University of The West of Scotland sustainability score: 49/100
Better than 23% of Higher Education / Universities
Leading practice starts at 60. The highest score on SINK is 71.
University of the West of Scotland is a public research university with four campuses in southwest Scotland. It serves approximately 14,820 FTE students and staff across teaching, research, and professional education.
More about University of The West of Scotland
UWS is among Scotland's largest universities by student intake and operates as a registered Scottish charity.
Head office GBStaff 1,580 FTE (HESA EMR 2023/24)Revenue £168M (HESA EMR 2023/24)Website ↗
UWS has achieved a 62.5% operational emissions reduction since 2005 with documented multi-year momentum. Critical gaps: zero renewable energy procurement, no quantified supply chain emissions despite material procurement footprint, and deferred Scope 3 targets until 2028. Operational performance masks incomplete value-chain transparency.
University of The West of Scotland scores 49/100 (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 University of The West of Scotland joint 179th of 1,023 companies scored, and joint 45th of 67 in Higher Education / Universities.
What is University of The West of Scotland doing well, and where does it fall short?
Strongest on Controversies & Red Flags and Carbon Footprint: Operations (8/10, 7/10). Weakest on Energy Source and Carbon Footprint: Supply Chain (2/10, 3/10).
Where University of The West of Scotland 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 natureMeasure its effect on nature and have it independently verified.
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 chain3/10No assessment of where its supply-chain emissions come from.
- Whether its emissions are falling7/10No consistent fall over several years across its operations and supply chain.
- How clean its energy is2/10No renewable energy tariff or major efficiency investment shown.
- Its effect on nature4/10Its effect on nature isn't measured or independently verified.
- How it uses materials and handles waste5/10No measurable waste or recycling targets reported publicly.
- Its effect on water6/10No water stewardship programme or verified fall in water use.
- 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 University of The West of Scotland's SINK score calculated?
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × ScaleWhat evidence is University of The West of Scotland's score based on?
11 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
55% of them were published by University of The West of Scotland itself; the rest come from independent sources.
“Scope 1+2 combined 4125.5 tCO2e (HESA Table-3, 2023/24), carbon intensity 0.0321 tCO2e/m²”
“140 HE providers submitted Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions data to HESA through the Estates management record for the year 2023/24”
“Publish Scope 3 Supply Chain emissions, working with external programmes and suppliers... by 2028”
“The table below details the university's scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions from the baseline to the past two published annual reporting periods”
“The SBTi's Target Dashboard lists companies and financial institutions that have set science-based targets, or have committed to developing targets”
“Our Biodiversity Action Plan (PDF) outlines the actions taking place across the university which aim to better understand, manage and develop our natural environment”
“The 'action areas' across Sustainable Energy, Carbon Management, Biodiversity & Environmental Adaptation, Travel, Food, Waste, and Procurement”
“UWS has committed to placing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the heart of our Strategy 2025”
“University of the West of Scotland — UK Universities Climate Network member”
“The University Court is the governing body of the University. The Court has wide ranging powers, in particular relating to the strategic direction”
“UWS is committed to reducing our emissions and becoming net zero by 2040”
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How does University of The West of Scotland compare with other higher education / universities companies?
Where University of The West of Scotland sits among higher education / universities peers.
Among the 67 major higher education / universities brands we've scored, University of The West of Scotland is tied =45th of 67, with 7 others.
Who scores higher in Higher Education / Universities?
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above University of The West of Scotland.
Aberdeen has cut operational emissions 52.5% since 2005 and publishes verified data annually, but renewable energy procurement remains near-zero at 0%, and biodiversity/waste metrics lack measurable outcomes.
See the breakdown →Derby's carbon disclosures are methodologically sound but operationally modest.
See the breakdown →Manchester has science-aligned 2038 zero-carbon targets and genuine third-party verified emissions data, but is materially off-trajectory: Scope 1+2 fell only 4% in 2023 versus the required 13% annual cut, and total Scope 3 emissions rose 18% since 2018.
See the breakdown →Which companies moved this week, and why.
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