The Crown Estate sustainability score: 36/100
Better than 31% of Construction / Real Estate
Making progress starts at 46. The highest score on SINK is 71.
The Crown Estate is a statutory body managing land, property and seabed in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (Crown Estate Scotland is a separate body), including urban property portfolios, farmland, and offshore licences for wind, aggregate, and energy infrastructure. It operates as an independent entity but is accountable to Parliament and the Crown.
Founded 1961Head office London, United KingdomStaff ~972Revenue ~£1.48BWebsite ↗
The Crown Estate reports rising absolute emissions driven by offshore wind construction on leased seabed, with Scope 3 up 60% year-on-year. A 2020 net-zero 2030 pledge was replaced with a 2050 intensity target. Scope 3 assurance covers only 0.25% of reported emissions; supply-chain engagement is nascent.
The Crown Estate scores 36/100 (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 October 2026.
That places The Crown Estate joint 542nd of 1,023 companies scored, and 28th of 40 in Construction / Real Estate.
What is The Crown Estate doing well, and where does it fall short?
Strongest on Carbon Footprint: Operations and Transparency & Accountability (7/10, 7/10). Weakest on Emissions Trajectory and Targets & Commitments (0/10, 2/10).
Where The Crown Estate 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 climate targetsSet specific targets with dates.
- Its effect on waterMonitor its water use and take measures to reduce it.
Every question that lost points
- Emissions from its own operations7/10Its own emissions aren't independently verified or tracked over several years.
- Emissions from its supply chain6/10No full value-chain map or supplier engagement programme.
- Whether its emissions are falling0/10No evidence its emissions are falling.
- How clean its energy is6/10Less 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 waste5/10No measurable waste or recycling targets reported publicly.
- Its effect on water3/10No monitoring of water use, or no measures to reduce it.
- Its climate targets2/10No specific targets with dates.
- 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 The Crown Estate's SINK score calculated?
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × ScaleWhat evidence is The Crown Estate's score based on?
13 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
23% of them were published by The Crown Estate itself; the rest come from independent sources.
Most of The Crown Estate's reported emissions total is the construction of offshore wind farms by its seabed tenants, which it reports in its own Scope 3.
10 of 13 sources are independent of the company.
“Total Scope 1 13,330”
“Scope 2 GHG emissions (market based) (tCO2e) 588”
“KPMG has issued an unqualified opinion”
“During 2024, we ran a six-month pilot with several high-spend”
“make up 99% of our overall”
“procurement of 100% renewable energy across the portfolio”
“Deliver a measurable increase in biodiversity for”
“Greenpeace UK has warned the Crown Estate that it is considering taking legal action”
“Greenpeace UK has threatened legal action against the Crown Estate over the way seabed rights are priced for offshore wind projects”
“Greenpeace UK has officially lodged a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)”
“the estate’s managers have insisted its legal duty is to maximise profit, not help the government deliver on its climate ambition”
If you believe a source has been misread or a newer version exists, submit a challenge.
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How does The Crown Estate compare with other construction / real estate companies?
Where The Crown Estate sits among construction / real estate peers.
Among the 40 major construction / real estate brands we've scored, The Crown Estate sits 28th of 40.
Who scores higher in Construction / Real Estate?
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above The Crown Estate.
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See the breakdown →Which companies moved this week, and why.
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