Responsible Nuclear Divestment
June 21, 2017
Ariel Conn
Only 30 companies worldwide are involved in the creation of nuclear weapons, cluster munitions and/or landmines. Yet a significant number of popular funds invest in these companies. Happily there are still a large number of funds that are relatively unconnected with the creation of these inhumane and indiscriminate weapons, which means you can start investing in a beneficial future for all.
Are you investing in the world’s worst weapons?
Enter your funds below to find out:
FLI believes that spending more money producing nuclear weapons makes us less safe, as explained in this 3-minute video: deterrence requires way less than 7,000 nukes and building more increases the risk of accidental nuclear war and nuclear winter killing most people on Earth (source).
Prohibited by the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions which over 100 nations have joined, cluster munitions pose an immediate threat to civilians during conflict by randomly scattering submunitions or bomblets over an area the size of a football field and continue to pose a threat post-conflict by leaving remnants, including submunitions, which fail to explode upon impact, becoming de facto landmines (source).
Prohibited by the Mine Ban Treaty which over 160 nation have joined, antipersonnel mines are indiscriminate weapons that injure and kill civilians across the globe on a daily basis. Lying in wait for their victims, they don’t recognize ceasefires and continue to kill and maim long after the end of conflicts, instilling fear in communities and providing a lethal barrier to development (source).
All information about weapon producers below comes from the 2015 PAX/Profundo nuclear weapon report, the 2015 Landmine & Cluster Munition Monitor report and the 2014 PAX/Profundo cluster munition report.
Data on fund holdings come from Morningstar via a partnership with As You Sow.
Data on indirect investments come from the 2015 PAX/Profundo nuclear weapon report, and the 2014 PAX/Profundo cluster munition report.
Data on indirect investments come from the 2015 PAX/Profundo nuclear weapon report, and the 2014 PAX/Profundo cluster munition report.
Divestment helps stigmatize, which played a key role e.g. in ending Apartheid in South Africa. Divestment pressure persuaded Lockheed Martin to stop making Cluster Munitions and, in 2015, it persuaded one of only two remaining landmine producing companies, Singapore Technology and Engineering, to stop.
Worried about certain weapons more than others? Check the boxes below to search by funds specific to each, and click on the weapons to learn more about them.
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Cluster Munitions |  |
Landmines |  |
Nuclear Weapons |
Scroll below for responsible investment options.
Why Divest and From Which Companies?
Divestment helps stigmatize, which played a key role, for example, in ending Apartheid in South Africa. Divestment pressure persuaded Lockheed Martin to stop making Cluster Munitions and, in 2015, it persuaded one of only two remaining landmine producing companies, Singapore Technology and Engineering, to stop. And the companies below are the 30 companies still making cluster munitions, landmines, and nuclear weapons. Ready to stigmatize? (Hover over each logo to see what weapons the companies make.)
Aecom provides professional technical and management support services and is part of the joint venture that manages the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS), previously known as the Nevada Test Site, a key fixture in the US nuclear weapons infrastructure.
Aerojet Rocketdyne, formerly known as GenCorp is involved in the design, development and production of land- and sea-based nuclear ballistic missile systems for the United States. It is currently producing propulsion systems for Minuteman III and D5 Trident nuclear missiles.
Airbus is a Dutch company that produces and
maintains the M51 submarine-launched nuclear
missiles for the French navy. Through joint
venture MBDA, Airbus is also providing mediumrange
air-to-surface missiles to the French air
force.
BAE Systems is involved in the US and UK Trident
II (D5) strategic weapons system programmes. It is
also the prime contractor for the US Minuteman
III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) system.
BAE Systems is also part of the joint venture
providing medium-range air-to-surface missiles
for France.
Babcock & Wilcox manages and operates
several US nuclear weapons facilities including
the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory,
Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Nevada
National Security Site (NNSS), previously known
as the Nevada Test Site, each of which are
engaged in various aspects of nuclear warhead
modernisation.
Bechtel manages the Los Alamos and Lawrence
Livermore national laboratories in the US, which
play an important role in the research, design,
development and production of nuclear weapons.
It also leads the joint venture for management
and operation of the Y-12 National Security
Complex in Tennessee and the Pantex Plant in
Texas.
Boeing is involved in the maintenance of the
Minuteman III nuclear intercontinental ballistic
missiles in the US arsenal. It also provides the US
and UK Trident II (D5) with maintenance, repair, and
rebuilding and technical services.
CH2M Hill is one of the joint venture partners in
National Security Technologies (NSTec) that manages
the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS), previously
known as the Nevada Test Site, a key fixture in the
US nuclear weapons infrastructure.
China Aerospace Science and Technology has a subsidiary, Sichuan Aerospace Industry Cooperation, which advertises cluster munitions on the product pages of its website. We found no evidence that it had ceased producing these types of cluster munitions since May 2008.
In February 2015, Engility acquired US-based TASC.
It is involved in the research and development for
the Solid Rocket Motor Modernization Study of the
Minuteman III system for the US arsenal.
Finmeccanica is involved in the design,
development and delivery of two Transporter
Erector Replacement Vehicles to support the US
Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Minuteman
III-fleet. It is also involved in the joint venture that
supplies medium-range air-to-surface missiles for
the French arsenal.
Fluor is the lead partner responsible for the
management and operation of the US Department
of Energy�s Savannah River Site and Savannah River
National Laboratory, the only source of new tritium
for the US nuclear arsenal.
General Dynamics provides a range of engineering,
development, and production activities to support
to US and UK Trident II Strategic Weapons Systems.
