ESG Report · 2025

Look up, there is a good chance it was made by us

Reaching new heights together by making air and space safe and sustainable. Sonaca's ESG report for the period 1 January – 31 December 2025.

6,900+
Employees
Across the Sonaca Group
7
Countries
Belgium, USA, Brazil, Canada, Romania, Spain, Mexico
2 MWc
On-site solar installed
7,300 photovoltaic panels
2050
Aviation net-zero goal
ICAO Long-Term Global Aspirational Goal (LTAG)
Our commitment

Sustainability, engineered in

"Reaching new heights together, by making air and space safe and sustainable, and by embedding responsibility into everything we design and build."

Sonaca is a global leader in the design, development and manufacturing of critical aerostructures for the civil, defense and space markets. As a Tier-1 partner to the world's leading aircraft manufacturers, we know that the components we build must meet the highest standards of safety, reliability and, increasingly, sustainability.

Sustainability is embedded in our strategic agenda, from a long-term transition towards ICAO's net-zero 2050 ambition to Life Cycle Assessment integrated directly into our engineering process. Our sustainability strategy is built on five strategic pillars. Progress is reviewed bi-monthly by the Sustainability team and the respective pillar owners, while objectives and performance are assessed quarterly by a Steering Committee chaired by the Head of Transformation. Oversight at Board level is ensured through regular reporting by the Ethics & Compliance Committee.

Head of Transformation Sonaca Group
Sonaca team reviewing its sustainability framework
Our Sustainability Framework

Five pillars, one direction

Our ESG programme is organised around five pillars, coordinated by a dedicated Head of Transformation and overseen at Board level through our Ethics & Compliance Committee.

01
Clean & Safe Aerospace
Designing cleaner aerospace through Life Cycle Assessment and low-emission technologies (silent slats, laminar-flow leading edges and efficient ice protection) while ensuring product quality and reliability.
02
Sustainable Production
Reducing our environmental footprint through energy efficiency, on-site renewable energy, cleaner surface-treatment chemistries, water stewardship and circular-economy waste practices.
03
Caring for People
Improving health & safety, ensuring equal opportunities and fair pay, and strengthening employee engagement and retention with Group-wide targets and modern HR systems.
04
Business Integrity
Embedding ethics and compliance through our Code of Conduct, robust cybersecurity and data-privacy management, and a commitment to ISO 27001 certification for key entities.
05
Extended Corporate Responsibility
Building a resilient, responsible supply chain through a Supplier Code of Conduct and sustainability criteria in procurement, extending our impact across the value chain.
Our Initiatives

