Technical governance

The SBTi has developed a technical governance model to enhance the effectiveness, rigor, and credibility of our standards, methods and guidance and to support the wide range of stakeholders they impact. We have put in place transparent  governance mechanisms to support  independent and objective technical decision-making.

Technical Council

The SBTi Technical Council is the independent deliberation and technical decision-making body initially convened in 2023. The Council has delegated authority from the SBTi Board of Trustees to review and approve SBTi Standards and other normative documentation. This group operates exclusively in the public interest. See the Terms of Reference for the current Technical Council.

Scope and role

The scope of the Technical Council covers decision making for all normative documentation, including SBTi principles, standards, mitigation pathways and methods that inform emission and non-emission benchmarks used across SBTi Standards, and other normative documents that supplement SBTi Standards (which can include annexes, guidelines, position papers, technical policies, etc.). The Technical Council reviews, approves, and recommends that the Board adopts normative elements of the SBTi framework.

Term length and renewal model

From July 2026, the Technical Council will operate under a staggered renewal model. The model introduces annual appointments to support continuity of expertise and institutional knowledge, while ensuring the Technical Council continues to benefit from diverse expertise, regional representation, and broad stakeholder perspectives. 

Under this model, for the second Technical Council cohort, five members from the first cohort have completed their terms, ten members have been reappointed for one or two-year terms, and six new members have been appointed for an initial three-year term. This approach balances continuity with the introduction of new perspectives to support the delivery of the
 the SBTi Technical Work Plan.

Appointment process

Technical Council members are appointed by the Board of Trustees following an open, transparent, and merit-based selection process overseen by a Nominations Committee.

For the second Technical Council cohort, the SBTi held an open call for applications to appoint new Technical Council members for a three-year term (July 2026–June 2029). Candidates were assessed against criteria including technical expertise, independence, integrity, sound judgment, and their ability to contribute effectively to collective technical decision-making.

The Nominations Committee was convened, with agreement from the Chairs of the Technical Council and the SBTi Board of Trustees, to oversee the selection process. The Committee was responsible for candidate shortlisting, interviews, and recommendations for appointments. It operated as a voluntary body to help ensure the process was fair, transparent, impartial, and based on relevant expertise, while safeguarding the independence and credibility of the Technical Council.

The Nomination Committee comprised: 

Gonzalo Muñoz – SBTi Trustee

Kornelis Blok – SBTi Technical Council Chair

Laura Draucker – SBTi Technical Council Vice Chair

Paul Griss – former Chair of the Alliance for Water Stewardship Board

Yusuke Matsuo – Director, Business and Climate, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)

The Committee included two independent members—Paul Griss and Yusuke Matsuo—who brought recognized expertise in standard-setting and assurance governance. They served in a personal capacity, and exercised independent judgment in the public interest. 

Further information is available in the Technical Council Nomination Committee Terms of Reference.

The second Technical Council cohort, whose term begins in July 2026, will operate under Version 3 of the Terms of Reference. The first cohort operated under Version 2 of the Terms of Reference. 

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