It is also involved in the guidance systems of the
Trident II (D5) nuclear missiles of the US Navy.
After Singapore Teechnology & Engineering announced their halt of landmine production in 2015, Hanwha is the only remaining private company producing known to produce landmines, with recent products including KM74 antipersonnel mines and Claymore directional fragmentation mines. Hanwha is also listed as a cluster munition producer because it marketed the MPSM submunitions on its website after May 2008, produced DPICM submunitions and 227 mm MLRS at least until 2011 and marketed the 2.75'' submunitions and 120 mm mortar bombs with cluster ammunition in 2011. There is no evidence that it has ceased production of this type of submunitions since May 2008.
Honeywell International manages and operates
the National Security Campus where an estimated
85% of the non-nuclear components for US nuclear
weapons are produced. It is also involved in tritium
production at the Savannah River Site and produces
components for integrated circuits for the Trident II
(D5) nuclear missiles of the US arsenal.
Huntington Ingalls Industries is involved in
management of the US nuclear arsenal, and in
tritium production at the Savannah River Site,
the only source of new tritium for the US nuclear
arsenal.
Jacobs Engineering Group is involved in the
joint venture AWE-ML, which manages the UK
Atomic Weapons Establishment, that designs,
manufactures and maintains nuclear warheads
for the UK.
Larsen & Toubro is responsible for developing the
launcher system for the nuclear-capable shortrange
surface-to-air Akash missile system for the
Indian nuclear arsenal.
Lockheed Martin is responsible for the
construction of the Trident II (D5) nuclear missiles
for the US and the UK. It is also involved in the
production and maintenance of the Minuteman
III nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles for the
US. It is part of the joint venture AWE-ML, which
manages the UK Atomic Weapons Establishment,
that designs, manufactures and maintains nuclear
warheads for the UK.
Moog develops launch vehicle and strategic
missile controls for the Minuteman III and Trident
(D5) missiles for the US nuclear arsenal.
There is evidence that Norinco has produced cluster munitions after May 2008. The company has not publicly stated that it will end its involvement within the coming 12 months.
Northrop Grumman is involved with production
and maintenance of the Minuteman III nuclear
Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM) for the
US nuclear arsenal. It also provides support for
the Trident II (D5) system for the US and the UK. It
is also part of the joint venture that manages the
Nevada National Security Site (NNSS), previously
known as the Nevada Test Site, a key fixture in the
US nuclear weapons infrastructure.
Orbital ATK (formerly known as ATK or Alliant
Techsystems) produces rocket propulsion
systems for Trident II submarine launched
ballistic missiles. Orbital ATK is also responsible for refurbishing all three solid propellant stages
of the Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic
Missile (ICBM) for the US. It is also involved in the
joint venture for management and operation of
the Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee
and the Pantex Plant in Texas. In August 2013, the Council on Ethics for the Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global decided to stop considering ATK a producer of cluster munitions because the company no longer advertises production of CBU-87/B cluster munitions and BLU-108 submunitions. However, the 2014 PAX/Profundo-report continues to list ATK (now part of Orbital ATK) on their cluster munition producer list in the absense of a public statement about halting production, and because of their activities in relation to the SFW propulsion system.
There is evidence that Poongsan produced DPICM K308 and K310 cluster munitions and marketed the K305 after May 2008. No evidence was found that these types of cluster munitions were no longer produced since then. The company has not publicly stated that it will end its involvement within the coming 12 months.
Raytheon is involved in a project to stretch the
life-cycle of the guidance systems of the Trident
II (D5) nuclear missiles of the US Navy. It is also
involved in studies in support of the new W80-4
Long-Range Standoff missile for the US arsenal.
Safran is part of a joint venture to build M51
submarine-launched nuclear missiles for the
French navy, which each deliver multiple
warheads. Its subsidiaries Snecma and Sagem
provide the propulsion and navigation systems for
these missiles.
Serco owns a one-third share in the joint venture
AWE-ML, which runs the UK Atomic Weapons
Establishment. It is responsible for manufacturing
and maintaining the nuclear warheads for the UK
arsenal.
Textron designs and builds re-entry vehicles for
the US Minuteman III inter-continental ballistic
missile (ICBM). Textron is also included on the Profundo/PAX list of cluster munition producers because there is sufficient evidence that Textron has produced the Sensor Fuzed Weapon (SFW) after May 2008. The company has not stated publicly that it will end its involvement in the coming 12 months.
Thales is part of a joint venture to build the M51
submarine-launched nuclear missiles for the
French navy.
Walchandnagar Industries Limited supplies infrastructure and facilities for the production of the surface-to-air short-range Akash missile and the launching systems for Agni and Akash missiles for the Indian arsenal. It also manufactures the main thrust motor casing segment for the intercontinental ballistic Agni-V missile.
Responsible Investing
Now that you know what you’re invested in and which companies you want to avoid, how do you choose alternative funds? Remember above where we said there are lots of alternative options? Get ready to start scrolling! The list below includes all of the funds that have absolutely no connection to weapons-producing companies, and further down are funds that aren’t directly invested in the weapons-producing companies you care about, but they still have indirect investments. Click on any of the funds to visit their websites, or just pass this list on to your financial advisor or planner for their help narrowing down where you want to put your money.
This content was first published at futureoflife.org on June 21, 2017.
About the Future of Life Institute
The Future of Life Institute (FLI) is a global non-profit with a team of 20+ full-time staff operating across the US and Europe. FLI has been working to steer the development of transformative technologies towards benefitting life and away from extreme large-scale risks since its founding in 2014. Find out more about our mission or explore our work.
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