Manchester City Football Club sustainability score: 56/100
Better than 86% of Professional Sports Clubs
Leading practice starts at 60. The highest score on SINK is 71.
Manchester City Football Club, founded 1894, is a professional football club based in Manchester, England, competing in the Premier League. The club operates the City Football Academy and Etihad Stadium, generating revenue from ticketing, broadcasting, merchandise, and commercial partnerships including principal sponsorship from Etihad Airways.
Founded 1894Head office GBStaff ~800Revenue ~£694MWebsite ↗
Manchester City reports 21 years of sustainability data but lacks third-party verification of emissions claims. Scope 3 emissions dominate at 89% of total reported output; methodology deviates from GHG Protocol standards. No SBTi validation of net-zero target. Etihad Airways sponsorship and past greenwashing allegations undermine climate credibility.
Manchester City Football Club scores 56/100 (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 August 2026.
That places Manchester City Football Club joint 40th of 1,023 companies scored, and joint 2nd of 22 in Professional Sports Clubs.
What is Manchester City Football Club doing well, and where does it fall short?
Strongest on Energy Source and Resource Use & Waste (7/10, 7/10). Weakest on Carbon Footprint: Supply Chain and Emissions Trajectory (5/10, 5/10).
Where Manchester City Football Club 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 chainMeasure most of its supply-chain (Scope 3) emissions.
- Whether its emissions are fallingShow a year-on-year fall in its total emissions.
- Its climate targetsMake its targets science-based, or commit to the Science Based Targets initiative.
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 chain5/10Most of its supply-chain (Scope 3) emissions aren't measured.
- Whether its emissions are falling5/10No evidence of a year-on-year fall in its total emissions.
- How clean its energy is7/10Less than 90% of its energy shown to be renewable.
- Its effect on nature6/10No verified restoration beyond its own footprint, or supply chain not mapped for nature risk.
- How it uses materials and handles waste7/10No verified figures for reuse and recycling across the business.
- Its effect on water6/10No water stewardship programme or verified fall in water use.
- Its climate targets5/10Its 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.
- Its record on controversies6/10Points deducted for controversies or its business model. The finding is under question 10.
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 Manchester City Football Club's SINK score calculated?
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × ScaleWhat evidence is Manchester City Football Club's score based on?
13 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
31% of them were published by Manchester City Football Club itself; the rest come from independent sources.
9 of 13 sources are independent of the company.
“Scope 1: 1,411 tCO2e; Scope 2: 1,694.6 tCO2e (location-based), 2024-25 season”
“For thirteen years, we have utilised the DEFRA GHG Protocol for our emissions impact measurement”
“Wildlife counts reaffirmed the healthy status of the landscape and air and water qualities at the CFA, with new fauna species naturally seeding”
“Manchester City Football Club has reduced its carbon emissions by 25% across the 2024/25 season”
“Manchester City Football Club's overall emissions increased by 50.6% year-on-year, compared to a 31.8% reduction in the previous year”
“the Club purchasing 100% renewable electricity under a power agreement for the past eight years”
“City Football Academy, home to the club's 16 training pitches, now irrigates exclusively with rainwater”
“New Manchester City shirts now comprise 75% repurposed football jerseys and 25% SEAQUAL marine plastic”
“MCFC is committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2030—five years ahead of Greater Manchester's target”
“In November 2024, Arsenal became the only football club in the world to have a net-zero target approved by the Science Based Targets initiative”
“the 'Own Goal' award… Manchester City F.C's water bottle for air miles recycling exchange scheme took the top prize”
“Etihad Airways (Manchester City) are significant contributors to climate change, with air travel accounting for over 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions”
“Manchester City adopt their own bespoke emissions reporting approach, not aligned with the 15 categories in the GHG protocol scope 3 standard”
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How does Manchester City Football Club compare with other professional sports clubs companies?
Where Manchester City Football Club sits among professional sports clubs peers.
Among the 22 major professional sports clubs brands we've scored, Manchester City Football Club is tied =2nd of 22, with 2 others.
Who scores higher in Professional Sports Clubs?
The one company in the sector scoring above Manchester City Football Club.
See the full Professional Sports Clubs table →Which companies moved this week, and why.
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