BAE Systems sustainability score: 33/100
BAE Systems is a UK-headquartered aerospace, defence and security company. It designs and manufactures military aircraft, naval vessels, ordnance and electronic systems.
More about BAE Systems
With £28.3bn revenue (FY2025) and ~111,400 employees globally, it is a primary defence contractor for the UK, US and allied governments.
Founded 1979Head office Farnborough, United KingdomStaff ~111,400 (2025)Revenue £28,336M revenue (FY2025)Website ↗
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. Renewable energy penetration is negligible at 1.2%. Water data absent entirely. Waste recycling fell to 36%, hazardous waste up 50%. The company discloses targets but lacks independent validation.
BAE Systems scores 33/100 (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 BAE Systems joint 595th of 934 companies scored, and 2nd of 4 in Defence.
What is BAE Systems doing well, and where does it fall short?
Strongest on Carbon Footprint: Operations and Transparency & Accountability (8/10, 7/10). Weakest on Water Impact and Energy Source (2/10, 3/10).
Where BAE Systems lost points
For each question that lost points, the evidence our public rubric looks for that we didn't find.
- Emissions from its own operations8/10No verified figures published with their method and a falling trend.
- Emissions from its supply chain5/10Most of its supply-chain (Scope 3) emissions aren't measured.
- Whether its emissions are falling5/10No evidence of a year-on-year fall in its total emissions.
- How clean its energy is3/10No renewable energy tariff or major efficiency investment shown.
- Its effect on nature3/10No assessment of its effect on nature, and no basic environmental policy.
- How it uses materials and handles waste3/10No active waste reduction, reuse or repair shown.
- Its effect on water2/10No monitoring of water use, or no measures to reduce it.
- Its climate targets4/10Its targets aren't science-based or committed to the Science Based Targets initiative.
- 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 BAE Systems's SINK score calculated?
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × ScaleHas BAE Systems's score changed?
BAE Systems's score has moved from 40 to 33 across 2 recorded reviews, down 7 points.
- 40 → 33-72 November 2026
Re-scored under the current method (v2.5.24).
- Scored 4011 April 2026
Initial score at platform launch
What evidence is BAE Systems's score based on?
10 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
10% of them were published by BAE Systems itself; the rest come from independent sources.
“Emissions from activities which BAE Systems owns or controls (Scope 1) 114,074 51,878 104,948 52,662”
“highly skilled people in more than 40 countries”
“The solar farm will supply BAE Systems with enough clean energy to meet around 15 per cent of its current UK demand.”
“The PPA contract between BAE Systems and EDF Power Solutions is for 15 years of energy supply.”
“BAE Systems Inc., HSAAP operating contractor, finished the 14 projects ahead of schedule”
“funding of studies into marine water quality in settlement of control of pollution (Oil Storage) offences”
“which aims to tackle marine litter from source to sea”
“Environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB) has been accused of greenwashing after accepting cash from one of Europe's biggest weapons manufacturers.”
“Docket Number: RCRA-04-2024-4002(b)”
“Penalty : $279,700”
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How does BAE Systems compare with other defence companies?
Where BAE Systems sits among defence peers.
Among the 4 major defence brands we've scored, BAE Systems sits 2nd of 4.
Who scores higher in Defence?
The one company in the sector scoring above BAE Systems.
See the full Defence table →Which companies moved this week, and why.
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