Progress across E, S & G

Decarbonisation plan & GHG targets
A decarbonisation plan has been adopted for Sonaca SA, targeting a 13% reduction in Scope 1 & 2 GHG emissions by 2031 from a 2023 baseline, to support the aviation industry's transition pathway towards ICAO's net-zero 2050 ambition. In 2025, Sonaca SA's Scope 1 & 2 emissions totalled 14,336 tCO₂e.
On-site renewable energy
We installed 7,300 photovoltaic panels totalling 2 MWc in our parking areas for on-site renewable electricity, and are switching the company car fleet to electric, part of a broader energy-efficiency programme across our sites.
Energy management & efficiency
A centralised Energy Management System monitors 350 sensors on major consumers to identify savings. We automated the resting time of two industrial quenching furnaces, insulated steam circuits and building façades and roofs, and built a new low-energy office building, working toward ISO 50001 certification by 2027.
Cleaner production & circular economy
We are eliminating hexavalent chromium from surface treatments (evidenced by Sonaca Montréal in 2024) and targeting REACH compliance. Packaging is reused and shipping boxes reconditioned; the majority of our 2,909 tonnes of waste is recycled or reused, with a target to lift non-hazardous waste recycling at Sonaca SA from 12% (2015) to 38% by 2030.
Water stewardship
Process waters from metal finishing are treated on-site and recycled through ion-exchange columns before discharge. A water-management plan for Sonaca SA targets a 50% reduction in wastewater non-conformities by 2030 versus 2019.
Aerial view of solar panel canopy at a Sonaca facility
Health & safety
Zero work-related fatalities at Sonaca SA in 2025. We are improving health & safety performance with a target to bring the accident frequency rate at Sonaca SA down from 32.5 (2019) to 26.5 by 2026, and a further 5% Group-level improvement by 2027.
Fair pay & equal opportunity
All employees are paid at or above the applicable minimum wage, with 65.63% covered by collective bargaining agreements at Group level. Our gender pay gap stands at −3.08% (women's pay is slightly above men's on average, but not in each payroll category), and we aim to reduce any gap by 50% by 2030 versus 2019.
Training & development
Employees received an average of around 55 training hours in 2025 (60h for men, 51h for women, Sonaca SA). We are strengthening engagement and retention with defined Group targets, aiming for under 7% regretted loss and 75% engagement by 2030.
A global, diverse workforce
Our 6,900+ employees are spread across Belgium (1,615), the USA (953), Brazil (716), Canada (265), Romania (215), Spain (3,100) and Mexico. Diversity is actively promoted across the Group.
Product quality & reliability
We safeguard customers and end-users through enhanced inspection and quality controls (including final automated inspection of A320 and A220 slats at Sonaca SA) with a target to reduce the escape rate by 50% versus 2019 by 2030.
Group photo of Sonaca factory employees
Board-level ESG oversight
Sustainability is overseen at Board level through our Ethics & Compliance Committee, covering environmental stewardship, climate and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI). A dedicated Head of Transformation coordinates the programme and drives execution across five sustainability pillars.
Business integrity & cybersecurity
We reinforce ethics through our Code of Conduct, targeting 85% employee participation in awareness training at Group level by 2030, alongside 100% participation in cyber-awareness training and ISO 27001 certification for Sonaca SA & Sonaca Romania by 2030.
Responsible supply chain
From 2025 our new Supplier Code of Conduct (covering legal compliance, labour and human rights, environmental and health & safety standards, responsible minerals and product safety) applies to all new contracts, with a target of 75% supplier compliance by 2030.
CSRD readiness & climate risk
Sonaca is in scope of the CSRD and is preparing to release its first report on the 2027 reporting exercise. A climate-risk analysis aligned with ESRS 2 and E1-9 has been conducted, including scenario-based assessments across our global sites and steps toward adaptation planning.
Contributing to the SDGs
Our programme contributes to ten UN Sustainable Development Goals: good health & well-being (3), gender equality (5), clean water (6), clean energy (7), decent work (8), industry & innovation (9), responsible production (12), climate action (13), strong institutions (16) and partnerships (17).
Worker using a digital dashboard on the factory floor
Key Figures 2025

Performance in numbers

Figures for Sonaca SA, unless stated otherwise.

Environment
Scope 1 + 2 GHG emissions
14,336tCO₂e
Total energy consumption
67,247MWh
On-site solar installed
2MWc
Total waste generated
2,909tonnes total
Social
Total workforce
1,615employees
Collective bargaining coverage (Group)
65.6%
Work-related fatalities
0
Engagement survey participation
87.4%
Governance
Cybersecurity training participation
95%
Environmental management
ISO 14001
Sustainability pillars
5
First CSRD report
2027
Certifications & Recognition

Independently recognised

Valid to 2029
ISO 14001
Environmental Management System certification for the design, testing, production, maintenance and repair of aerospace parts, assemblies, systems and tools, issued by DNV Business Assurance France SARL.
Sonaca España · 2025
EcoVadis Gold
Sonaca España reached a Gold rating at EcoVadis in 2025, placing this entity among the top performers assessed across environment, labour & human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement. Sonaca is looking to extend the certification across the Group.
First report 2027
CSRD-Ready
In scope of the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, Sonaca is preparing its first CSRD report for the 2027 reporting exercise, supported by an ESRS-aligned climate-risk analysis.
Our Targets

The road ahead

Concrete, time-bound ambitions across our five pillars, from cleaner production and safer workplaces to a resilient supply chain and the aviation industry's net-zero transition.

2026
Sonaca SA: bring the accident frequency rate down to 26.5 (from 32.5 in 2019) and complete final automated inspection of A320 & A220 slats.
2027
Obtain ISO 50001 energy-management certification for Sonaca SA. Publish our first CSRD report.
2030
75% supplier compliance with the Supplier Code of Conduct. Reduce the gender pay gap by 50% vs 2019. ISO 27001 certification (Sonaca SA & Sonaca Romania) and 85% Code-of-Conduct training.
2031
Reduce Scope 1 & 2 GHG emissions by 13% from a 2023 baseline (Sonaca SA).
2050
Support the aviation industry's transition pathway towards ICAO's net-zero 2050 ambition.