According to GlobalData’s filing analytics, ESG mentions have had the largest drop of any theme: falling by 81.88% based on a period-over-period comparison.
Curiously, the word ‘technology’ has seen the second largest drop in mentions, having fallen by 68.82%.
However, all is not lost for global defence industries seeking sustainability. Contrary to these declining figures the pan-European defence supplier Thales has announced it has joined France’s CAC SBT 1,5° climate index on the Paris Stock Exchange yesterday.
Thales joins Paris climate index
Launched in January 2023, CAC SBT 1,5° meets investors’ growing demand for sustainable investment instruments. As a prominent defence technology provider Thales’ inclusion in the climate index may begin to shake up these declining figures.
The CAC SBT 1,5° regroups companies on the SBF 120 French stock market index whose greenhouse gas emissions reduction objectives have been recognized by the SBTi as being in line with the 1.5° target set by the Paris Agreement. It only includes companies that respect the United Nations Global Compact principles.
In March 2023, Thales’s climate objectives were approved by the SBTi. The Paris-listed company has committed to reduce by 2030, in absolute terms, its operational greenhouse gas emissions by 50.4%, and its emissions related to its supply chain and to the use of the company’s products by its clients by 15%.
“This recognition by the financial community of our efforts to decarbonise our operations, as well as those of our suppliers and customers, testifies to the seriousness of our strategy for a low-carbon future,” Thales CEO Patrice Caine stated. “Furthermore, as a major global technology player, we know that we have a role to play in tackling the multiple challenges posed by climate change to individuals, states and economies.”
Government and industry ESG efforts
The UK Ministry of Defence has made efforts to transition. The UK Royal Air Force has lately completed an air-to-air refuelling flight using a Voyager tanker powered by a 43% blend of sustainable aviation fuel.
While governments carry a lot of the ESG burden to decarbonise industries are also working together to transition sustainably.
Recently, Hellios Information and BAE Systems launched a collaborative decarbonisation programme to help aerospace and defence companies and their suppliers calculate and reduce their Scope 3 carbon emissions.
JOSCAR Zero collects, measures and identifies how carbon emissions can be reduced across supply chains. It builds on the existing JOSCAR system, a collaborative tool which helps connect suppliers of all sizes with buyers, who can then quickly determine if a supplier is ‘fit for business’.
Our signals coverage is powered by GlobalData’s Disruptor data, which tracks all major deals, patents, company filings, hiring patterns and social media buzz across our sectors. These signals help us to uncover key innovation areas in the sector and the themes that drive them. They tell us about the topics on the minds of business leaders and investors, and indicate where leading companies are focusing their investment, deal-making and R&D efforts.
