Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: Rolls-Royce exhibits strategic engagement that is both supportive and oppositional with science-aligned climate policy. 2023-25. Rolls-Royce has positive top-line messaging on climate change and has supported an EU sustainable aviation fuels mandate while appearing unsupportive of an ambitious non-CO2 monitoring, reporting and verification scheme for aviation.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Rolls-Royce had positive top-line communications on climate policy in 2023-25. In an April 2024 blog post, Rolls-Royce appeared to generally support the UNFCCC process. The company stated support for GHG emissions reductions in line with a 1.5°C target on its corporate website, accessed in July 2025. In a July 2024 joint letter to policymakers, Rolls-Royce advocated for governments to fund research into climate related impacts of aviation.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: Rolls-Royce actively advocated in support of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) mandates and incentives. Through the Americans for Clean Aviation Fuel (ACAF) coalition the company supported the Clean Fuel Production Credit (45Z) and the Big Beautiful Bill in a July 2025 press release, despite amendments in the bill that would likely reduce the emissions reduction potential of the credit. In an April 2025 regulatory comment by ACAF, the company supported the 45Z Clean Fuel Production Credit for SAFs in the US, and also supported extending the credit in a separate December 2024 ACAF consultation response. Through ACAF, the company supported Iowa’s SAF tax credit in two separate articles published in May 2025, one in Biodiesel Magazine, and one in Well News. A June 2023 joint letter signed by Rolls-Royce’s CEO supported the US Blenders Tax Credit, ReFuelEU Aviation and other policies incentivizing the uptake of SAFs globally.
In the UK, the Rolls-Royce advocated for a SAF revenue certainty mechanism in a June 2024 consultation response. The company’s Climate Review 2022 report, released in March 2023, disclosed it had welcomed EU policies on “SAF mandates in aviation”. In a June 2023 consultation response, accessed via freedom of information request, Rolls-Royce supported a 'medium' ambition scenario for the SAF mandate and a 'high' ambition scenario for the power-to-liquid sub-mandate, but only from 2032.
In the EU, in a July 2024 consultation response, Rolls-Royce advocated for a 2026 review before the non-CO2 monitoring, reporting and verification framework under the EU ETS is extended to extra-EEA flights. In March 2023, Rolls-Royce signed a joint letter urging the EU to adopt the Delegated Act on the additionality of renewable fuels of non-biological origin and recycled carbon fuels. Rolls-Royce’s Climate Review 2022, released in March 2023, disclosed that the company had supported ‘more ambitious clean energy targets and a more ambitious emissions trading scheme (ETS), including the inclusion of maritime emissions for the first time”. Rolls-Royce further supported the EU ETS and higher ETS prices in a February 2023 consultation response. In a February 2023 consultation response, Rolls-Royce appeared supportive of demand management measures in the proposed reform of the EU Electricity Market Design. This response also supported power-purchase agreements, while opposing two-way contracts-for-difference.
Positioning on Energy Transition: Rolls-Royce had both positive and negative engagement on policies around the energy transition, and is advocated for policies that promote nuclear energy. Rolls-Royce advocated for enhanced nuclear technology in Australia in a November 2024 consultation response. Rolls-Royce ‘Climate Review 2022’ report, released in March 2023, appeared supportive of electrifying aviation and green hydrogen in air transport. In a June 2023 consultation response, the company supported a rapid transition to power-to-liquid fuels in aviation. Rolls-Royce Chief Executive, Tufan Erginbilgic, supported the long-term contribution of nuclear energy for clean hydrogen production and energy decarbonization in a June 2023 Telegraph article. However, Erginbilgic also supported a long-term role for internal combustion engines in the company’s 2023 Strategic Report, released in February 2024. In an April 2024 press release, the company supported the development of carbon capture and storage to complement gas use without communicating support for a transition away from fossil-based energy.
Industry Association Governance: Rolls-Royce disclosed a limited number of its industry association memberships on its website, with top-line climate statements on some association positions. Rolls-Royce has not published a review of its alignment with its industry associations. Rolls-Royce is on the board of the AeroSpace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD) and the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) both of which are engaged on climate policy with both positive and negative engagement. The company is a member of the International Air Transport Association, while a subsidiary is a member of the Truck and Engine Manufacturers and the National Mining Association, which have negative engagement on climate policies. InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q3 2025.