Sunderland AFC sustainability score: 26/100
Below expectations starts at 31. The highest score on SINK is 71.
Sunderland AFC is a professional football club based in Sunderland, England, competing in the Premier League. Founded in 1879, the club operates the Stadium of Light (49,000 capacity), an academy training facility, and associated retail operations.
More about Sunderland AFC
Mid-sized operator by turnover (£40.3m in 2024-25) with material energy, water, and waste footprints.
Founded 1879Head office GBStaff ~500Website ↗
Sunderland AFC has launched a credible renewable energy transition programme with named targets (net zero 2040, energy self-sufficiency 2028) but publishes no emissions data, waste figures, or water consumption. The club's sustainability effort is strategy-led and senior-managed, yet lacks the baseline measurements and third-party verification needed to prove actual progress.
Sunderland AFC scores 26/100 (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 August 2026.
That places Sunderland AFC joint 847th of 1,023 companies scored, and 18th of 22 in Professional Sports Clubs.
What is Sunderland AFC doing well, and where does it fall short?
Strongest on Controversies & Red Flags and Energy Source (7/10, 4/10). Weakest on Carbon Footprint: Operations and Carbon Footprint: Supply Chain (2/10, 2/10).
Where Sunderland AFC 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 own operationsPublish emissions figures for its own operations, even an estimate from energy bills.
- Emissions from its supply chainAssess where its supply-chain emissions come from.
- Whether its emissions are fallingShow its emissions are falling, even from energy bills or mileage.
Every question that lost points
- Emissions from its own operations2/10No 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 falling2/10No evidence its emissions are falling, not even from energy bills or mileage.
- 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 waste3/10No active waste reduction, reuse or repair shown.
- Its effect on water2/10No monitoring of water use, or no measures to reduce it.
- Its climate targets4/10Its targets aren't science-based or committed to the Science Based Targets initiative.
- How openly it reports4/10No dedicated sustainability role, board oversight or public report.
- Its record on controversies7/10Points 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 Sunderland AFC's SINK score calculated?
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × ScaleHas Sunderland AFC's score changed?
Sunderland AFC's score has been reviewed 2 times and currently stands where it started, at 26.
- 26 → 267 November 2026
Correction, 7 November 2026: removed an unsourced emissions figure. Score unchanged.
- Scored 2622 August 2026
Initial public score 26 (publish-draft)
What evidence is Sunderland AFC's score based on?
11 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
36% of them were published by Sunderland AFC itself; the rest come from independent sources.
“Club has set ambitious sustainability targets, aiming to be energy self-sufficient from renewable sources by 2028”
“Sunderland AFC has unveiled a new sustainability strategy to reduce its impact on the environment”
“Sunderland's strategy is in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals”
“generating up to 40 MW of renewable energy that will power 12,000 homes”
“club said the application was a step towards 'becoming one of the first net zero clubs in the United Kingdom'”
“club said it would remove more than 1,700 panels from the farm and put a waterbody in place”
“biodiversity enhancements would include improvements to hedgerows, to 'reinstating biodiverse habita'”
“'We're not interested in greenwashing, we wanted to make that clear from the start'”
“Ready Eco sustainability strategy, which underlines the aspiration to become energy-sufficient from renewable sources by 2028 and achieving net zero by 2040”
“As part of its Ready Eco strategy, Sunderland aims to be energy-sufficient by 2028 and reach net zero by 2040”
“Average home league attendance: 46,824”
If you believe a source has been misread or a newer version exists, submit a challenge.
Is this your company? Claim this profile (free)
Use this score in tenders
Send the link, or the one-page score sheet. It links back to this page and every source. Free.
Open the score sheet →Send new evidence, free
Scored low because little is published? Publish what you do and send us the link, free. If it holds up, your score changes, and the change is logged on your page.
How to send evidence →Put your score on your website, free
It shows the current band, sector rank and score, and links to this page, so it changes when the score does.
Track this score
Bidding for a public contract? Check if you need a Carbon Reduction Plan, free →
Want your own page like this?
Free, independent, every source shown. Send it to any buyer who asks about your sustainability.
How does Sunderland AFC compare with other professional sports clubs companies?
Where Sunderland AFC sits among professional sports clubs peers.
Among the 22 major professional sports clubs brands we've scored, Sunderland AFC sits 18th of 22.
Who scores higher in Professional Sports Clubs?
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above Sunderland AFC.
Everton has no published emissions data despite mandatory UK disclosure requirements, making baseline and trajectory assessment impossible.
See the breakdown →Nottingham Forest disclosed emissions for the first time in 2022/23, meeting UK SECR minimums but without verification or targets.
See the breakdown →Fulham FC has renewable energy in place and zero waste to landfill, but lacks public emissions data despite legal SECR obligations.
See the breakdown →Which companies moved this week, and why.
One email, every Sunday. Score changes, new research, the stories behind the numbers. Free.
We'll send one email to confirm. No spam. Unsubscribe in one click.
Checking a company?
Search free →Asked to prove you're sustainable?
Get your business scored, free →Been scored?
Find your page and claim it, free →Scores are free. Nobody can pay to change a score, speed it up or hide it.