What is SBTi?
The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) is a global partnership (CDP, UN Global Compact, WRI, WWF) that defines and validates corporate climate targets aligned with the latest climate science — limiting warming to 1.5°C. SBTi-validated targets are widely recognised as the leading benchmark for credible corporate climate ambition. Over 7,000 companies have committed or set targets as of 2024.
SBTi Net-Zero Standard (October 2021, periodic updates)
- Near-term targets: 5-10 year horizon, covering 95% of Scope 1+2 and (where applicable) 67% of Scope 3.
- Long-term targets: net-zero by 2050 (or earlier), reducing emissions ≥90% absolute across all scopes.
- Residual emissions: neutralised via permanent removals.
- Beyond Value Chain Mitigation (BVCM): recommended in addition to required reductions.
Sector-specific methodologies
- FLAG (Forest, Land, Agriculture) for land-intensive sectors.
- SBTi Financial Sector Net-Zero Standard: banks, asset owners, asset managers.
- Sector-specific guidance: Power, Steel, Cement, Apparel, Aviation, Maritime — with sectoral decarbonisation pathways (SDA).
Validation process
- Commitment letter: 24-month window to submit targets.
- Target submission: via SBTi target validation service.
- Review and validation against SBTi criteria.
- Annual disclosure: progress reporting via CDP or company channels.
Committing without overcommitting
An SBTi commitment is voluntary but not consequence-free. Once targets are validated and published, they feed investor materials, customer questionnaires and sustainability reports — surfaces where greenwashing enforcement and misleading-statement liability operate. Three disciplines protect the company: commit at the pace of your data (Scope 3 baselines are the usual weak point and the usual restatement), align every public document with the validated target language rather than paraphrasing it more ambitiously, and treat target restatements or withdrawals as disclosure events handled deliberately. For Turkish exporters, SBTi targets increasingly arrive as supply-chain requirements from EU customers — making the commitment decision commercial before it is reputational.