SBTi invites companies to pilot draft Net Zero Standard V2

The Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) is inviting companies to pilot the draft update of its Corporate Net Zero Standard before finalising it.

SBTi unveiled its draft new standard in March, with updates including greater flexibility to tackle Scope 3 emissions, separate Scope 1 and 2 emission targets, and a focus on granularity and target monitoring.

Now, the organisation wants corporations “of all sizes and locations” to test the new framework – a key step in ensuring its scientific robustness and practicality.

Two phases to test SBTi’s new standard

The pilot will be carried out in two phases. First, SBTi is running a broad survey open to a very wide range of companies across sectors and regions to gather feedback on how to refine the draft Corporate Net Zero Standard V2, and gauge interest in testing it. The pilot survey opened yesterday (June 16) and will close on August 15, 2025. 

In the second phase, the initiative will invite selected companies to participate in a “hands-on trial” using real world data to test a near-final version of the standard, with the purpose of identifying any implementation challenges, validating key methodological assumptions, and gathering more detailed feedback to help inform the final version.

‘Impressive level of engagement’

Alberto Carrillo Pineda, Chief Technical Officer at the Science Based Targets initiative, said: “After seeing an impressive level of engagement across the ecosystem in the public consultation on the first draft Corporate Net-Zero Standard V2, pilot testing is the next stage where we will gather more practical, first-hand insights. Companies of all sizes, sectors, and regions participating will be an invaluable resource, providing us with a diverse evidence base that will mean that the final draft Standard is practical for businesses and ignites even more impactful corporate climate action.”

More than 1,850 companies have set climate targets aligned with SBTi guidelines, and the drafting of the updated standard has drawn interest from all stakeholders over the past year – particularly after the initiative hinted that it might introduce more flexibility around Scope 3 decarbonisation.

In the initial version of the Corporate Net Zero Standard, companies could only use carbon credits or removals to offset up to 10% of their residual emissions across all scopes, after reducing them by at least 90%. In V2, companies are able to choose the percentage of Scope 3 reduction they plan to achieve, while largely focusing on Tier 1 suppliers.