Babcock International sustainability score: 36/100
Babcock International is a FTSE 100-listed defence and aerospace services company headquartered in the UK, operating globally across naval, submarine, aircraft, and land vehicle support. Major sites include Devonport Royal Dockyard and Cavendish Nuclear.
More about Babcock International
Founded 1976, it generates substantial Scope 3 emissions from military vessel and aircraft lifecycles.
Head office GBStaff ~28,343Revenue ~£4.8BWebsite ↗
Babcock has validated science-based targets and publishes comprehensive Scope 1&2 data, but Scope 3 emissions—97% of its footprint—rose 29.7% since 2021. Renewable electricity sits at 30%. Water and waste management plans remain incomplete despite 2024 deadlines. The defence sector's embedded use-of-sold-products emissions dominate, masking operational progress.
Babcock International scores 36/100 (Below expectations) on SINK's independent climate assessment, scored from public data only. Scores are free. Companies can never pay for anything about their own score. Last verified October 2026.
That places Babcock International joint 512th of 934 companies scored, and 1st of 4 in Defence.
What is Babcock International doing well, and where does it fall short?
Strongest on Carbon Footprint: Operations and Targets & Commitments (7/10, 7/10). Weakest on Emissions Trajectory and Water Impact (3/10, 3/10).
Where Babcock International lost points
For each question that lost points, the evidence our public rubric looks for that we didn't find.
- Emissions from its own operations7/10Its own emissions aren't independently verified or tracked over several years.
- Emissions from its supply chain5/10Most of its supply-chain (Scope 3) emissions aren't measured.
- Whether its emissions are falling3/10No 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 nature4/10Its effect on nature isn't measured or independently verified.
- How it uses materials and handles waste4/10No measurable waste or recycling targets reported publicly.
- Its effect on water3/10No monitoring of water use, or no measures to reduce it.
- Its climate targets7/10Its targets aren't validated by the Science Based Targets initiative.
- How openly it reports6/10No annual impact report, or no pay linked to climate targets.
- 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 Babcock International's SINK score calculated?
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × ScaleHas Babcock International's score changed?
Babcock International's score has moved from 34 to 36 across 2 recorded reviews, up 2 points.
- 34 → 36+23 October 2026
Aggregator-citation sweep: broker citations replaced with the primary disclosures they mirror, re-scored through the guarded pipeline under pinned code 9196601.
- Scored 342 August 2026
Initial public score 34 (publish-draft)
What evidence is Babcock International's score based on?
12 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
50% of them were published by Babcock International itself; the rest come from independent sources.
6 of 12 sources are independent of the company.
“Scope 1: 42,714 tCO₂e; Scope 2 market-based: 60,816 tCO₂e; Total: 3,670,281 tCO₂e”
“The verification and certification process involved a quantitative assessment of carbon emissions, as well as a qualitative assessment of governance”
“In FY24, we broadened our analysis to encompass 1,000 of Babcock's key suppliers, a significant increase from the 300 suppliers analysed during FY23”
“Compared to our base year, 2021, scope 1 and 2 emissions (market-based) have reduced by 17.2%.”
“In 2024, electricity from renewable sources equated to 30% across our global operations.”
“Babcock is proud to be one of the first international defence organisations to have gained validation from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)”
“Defense company Babcock Intern has been granted validation from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) for its science-based near and long-term emissions reduction targets”
“As we work on new initiatives to increase biodiversity across our estate by 10% by 2030”
“partnership to explore recycling and repurposing defence equipment”
“Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2025 has been made available to shareholders and a copy submitted to the Financial Conduct Authority”
“PwC has been fined more than £3.2 million after the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) found serious failings in its audits”
“InfluenceMap analyzed more than 50,000 pieces of evidence covering hundreds of the world's most significant companies and trade groups”
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How does Babcock International compare with other defence companies?
Babcock International is the highest-scoring defence company we've rated.
Among the 4 major defence brands we've scored, Babcock International sits 1st of 4.
Who comes next in Defence?
Babcock International leads its sector. These are the next 3 down.
BAE Systems reports operational emissions reductions but Scope 1 rose year-on-year, and Scope 3, the bulk of its footprint, is only estimated from revenue.
See the breakdown →RTX's Scope 1 and 2 emissions are 27% below 2019, but its Scope 3, about 95% of its footprint, has not fallen, and the use-phase emissions of its engines rose in the latest data.
See the breakdown →Lockheed Martin operates with comprehensive operational emissions reporting (Scope 1+2 verified, on track to 2030 target) but masks massive supply chain emissions through spend-based estimation rather than primary data.
See the breakdown →Which companies moved this week, and why.
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