Sustainability at Thales
Society
Thales is playing its part in shaping a sustainable future by safeguarding citizens and protecting critical infrastructure from physical and digital threats. The Group is committed to digital responsibility and adheres to stringent ethical standards. By sharing the power of technology with our communities, we help to build trust in technical progress and leverage its benefits for the good of society.
© Jérôme SIVIEN - Thales
Making the world more secure physically and digitally
At Thales, we recognise that our solutions play a crucial role in helping nations protect their sovereign interests in the air, in space, at sea and in cyberspace. As technology permeates every sector of the economy – from manufacturing and services, to critical infrastructure and more - cybersecurity is becoming a key enabler of global stability. The critical assets we protect on behalf of our customers help boost economic activity and spur progress in many areas of day-to-day life.
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Defence
Armed forces around the world use Thales’s cutting-edge solutions to generate and gather data, cooperate with one another and stay connected – on land, at sea and in the air. These technologies – AI, unmanned systems and more – cover the entire decision-making chain, from threat detection to neutralisation, and from mission planning to post-mission analysis.
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Aerospace
Thales offers an extensive range of airspace security and optimisation solutions, spanning everything from air traffic management, control and monitoring systems, to drones and other new technology platforms. Our avionics solutions support pilots and operators, ushering in a new era of connected, secure aviation backed by explainable, validated, secure and responsible AI.
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Cyber and Digital
Thales’s cyber and digital solutions allow users to issue and check digital identities, access digital services, encrypt data, protect applications, secure digital translations and counter cyberattacks.
Key 2024 business achievements
Supporting France's military reservists and victims of war
© MasterFilms - Thales
Thales is proud of the reservists in its workforce, and of their commitment to serving the country.
In 2024, Thales renewed an agreement with the French Ministry of the Armed Forces entitling the more than 200 military reservists in the Group’s workforce to 20 days’ service leave per year – double the amount required under French law.
Thales also became a partner and sponsor of Bleuet de France, an organisation that supports war victims and honours those lost in conflict.
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Human rights and fundamental freedoms
Thales does not manufacture or sell controversial weapons. In 2022, white phosphorous was phased out from its products and the development of real-time facial recognition solutions for mass-surveillance applications was halted. Rules are in place to prevent risks of serious infringements of human rights and fundamental freedoms that could arise from the misuse of the Group's products and services. Thales also maintains active dialogue with subject-matter experts and NGOs with a view to improving its practices.
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Global whistleblowing system
Thales Alert Lines, the Group’s whistleblowing system, is open to Thales employees and contractors, as well as third-party individuals such as customer staff, suppliers and co-contractors. Anyone who files a report has their identity protected, and all reports and subsequent communications are handled in a secure environment.
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Anti-bribery management
In 2021, we obtained ISO 37001 certification for anti-bribery management systems (which was renewed in 2024) in recognition of our robust Integrity and Compliance programme and the substantive support for these efforts from the very highest level of Group governance. In 2025, this certification covers Thales SA and the companies it controls in France, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Thales Italia SpA.
Key 2024 ethics achievements
Ethical standards for the digital age
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At Thales, we believe that all our innovation projects need to be guided by our Digital Ethics Charter. Responsible innovation continues to be the cornerstone of our approach to R&D, particularly for the development of explainable, validated, secure and responsible AI and biometrics, ensuring that the solutions we develop comply with relevant standards and regulatory frameworks. Many of these technologies play a key role in addressing the major challenges of our time, but they also raise significant ethical concerns, in particular in the defence and security sectors.
Building a responsible supply chain
With Thales’s annual spending on goods and services amounting to almost 50% of Group sales, procurement is a key pillar of the Group’s CSR strategy. We work with our suppliers to help them meet their commitments to ethical and sustainable practices, and we require every business we source from to sign the Group’s Integrity and Corporate Responsibility Charter.
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Thales Integrity and Corporate Responsibility Charter - Partners and Suppliers
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Inspiring careers in science
Science has a crucial role to play in addressing the major societal and environmental challenges of our time. Thales is committed to sharing knowledge and encouraging young people to pursue scientific studies and consider careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
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Thales Solidarity
We actively encourage young people to pursue careers in science through Thales Solidarity, our community engagement programme. The programme is backed by a charitable fund in France, relies on the dedication and generosity of our people and includes initiatives supported by Group entities all over the world.
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Vocation Makers
Our Human Resources Department leads various initiatives through its Vocation Makers programme, which sees Thales employees talk about careers in science and technology in schools, act as mentors to students, participate in the academic ecosystem, and share their expertise through training modules, technical conference sessions and hackathons.
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Championing women in STEM
In 2023, we launched Women Inspiring Women# to encourage more women and girls to consider pursuing careers in STEM. The campaign, which features a series of videos spotlighting women who have forged successful careers at Thales, aims to promote gender balance and inspire the next generation of female scientists and engineers.
Nurturing tomorrow’s talent through a new grant and mentoring programme
Through STEM for ALL, our new grant and mentoring program, Thales Solidarity supports young people who are passionate about STEM and are facing difficulties financing their studies.
Each year, 50 students are selected to receive a €5,000 grant and 12 months of mentoring from Thales employees, who offer deep insights into life in the corporate world and careers in science and technology.
