UK Modern Slavery Act Statement

Chief Executive's introduction

Our purpose is to protect and serve those who protect and serve us, helping to contribute to a more secure and resilient world. As we work to support critical national security and defence capability, upholding high standards of integrity is central to how we do business.

Our commitment to responsible business includes maintaining and improving systems and processes that reduce the risk of slavery and human trafficking in our business and supply chain, as set out in this statement.

The people who contribute to our organisation – whether in our workforce or across our supply chain – deserve to be treated with dignity and respect and free from modern slavery risks that may affect them.

In the UK, we are progressing actions to strengthen our approach through our modern slavery working group. This statement provides more detail on the actions we have taken this year.

Charles Woodburn

Chief Executive, BAE Systems plc

What we achieved in 2025

Ongoing improvement

Refreshed, deployed and continued to engage our suppliers on our Supplier Code of Conduct

• We conducted a general refresh of our Supplier Principles Guidance for Responsible Business which were renamed the Supplier Code of Conduct and published in May 2025. We use the Supplier Code of Conduct to communicate our expectations to suppliers, along with content on our Supplier Knowledge Sharing web page.
• We re-issued our UK Standard Conditions of Purchase to reflect changes in laws and regulations and to further refine our expectations in relation to modern slavery.
• We continued to reference our Responsible Supply Chain Shop Window which builds on our policy statement by defining our specific areas of focus, including those related to modern slavery.
• Building on prior benchmarking activities, in 2025 we expanded the scope of our risk assessments across our UK business unit utilised suppliers.
• We deployed guidance in the UK within the Responsible Supply Chain Handbook on how to consider modern slavery aspects at each stage of the procurement lifecycle and launched activity to develop modern slavery related tender criteria.

Internal and external engagement

Continued to deploy modern slavery awareness training across relevant areas of our UK business

• We completed an annual Training Needs Assessment and continued to deliver initial and refresher modern slavery awareness training across our Supply Chain Procurement population.

Partnered to deliver consolidated UK business unit supplier engagement

• We partnered with defence industry peers to develop and deliver a series of supplier modern slavery awareness webinars across our collective supplier communities, demonstrating the importance of collaboration and best practice sharing.

Modern slavery risk awareness

• We update and deploy business guidance as needed, including the assessment and management of modern slavery risk.

Supplier risk assessments

Continued to conduct risk-based assurance with tier 1 suppliers to confirm adoption of our Supplier Code of Conduct

• During 2025, we undertook an annual risk-based assurance activity to assess our suppliers’ adoption of our Supplier Code of Conduct and to identify areas that required investigation and/or mitigation. We completed this assurance activity with directly contracted suppliers representing more than 31% of our global spend.

Continued to assess our tier 1 suppliers against high-risk commodities and locations

• We completed nine planned supplier risk assessments during 2025, covering a range of suppliers across our tier 1 network. This included an annual debt bondage risk assessment conducted with a number of our key labour-based services suppliers. This also included two global tier 1 supplier risk assessments (conducted at mid and year end) assessing commodities and locations against the US Department of Labor Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) List of higher exposure risk goods and locations.
• In addition, we undertook an assessment of a group of UK business unit suppliers contained within the Joint Supply Chain Accreditation Register (JOSCAR) reviewing the suppliers’ approach to management of modern slavery (including policy, awareness, training and risk assessments), utilising information held within JOSCAR and the Walk Free Foundation Global Slavery Index.

Continued to understand supply chain risk

• We continued to deepen our understanding of modern slavery risks in our supply chains by conducting supplier assessments (incorporating internal and external data sources). In 2025, across areas of our UK business units, we expanded the scope of these assessments by introducing additional evaluation areas, including suppliers’ approach to modern slavery, payment of the Real Living Wage, and the use of prison labour. We also broadened coverage including more sub tier suppliers in these assessments.

 
What we plan to do in 2026

Internal and external engagement

• Engage across our UK business to continue to educate and deploy relevant supply chain materials and further embed modern slavery considerations in our procurement processes through the provision of tender criteria guidance.
• Build upon collaboration with peers to grow engagement and best practice sharing, particularly in the delivery of supplier awareness activities (eg across common supplier communities).
• Continue to maintain up-to-date awareness of modern slavery risks across our business through ongoing training and engagement. 
• Continue to maintain and communicate the Responsible Supply Chain Shop Window in the UK through internal and external engagements and via refresh and re-publication of our Responsible Supply Chain brochure.
• Explore opportunities to engage a third party organisation, with expertise on modern slavery, to advise on how we can drive improvement in how modern slavery and human trafficking risk is identified, assessed and managed.

Supplier risk assessments

• Continue to conduct risk-based assurance with suppliers to confirm adoption of our Supplier Code of Conduct.
• Continue to assess our supply chain against high-risk commodities and geographies.
• Continue to mature our approach to supply chain risk assessments.