Saab AB — Ethics Grade C

Saab AB receives an overall ethics grade of C (48/100) on CancelCo's corporate accountability database. Sector: Defense & Aerospace. Market cap: Large Cap.

Category scores

• labor: 70
• privacy: 80
• consumer: 50
• environment: 65
• humanRights: 40

Documented incidents (3)

• South African Arms Deal Bribery (high, 2011) — Saab admitted that bribes were paid by its former partner BAE Systems to secure a deal for Gripen fighter jets in South Africa. The company faced intense scrutiny over its internal oversight during the 1999 transaction.
• Brazil Fighter Jet Procurement Investigation (medium, 2016) — Brazilian prosecutors investigated the $5.4 billion Gripen deal, alleging influence peddling and corruption involving high-ranking officials. While Saab denied wrongdoing, the legal proceedings highlighted risks in international defense contracting.
• PFAS Contamination at Testing Sites (medium, 2021) — Environmental agencies identified significant PFAS soil and water contamination at sites used by Saab for fire-fighting foam testing. The company has faced pressure to remediate long-term chemical leakage into local ecosystems.

Documented good deeds

• Science Based Targets Initiative Approval — Saab became the first major defense company to have its greenhouse gas emission reduction targets approved by the SBTi, committing to net-zero by 2050.

Ethical alternatives

• Dassault Aviation — Better ESG disclosure and lower historical bribery incident frequency in recent audits.