SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK sustainability score: 34/100
Making progress starts at 46. The highest score on SINK is 71.
SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK operates waste collection, treatment, and disposal services across England, Scotland, and Wales. The company runs landfills, energy-from-waste incinerators, and materials recovery facilities, processing approximately 8.5 million tonnes of waste annually.
More about SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK
It is a subsidiary of French multinational SUEZ.
Founded 1988Head office United KingdomStaff ~5,137 (2025)Revenue £828.2M revenue (FY ended 31 Dec 2025)Website ↗
SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK reports fragmented emissions data across inconsistent boundaries, obscuring full climate impact. Most waste diverts to incineration rather than recycling. Targets rely on carbon avoidance netting rather than absolute reduction, and no third-party emissions verification exists.
SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK scores 34/100 (Below expectations) 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 SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK joint 598th of 1,023 companies scored, and joint 4th of 5 in Waste & Recycling.
What is SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK doing well, and where does it fall short?
Strongest on Controversies & Red Flags and Carbon Footprint: Supply Chain (8/10, 6/10). Weakest on Emissions Trajectory and Nature & Biodiversity Impact (3/10, 3/10).
Where SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK 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
- Whether its emissions are fallingShow its emissions are falling.
- Its effect on natureAssess its effect on nature and publish a basic environmental policy.
- Its climate targetsSet specific targets with dates.
Every question that lost points
- Emissions from its own operations5/10No full Scope 1 and 2 figures worked out to the GHG Protocol.
- Emissions from its supply chain6/10No full value-chain map or supplier engagement programme.
- Whether its emissions are falling3/10No evidence its emissions are falling.
- 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 waste4/10No measurable waste or recycling targets reported publicly.
- Its effect on water4/10No measured water footprint with reduction targets.
- Its climate targets3/10No specific targets with dates.
- 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 SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK's SINK score calculated?
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × ScaleWhat evidence is SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK's score based on?
11 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
45% of them were published by SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK itself; the rest come from independent sources.
SUEZ UK's filed accounts report 61,928 tonnes for the operating company in 2025, but that boundary leaves out its energy-from-waste plants. We set the size deduction from SUEZ UK's own full-boundary total of 1,254,536 tonnes for 2024, from its 2024 sustainability report (owner ruling 2026-11-05).
“Strong operational performance of the Company's fleet of Energy from Waste (EfW) facilities”
“Scope 1 tCO2e 483,398 543,591 465,556”
“to 50% of these emissions by 2030.”
“This permit controls the operation of a waste incineration plant.”
“biodiversity action plans with measures to encourage plant and wildlife at all our sites.”
“Suez-backed carbon capture project wins government support”
“SUEZ recycling and recovery UK commissioned the report”
“The report also proposed a zero rate for waste that must be treated via energy recovery”
“SUEZ consults on plans for carbon capture plant”
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How does SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK compare with other waste & recycling companies?
SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK is tied at the bottom of the waste & recycling pack.
Among the 5 major waste & recycling brands we've scored, SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK is tied =4th of 5, with 1 other.
Who scores higher in Waste & Recycling?
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK.
Biffa operates UK waste infrastructure but remains carbon-heavy: its Scope 1 and 2 were flat in the latest year at about 509,000 tonnes, mostly landfill gas.
See the breakdown →Veolia UK's absolute emissions are rising despite green tariffs and landfill gas capture.
See the breakdown →Olio is a food-sharing app with unmeasured operational emissions and no quantified reduction targets.
See the breakdown →Which companies moved this week, and why.
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