Environment DefenceAirbus Defence & Space“Like in other sectors, thefirst step is to decarboniseits industrial footprintwherever possible, thisincludes carbon offsetting”Jose Antonio Coll GuzmanHead of sustainability, Airbus Defence & Spacesupport of societies increasingly concerned aboutenvironmental issues,” notes Depledge.“This gives rise to some uncomfortable andcomplex questions. Such as, what is the acceptablecarbon cost for the military?”As an example, he asks how people wouldrespond to another ‘War on Terror’ scenario. “Arewe prepared, as a society, to bear those costs again,not just in terms of the human or financial cost, butalso because there would be a carbon cost of thatconflict too?”While there are philosophical questions for societyto answer about warfare and carbon, leadingdefence manufacturers are making strong movesto address the due diligence required to meettheir Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)responsibilities, says Healy.“While the E in ESG is difficult to abate in theshort-term because that’s about emissions fromfossil fuel use in operations, the defence industryhas been generally good on the S and G front,making strides on board and workforce diversity andimproving the quality of reporting on ESG topics,”he says.“Some manufacturers have started workingwith supply chains to report on and manage theirenvironmental impacts, but finding meaningful,cost-effective and sustainable solutions is anythingbut trivial.”According to Guzman: “Like in other sectors,the first step [for a defence manufacturer] is todecarbonise its industrial footprint (buildings,industrial operations, logistics, etc) whereverpossible, this includes carbon offsetting.”“The defence industry is in a relatively uniqueposition, with fewer manufacturers makingdedicated and specific products for a focusedmarketplace,” says Healy. “In this small andhighly qualified supply base it is not easy to swapsuppliers. This puts the onus on the entire supplychain to work together to decarbonise.”In its ESG report, Raytheon Technologies stressesthe need to attract, develop and retain world-classtalent. This talent increasingly wants to join a firmthat puts sustainability at its core, and if defenceentities do not have a strategy in this regard, theycould become less attractive places to work, it says.“It has been observed that the further you get fromthe front line the more of an issue this becomes forrecruitment,” says Depledge. “If you go into the militaryto drive tanks or fly fighter jets, [sustainability] isnot really a big issue. But if you are set back from thefront line in more of a supporting role then people willask whether they would prefer to work for a ‘clean’organisation rather than a ‘dirty’ one.”Quick thinkingThere are a multitude of questions and challengesfor the defence sector to consider, but progressto answers is at an early stage, argues Depledge.“Decisions must follow quickly if such thinking isto have any significant bearing on the character ofmilitary operations in 2050,” he says.“This leaves little time for consideration of whatthe pursuit of low-carbon warfare will mean for thefuture character of military operations, how it mightintersect with other trends such as advances inautomation and AI [artificial intelligence], or how itcould be affected by major ruptures in the internationalsecurity environment.”The debate around the defence sector’s impacton and reaction to climate change is in its infancy.However, there are leaders already tackling the issuehead-on hoping that many others will follow, andquickly, as the military ponders how to deal with its‘carbon problem’. ◗54 Flight International April 2023
Environment ActionSlow turnCompared to commercial aviation, thedefence sector has been trailing in takingaction to mitigate its greenhouse gasemissions – but change is afootPioneering SAF trials in the UK have centredon a Royal Air Force A330 Voyager tankerCrown CopyrightApril 2023 Flight International 55
Change language