Corporate Social Responsibility at Thales

The defence industry carries a colossal responsibility to help keep nations safe and secure. This is the cornerstone of society and without it there can be no sustainability, but achieving sustainable growth means creating value beyond the bottom line.

In its latest report Thales has demonstrated its long term commitment to the UK , outlining its approach to social value with a collection of programmes designed to deliver a positive contribution to its communities, the environment and society at large.

Thales has created a framework that’s centred around four pillars of living net zero; making a contribution across the UK; supporting cohesion and inclusivity in our local communities; and promoting digital citizenship.

This approach builds on a comprehensive study carried out by Thales in partnership with the Social Value Portal to understand social needs in its local communities as well as identifying the areas around which Thales is best positioned to make the biggest material difference.

	Living Net Zero As world leaders came together at COP 26 to address the greatest challenge facing humankind, Thales took the UK’s climate change targets a step further and committed to achieve net zero in its UK operations by 2030. This report outlines the way in which Thales will deliver on its ambitious targets by incorporating eco-design principles into all new products by 2023 and identifying new ways to apply its technologies for broader environmental and societal benefit.
	Making a contribution across the UK With its unique geographic footprint, Thales is well positioned to add economic value across all four nations of the United Kingdom. Building on the recommendations from its study with the Social Value Portal, Thales has designed a series of initiatives to address the needs in its local communities today while leaving a positive legacy for future generations. This extends to working with supply chain partners to help them on their journey of continuous improvement and growth.
	Supporting cohesion and inclusivity in our local communities This pillar outlines Thales’ employee-led activity and is underpinned by its volunteering policy, with access to over 160,000 hours of employee-delivered volunteering each year. Thales will work with partners, including the Prince’s Trust, to establish programmes that support people from disadvantaged backgrounds and targets 13% of all hires each year to be from under-represented groups.
	Promoting digital citizenship Digital citizenship is essential in today’s society. Put simply, it’s the ability to access digital technology safely and responsibly. Thales has outlined the work it is doing to increase awareness and to support vulnerable groups in society, with a particular focus on STEM activity to encourage people into careers in Cyber Security and Space. It is also equipping our customers with technology that will help increase digital resilience for society in an increasingly interconnected world.

Alex Cresswell, Chief Executive and Chairman, Thales UK said:

"Social value is not a new concept to Thales, we’ve been committed to helping our local communities and the environment for many years but now, we’ve created a framework and a set of targets against it, pushing us to achieve even more.

I believe our approach has the power to deliver lasting benefits to our communities and stakeholders thanks to our unique capabilities, inspirational employees and wide-reaching geographic footprint. It makes me feel proud to be a part of Thales, a company that’s helping the UK become a safer, greener, more inclusive and prosperous society."

 

 

Thales UK’s community engagement is centred on our purpose of “building a future we can all trust”. The Thales UK Volunteering Programme is a key delivery vehicle to meet these ambitions.

All Thales UK employees have access to 24 hours paid volunteering a year and Early careers community having 80 hours.

Over the past few years we have seen our volunteering hours grow.

In 2024, Crawley employees volunteered 4638 hrs for community impact, 1124 hrs for environmental impact, 870 for fund raising, 2255 for school and college outreach.

To support our commitment to increasing diversity in the engineering sector we have a strong education programme. To maximise the impact of the programme we aim to develop long-term strategic partnerships. We target schools on indices of deprivation. The three schools we work with in Crawley are Thomas Bennett Community College, Ifield Community College and Holy Trinity CofE Secondary School. We not only deliver STEM and employability workshops but also aim to address issues the school are experiencing.

Emer Lesova, Head Teacher of the Thomas Bennett Community School says:

‘There is a national shortage in teachers and the profession is experiencing a recruitment crisis. As a result, the ability to retain high quality teachers and potential leaders is becoming increasingly more difficult.

We co-created a leadership programme which is based around tools and models used in industry rather than the education sector, including agile techniques. A talent management leadership programme has been set to encourage retention of high quality staff, alignment to our school values and upskilling the workforce in skills that are not often used within the school. 

The long term ideal from the school would be that this would continue so that the skills learned can be embedded and the programme can be rolled out across the school and the trust.’

 Our schools programme was recognised with a Social Conscience Award and as a finalist in the Global Good Awards. The work with TBCC has been shortlisted for Learning Awards for the Learning Giveback Award.

Part of our commitment to community engagement is to provide local young people with access to well-paid and rewarding careers for life, through the apprenticeship route. In Crawley we currently have 80 on programme undertaking Level 3 to Level 6 apprenticeships. In 2025 we have committed to increasing our intake to 30 new apprentices in Crawley, with a focus on developing emerging technologies such as data and software.

The Thales Community Investment Fund was introduced in 2024 to award grants to local charities that are employees are passionate about supporting. Nine Crawley charities have received funds of £4,000 to support them with projects.

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