE (HESA EMR 2023/24)Revenue £47.8M (HESA EMR 2023/24)Website ↗
Glasgow School of Art demonstrates real emissions reductions (31.9% intensity improvement over nine years) and exceptional waste management (93.9% recycling), but lags critically on renewable energy—zero on-site generation and no confirmed green tariff. Supply chain emissions remain largely unmapped. Net zero commitments lack science-based validation.
Glasgow School of Art scores 46/100 (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 Glasgow School of Art joint 258th of 1,023 companies scored, and joint 56th of 67 in Higher Education / Universities.
What is Glasgow School of Art doing well, and where does it fall short?
Strongest on Controversies & Red Flags and Carbon Footprint: Operations (8/10, 6/10). Weakest on Energy Source and Carbon Footprint: Supply Chain (2/10, 3/10).
Where Glasgow School of Art 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
- How clean its energy isMove to a renewable energy tariff or make a major efficiency investment.
- 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.
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 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 is2/10No renewable energy tariff or major efficiency investment shown.
- Its effect on nature3/10No assessment of its effect on nature, and no basic environmental policy.
- How it uses materials and handles waste6/10No verified figures for reuse and recycling across the business.
- Its effect on water5/10No 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 reports5/10No dedicated sustainability role, board oversight or public report.
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 Glasgow School of Art's SINK score calculated?
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × ScaleHas Glasgow School of Art's score changed?
Glasgow School of Art's score has been reviewed 2 times and currently stands where it started, at 46.
- 46 → 467 November 2026
Limited-evidence banner: 2 independent parties once company-published sources are not counted (owner ruling 2026-11-07). Score unchanged.
- Scored 4627 September 2026
Initial public score 46 (publish-draft)
What evidence is Glasgow School of Art's score based on?
8 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
75% of them were published by Glasgow School of Art itself; the rest come from independent sources.
“Total scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions 1706.0 tCO2e, 2023/24, UKPRN 10002681”
“natural gas accounting for 954.53 tonnes and electricity for 463.95 tonnes”
“GSA's funding application was approved, enabling the institution to proceed with delivery of its low-carbon strategy”
“In March 2025, we published our Environmental and Social Justice Framework”
“In December 2022 the Board of Governors at The Glasgow School of Art approved an Environmental and Social Justice Framework”
“The Arts is especially vulnerable to Greenwashing — GSA publishes awareness content on this issue”
“A student/staff collective documenting existing material reuse efforts within Glasgow School of Art and developing a Garnethill Circular Economy Hub”
“Waste · Water · Wellbeing · Workshop — GSA sustainability themes including water”
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How does Glasgow School of Art compare with other higher education / universities companies?
Where Glasgow School of Art sits among higher education / universities peers.
Among the 67 major higher education / universities brands we've scored, Glasgow School of Art is tied =56th of 67, with 1 other.
Who scores higher in Higher Education / Universities?
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above Glasgow School of Art.
Heriot-Watt has reduced operational emissions 38% since 2005 and committed to net-zero by 2035, but lacks SBTi validation and reports no quantified Scope 3 total.
See the breakdown →St Mary's has cut operational emissions 52% since 2005 and recycles 97.9% of waste—genuinely strong numbers for a small campus university.
See the breakdown →University of Stirling has cut operational emissions 42% since 2007 and publishes dual statutory disclosures, but supply chain emissions remain unquantified and renewable energy was zero in 2023/24.
See the breakdown →Which companies moved this week, and why.
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