The Science Based Targets initiative released Version 2.0 of its Corporate Net-Zero Standard on June 11, 2026. The revision shifts emphasis from setting a target alone toward governing, implementing, assessing, and communicating progress.
SBTi says validation under Version 2.0 will become available in early 2027. Its transition guidance matters: companies should use the standard and submission route applicable to their timing rather than assuming every 2026 submission must immediately switch.
What Version 2.0 emphasizes
The SBTi’s main changes summary identifies several major developments.
Company categorization
Version 2.0 moves from a separate small and medium-sized enterprise route toward formal company categorization with differentiated requirements. Companies should document the facts used to determine their category and monitor changes that could affect it.
Governance and transition planning
The standard introduces net-zero governance and transition-planning requirements. Climate targets therefore need owners, decision rights, implementation planning, and integration with business processes—not only a published percentage and target year.
Expanded target-setting options
Version 2.0 expands options across Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3. Selecting an option requires an accurate inventory boundary and a clear view of material emissions sources. Teams should avoid choosing a method only because it is easiest to calculate.
Target implementation hierarchy
The revised framework introduces a hierarchy to guide action toward target delivery. This reinforces a core distinction: reducing value-chain emissions is not the same as compensating for them outside the value chain.
Continuous improvement and assessment
SBTi describes a formalized assurance model and stronger assessment of progress. That increases the value of annual inventory controls, target-to-actual bridges, documented recalculations, and evidence for claims.
What companies should do in 2026
First, confirm the applicable transition route using the latest SBTi Corporate Net-Zero page. SBTi says existing near-term targets are expected to remain valid through the end of their target timeframe. Organizations preparing a new or renewed submission should follow the current transition instructions for their timing.
Second, test the inventory beneath the target. Confirm organizational boundaries, base year, material Scope 3 categories, data coverage, factor versions, and recalculation policy. A target cannot be managed reliably if its denominator changes without explanation.
Third, assign governance. Name executive accountability, operational owners for each emissions lever, review cadence, capital-planning connection, and escalation when delivery is off track.
Fourth, build an implementation register. For each initiative, record the affected source, baseline, expected reduction, timing, owner, dependency, investment, and method for measuring realized impact. Keep projected reductions separate from observed inventory results.
Finally, review public claims. Target language, progress statements, renewable-energy claims, removals, and beyond-value-chain mitigation should use terms consistent with the applicable SBTi criteria and claims guidance.
The practical shift: from target to management system
Version 2.0 signals that credible net-zero work is an ongoing management process. The data architecture should connect the corporate inventory, targets, initiatives, forecasts, actual reductions, governance decisions, and external claims.
Organizations do not need to wait for a validation deadline to improve those connections. The no-regret work is to strengthen data quality, make responsibility explicit, and show how climate commitments affect real operational and investment decisions.
This article reflects information available on June 18, 2026. It is a high-level overview, not a substitute for the official standard, criteria, sector guidance, or validation instructions.
Sources
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