10,000 companies in 10 years: Companies leading the net-zero transformation

In 2015, 190 nations codified the existential threat of climate change in the Paris Agreement. Grounded in the best available science at the time, the Agreement set out an ambitious framework to limit global heating and combat the climate crisis.

Since then, much has changed. Our understanding of the climate has evolved, sustainability best practices have been more clearly defined, and the need for immediate action to cut emissions is more urgent than ever.

In that same time, the SBTi emerged as a credible standard-setter for companies that are ready to play their part in achieving global climate goals. Founded just over a decade ago to support the Paris Agreement, the SBTi began as a project between its founding partners, based on the idea that the private sector could help lead the transformation to a net-zero economy by translating climate science into emissions reductions targets. Its goal was to get 100 companies to commit to set greenhouse gas emissions reductions targets. Since then, the huge demand from companies and financial institutions worldwide for credible, science-based targets means that the initiative has grown beyond expectations.

Now, over 10,000 companies around the world have been validated. This milestone is a significant achievement that belongs first and foremost to the companies themselves. Coming from nearly 100 different countries and representing 52 sectors, these businesses have set science-based targets through the SBTi, demonstrating climate leadership by embedding science into decision-making—and according to research, they’re reporting multiple benefits.

Representing more than 40% of global market capitalization, these companies are helping drive corporate climate ambition worldwide, and setting the bar for turning commitments into action.

Below, we celebrate ten years of SBTi validations—from the first company to the 10,000th.

2015: First company sets science-based targets using the SBTi’s Corporate Near-Term Criteria.

2016: First company outside of Europe sets science-based targets.

2017: Sixteen more companies set SBTi-validated targets, including multiple globally recognized businesses and the first five companies based in Asia.

2018: Fifty companies in total have set targets through the SBTi, including the firsts in Australia and New Zealand.

2019: More than 100 companies set targets in a single year for the first time, representing all inhabited continents.

2020: Despite the global pandemic, the number of companies setting targets more than doubles compared to the previous year. A tailored validation route is introduced for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

2021: A group of leading companies becomes the first to use the Corporate Net-Zero Standard to set net-zero science-based targets, and the first nine financial institutions set targets under the Financial Institutions Near-Term Criteria.

2022: The number of companies with validated targets reaches 1,000 companies, including the first company in Latin America to set net-zero targets. A target validation route is introduced specifically for financial institutions.

2023: The number of companies with targets doubles to over 2,000 as the Corporate Net-Zero Standard becomes increasingly mainstream and sector-specific resources, such as the Forest, Land and Agriculture (FLAG) Guidance launched the previous year, enable more tailored target setting.

2024: The SBTi launches SBTi Services, its wholly owned subsidiary, to conduct validations in response to unprecedented demand. The SBTi expands into new sectors, validating net-zero targets for the first football club, first motorsport team, first airline, and the first African company.

2025: The SBTi validates more companies than ever before—over 3,000 in a single year—and cements its growth in Asia, with over 40% of the year’s validation coming from the region and Japan maintaining their position as the country with the most companies to set SBTi-validated targets.

January 2026: Over 10,000 companies have SBTi-validated targets, with many more yet to come...

As science-based target setting continues to become a mainstream business practice across the world economy, the SBTi remains committed to continuous improvement—from its technical governance to customer experience.

Reaching 10,000 companies with validated targets is a significant milestone, and we are thrilled to celebrate the companies taking real, credible action through their science-based targets—but there is still more work to do. Corporate climate action must accelerate if we are to achieve global climate goals and avoid the worst effects of global warming.  

Now, more than ever, is the time for companies to take their first step, and become the next business leaders to set science-based targets. Visit SBTi Services to get started today.