Sheffield scoops title of U.K.'s greenest city

Sheffield has been named as the greenest city in the United Kingdom.

The city, once the steel-making capital of the world, was found to be the most eco-friendly for residents in a new study commissioned by NatWest, which analysed the U.K.'s most populous cities and ranked them using a range of environmental data such as green space, energy use and production, motor vehicles, waste and recycling, commuting travel, and pollution.

Sheffield takes the top spot thanks to 22,600 acres of green space, a high volume of renewable energy production, and a high percentage of Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) vehicles.

Edinburgh and Cardiff came in second and third and the top five was rounded out by Brighton & Hove and Bristol, respectively. Leeds placed sixth, and was followed by Glasgow, Nottingham, and Newcastle upon Tyne.

London ranked 11th thanks to a high number of ULEZ vehicles per capita, people commuting via bicycle, and Londoners producing a relatively low amount of waste per person compared to other cities.

Belfast came tenth, Manchester placed 13th, and Liverpool was ranked 16th.

Wolverhampton was found to be the least eco-friendly of the 25 cities studied, due to a relatively low area of green space per person, high car ownership, high numbers of people commuting by car, and a low percentage of ULEZ vehicles.

The report, the most comprehensive study of its type to date, was developed in conjunction with experts from the University of Southampton.

"The key message from the Green Cities Report is that we can and must all contribute to making our towns and cities as green as possible, so it could not have come at a more appropriate moment," said Professor William Powrie. "The list will enable cities and people to reflect on their progress towards behaving sustainably. Simple changes can make a big difference - walking, cycling or using public transport rather than going by car, using less and recycling more; but we all need to get involved."

As part of a commitment to adopting eco-friendly practices, executives at the bank have also teamed with climate data experts at CoGo to ensure their new app includes carbon footprint tracking. The feature will allow customers to track their personal carbon footprint based on spending habits.

"It empowers customers to manage their own carbon footprint, helping them to make small changes that can add up and help tackle climate change. We want to help set and raise the standards that the rest of the banking industry should follow," added David Lindberg, chief executive officer of retail banking.