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BAE Systems·Defence·Farnborough, United Kingdom·Founded 1999·Last verified 25 April 2026
40
out of 100
Below expectationsPending Review

BAE Systems reports operational emissions reductions and renewable electricity, but Scope 3 disclosure is severely understated for a defence manufacturer with multi-decade product lifecycles. Major gaps remain in supply chain transparency, biodiversity strategy, and water management. Historical bribery convictions and misaligned trade association memberships undermine credibility.

The calculation

Every score shows its working.

Same formula for every company. No curve. No private weighting.

SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × Scale
Industry base impact
Defence sector ceiling.
28 / 100
Performance score
Sum of the 10 rubric questions, scored 0–10 each.
48 / 100
Raw score
Weighted average before scale penalty.
(0.3 × 28) + (0.7 × 48) = 42.0
Scale penalty
Multiplier based on absolute emissions volume — physics-first.
× 0.95
Final score
Rounded. Below expectations.
40 / 100
The ten questions

Where BAE Systems is strong, and where it isn't.

Strongest on Energy Source and Carbon Footprint — Operations (7/10, 6/10). Weakest on Water Impact and Nature & Biodiversity Impact (3/10, 3/10).

Where the evidence comes from

Every document used, listed.

13 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which rubric questions it informed.

[1]Third-party verified
DitchCarbon — BAE Systems Emissions Data
Ongoing
Q1Q2Q8
View →
[2]Self-reported
BAE Systems — GHG Emissions
Ongoing
Q1
View →
[3]Self-reported
BAE Systems — Sustainability Reporting
Ongoing
Q1Q5Q7Q9
View →
[4]Third-party verified
Net0Tracker — BAE Systems
Ongoing
Q2Q3Q8
View →
[5]Third-party verified
Illuminem — BAE Systems Climate Data
Ongoing
Q3
View →
[6]Third-party verified
Tracenable — BAE Systems Climate Targets
Ongoing
Q3
View →
[7]Self-reported
Carbon Reduction Plan — BAE Systems plc
2023
Q3Q6
View →
[8]Public record
EDF Power Solutions — CPPA for BAE Systems
2026
Q4
View →
[9]Self-reported
BAE Systems — Environment and Climate Change
Ongoing
Q5Q6
View →
[10]Third-party verified
KnowESG — BAE Systems Rating
2025
Q8Q9
View →
[11]Self-reported
sustainabilitymag.com — net zero and esg at bae systems
Unknown
Q9
View →
[12]Third-party verified
InfluenceMap — BAE Systems Climate Lobbying
2025
Q10
View →
[13]Public record
Corporate Research — BAE Systems
Ongoing
Q10
View →

If you believe a source has been misread or a newer version exists, submit a challenge.

BAE Systems in context

BAE Systems is the highest-scoring defence company we've rated.

Among the 2 major defence brands we've scored, BAE Systems sits 1st of 2.

1/2
BAE Systems's rank
34
Industry average
27
Industry low
40
Industry high
How this score has moved

BAE Systems's score over time.

today

Score history begins 11 April 2026.

As BAE Systems's score updates, the trajectory will appear here.

We're backfilling historical scores for FTSE 100 and S&P 100 companies over the coming weeks.

What's being contested

This score is not currently being contested.

Every challenge is published. We'd rather be corrected than wrong — that's the whole point.

No challenges submitted yet. If you have evidence that contradicts this score, you can challenge any question above — cite a public source and we'll review it.

About BAE Systems

BAE Systems is a British multinational defence, security, and aerospace company headquartered in London. Founded in 1999, it designs and manufactures military aircraft, ships, armoured vehicles, weapons systems, and electronic warfare platforms for government and commercial customers globally. BAE is one of the world's largest defence contractors by revenue.

Founded
1999
Headquarters
Farnborough, United Kingdom
Employees
~107,000
Annual revenue
~£26.3B (~$33.6B)
Company website ↗
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