BAE Systems is a British aerospace, defence, and security company founded in 1999, headquartered in Farnborough.
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BAE Systems discloses operational emissions with GHG Protocol alignment but lacks third-party assurance for 2024 data. Scope 3 reporting severely undercounts defence platform operational emissions over multi-decade lifecycles. A 2010 bribery settlement and ongoing memberships in climate-negative trade associations expose unresolved governance gaps.
BAE Systems scores 40/100 (Below expectations) on SINK's independent climate assessment, scored from public data only. Fees pay for the review, never the result. Last verified May 2026.
That places BAE Systems joint 366th of 847 companies scored, and 1st of 4 in Defence.
BAE Systems is the highest-scoring defence company we've rated.
Among the 4 major defence brands we've scored, BAE Systems sits 1st of 4.
Its three lowest-scoring questions, and what the evidence didn't show.
No quantified nature footprint, TNFD alignment, or deforestation-free commitments disclosed.
No quantified water consumption, reduction targets, or stewardship programme details publicly available.
Use of sold products listed but defence platform operational emissions over multi-decade lifecycles almost certainly far exceed disclosed ~55kt total.
A score changes when the evidence does. We use new published evidence at the next rescore. Evidence that isn't public can count through an evidence review.
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Get in touch →Strongest on Energy Source and Carbon Footprint — Operations (7/10, 6/10). Weakest on Nature & Biodiversity Impact and Water Impact (3/10, 3/10).
BAE Systems leads its sector. These are the next 3 down.
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.
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 →The formula and all 12 sources.
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × Scale12 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
8 of 12 sources are independent of the company.
If you believe a source has been misread or a newer version exists, submit a challenge.
BAE Systems is a British aerospace, defence, and security company founded in 1999, headquartered in Farnborough. With 100,000 employees and £23.1bn annual revenue (FY2023), it designs and manufactures military aircraft, ships, armoured vehicles, and munitions for global defence forces. It ranks among Europe's largest defence contractors.
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