Cambridge ranks as the most sustainable city in the UK for running a business

Studies have shown that businesses that integrate ESG practices experience positive financial performance, highlighting how sustainability can be a key factor to business success. 

With this in mind, waste management experts at BusinessWaste.co.uk analysed 76 UK cities to uncover which are the most and least sustainable places to operate a business, by analysing factors such as renewable energy capacity, public transport access and recycling rates.

Cambridge is the UK’s most sustainable city for business, with the highest number of EV charging devices per 10,000 people and second highest number of BREEAM certified offices.

Bangor ranks second, with very high recycling rates, renewable energy, and EV charging despite only one BREEAM office.

Cardiff comes third, having excellent public transport access and high recycling rates.

Welsh cities dominate the top ten, including Newport (fourth) and Wrexham (ninth).

Southend-On-Sea ranks lowest, having only one BREEAM certified office and low renewable energy and EV charging capacity. 

There is a clear north-south divide in England: only Ripon makes the northern top ten, and just three northern cities appear in the top 20.

Cambridge is home to 76 office buildings that are BREEAM (Building Research Establishment's Environmental Assessment Method) certified – a trusted indicator that a space has been built with sustainability in mind. This is the second highest number of BREEAM certified buildings of all UK cities, closely beaten by Manchester with 90.

The city scores highly across all factors but also achieved particularly high results for the number of EV charging devices per 100,000 population at 237.4 – sixth highest in the UK.

While second place Bangor is only home to one BREEAM certified office building, the city’s scores for renewable energy capacity, EV charging device access, recycling rates, and business survival rates all helped to bring up its ranking. 

Third place Cardiff has high recycling rates and great access to public transport, with comfortably high scores across all other factors. Overall, Welsh cities dominate the top ten rankings with Newport in fourth place and Wrexham taking the ninth spot.

Other cities in the list include Perth, Exeter, Oxford, Plymouth, and Aberdeen.

Mark Hall, general waste expert at BusinessWaste.co.uk, said: ‘These findings show that sustainability is not just good for the planet, it is good for business. Cities that invest in clean energy, recycling infrastructure, and EV charging make it easier for businesses to operate responsibly. However, there is still a lot of room for improvement elsewhere, especially in cities like Southend-on-Sea, which don’t have a lot of EV charging facilities and sustainable infrastructure, for example. 

‘There are some ways to make these cities more sustainable, such as increasing recycling points in commercial areas, promoting green transport options, and supporting businesses to achieve BREEAM certification could make a huge difference and help more cities become sustainable business hubs.’