Business Ambition for 1.5°C: The COP26 countdown is on

Accelerating the uptake of bold corporate climate targets is the primary objective of Business Ambition for 1.5°C, the most ambitious Science Based Target initiative (SBTi) campaign to date.

In two years, we’ve mobilized more than 850 companies worldwide to commit to set ambitious 1.5°C and net-zero aligned targets at the pace and scale required by science. Now, with just one month until COP26, the milestone climate conference, the countdown is on for as many businesses as possible to join our group of the world’s most ambitious leaders on climate action.

Companies that join Business Ambition for 1.5°C before Monday 11 October are invited to take part in the COP26 #ClimateActionDay on 15 October. If this is too soon, then businesses have until Thursday 28 October 2021 to commit and be celebrated at COP26 among the pioneers in this campaign for bold corporate action. All companies in the campaign will be automatically enrolled in the UN Race to Zero.

Increasing climate ambition

The Business Ambition for 1.5°C campaign is the world’s largest and fastest-growing group of companies committed to taking urgent action aligned with 1.5°C and net-zero. The success of the campaign and a growing urgency from climate science led the SBTi to announce a new strategy in July that will see us increase the minimum level of science-based targets from ‘well-below-2°C’ to 1.5°C as standard.

What’s more, over 300 companies have made a commitment to reach science-based net-zero by 2050 through the campaign. This groundswell of support has helped us develop the SBTi Net-Zero Standard - meaning that, for the first time, companies will be able to turn net-zero commitments into scientifically-sound targets.

Business Ambition for 1.5°C has made these important and bold developments possible; the ambitious campaign commitments are becoming the SBTi standard. But the increasing urgency of the climate crisis means our job is far from complete. We need thousands more companies to set science-based targets and take bold climate action to halve global emissions by 2030.

The SBTi will track and disclose the progress of companies’ Business Ambition for 1.5°C commitments - we look forward to working with companies to turn their bold commitments into ambitious targets.

COP26 countdown is on

The SBTi extends its huge thanks to the 850+ companies that have so far committed to the Business Ambition for 1.5°C campaign. These companies have demonstrated significant global support for ambitious climate action and enabled us to increase SBTi’s minimum ambition for corporate carbon reductions.

If your company has yet to commit to the Business Ambition for 1.5°C campaign - the countdown is on. Companies that wish to participate in the COP26 #ClimateActionDay on 15 October should submit the commitment letter to info@sciencetargets.org by 11 October. Otherwise, to be celebrated as one of the world’s most ambitious corporate climate leaders at COP26, companies have until Thursday 28 October.