Corporate Net-Zero Standard V2 Second Public Consultation

Through public consultation, we are empowering businesses and other stakeholders to feed back on proposed updates to the draft Corporate Net-Zero Standard, ensuring it remains scientifically robust, credible, and workable for businesses—helping accelerate climate action in line with global net-zero goals.

The second draft reflects extensive input from hundreds of companies and experts in the ecosystem across the first consultation and expert working groups. It introduces a simpler, more streamlined structure and innovative approach to make net-zero target setting easier to understand, apply, and scale across sectors and regions. Key areas of proposed revision include:

• Net-zero as the north star, with emphasis on urgent action – Companies are expected to align near-term actions in their operations and value-chains with long-term climate objectives, and publish transition plans setting out their roadmap of actions to demonstrate this.
• Scope-specific target approach to enhance integrity and actionability – Tailored target-setting approach for each scope––including maintaining separate requirements for scope 1 and 2 targets––to reflect their unique challenges and decarbonization levers.
• Science-based options to reflect different corporate contexts – The revised draft introduces a range of options that better reflects the range of levers that companies have in different contexts, and allows them to focus on priority emissions sources where they can have the most impact. These options include actions to reduce emissions directly and indirectly.  
• Recognition for companies taking responsibility for ongoing emissions – While the focus remains on direct decarbonization, the updated draft introduces a new recognition mechanism to incentivize companies that take early, voluntary action to address the impact of their ongoing emissions.
• Transparency as a lever for impact – The revised Standard sets clear expectations on how progress against targets should be measured and disclosed, driving continuous improvement and accountability to help companies remain aligned with their net-zero ambition.

Your input is essential to help us shape a final Standard that is science-based, innovative and practical. We invite all stakeholders to understand the draft Standard by:

• Exploring our digital consultation guide, which outlines all key information about the consultation in one place.
• Reading our blog, which provides an overview of the main changes in the second consultation draft.
• Reading our explanatory research series, which covers key themes in the draft including:
  • How to use the SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standard Version 2 alongside other SBTi Standards
  • Deep dive: Evolving approaches to address scope 1 emissions
  • Integrating a decade of learning in voluntary low-carbon energy markets
  • Towards a focused and flexible framework for scope 3 targets
  • Ongoing emissions responsibility: A framework for credible and competitive climate action
  • Nature and CDR: How SBTi’s Ongoing Emissions Responsibility framework incentivizes both
• Watching our launch video, highlighting the key topics explored in the draft Standard.
• Reviewing our detailed explanatory guide to the second consultation draft, also available in Spanish and Portuguese.
• Signing up our mailing list and following us on social media to receive the latest updates.  

When you are ready to provide feedback, complete the public consultation survey before December 12, 2025 (11:59 PM PT).

The deadline for the second public consultation on the Corporate Net-Zero Standard V2 is December 12, 2025 (11:59 PM PT). The SBTi extended the deadline in response to stakeholders feedback indicating that additional time would support a more thorough review of the draft materials and enable the submission of comprehensive, high-quality input.

This extension helps maintain an accessible and inclusive consultation process and supports the development of a Standard that is scientifically robust, credible, and workable for businesses—helping accelerate climate action in line with global net-zero goals. Ensuring adequate time for stakeholders to engage is essential to maintaining the quality, integrity and effectiveness of our work. 

Absolutely. The current Corporate Net-Zero Standard is the best framework available to set net-zero targets. We are committed to ensuring a smooth transition from the current to new Standard:

For companies setting new targets 

• Version 1.3 of the Corporate Net-Zero Standard continues to be a credible, well–established framework for companies worldwide to set science-based targets.
• Companies that have not yet set targets are strongly encouraged to do so now, as efforts undertaken under Version 1.3 will continue to be relevant and provide a strong foundation for future alignment with Version 2.0.
• Companies may continue to set new targets under the current Corporate Net-Zero Standard (V1.3) and Near-Term Criteria (V5.3) until December 31, 2027. 
• Once published, companies are encouraged to adopt the Corporate Net-Zero Standard V2. From January 1st, 2028, all companies will be required to use Version 2.0.
   

For companies with existing commitments

• Companies with existing commitments are required to use a version of the Standard that is in effect at the time of submission. 

For companies with existing near-term targets

• Existing near-term targets are expected to remain valid until the end of the target timeframe.
• The SBTi will provide further details through publication of transition guidance in due course. 

Version 1.3 of the Corporate Net-Zero Standard continues to be a credible, well–established framework for companies worldwide to set science-based targets. Companies that have not yet set targets are strongly encouraged to do so now, as efforts undertaken under Version 1.3 will continue to be relevant and provide a strong foundation for future alignment with Version 2.

The Standard revision is being carried out in line with our Standard Operating Procedure for Development of Standards, with our Technical Department leading its development, the independent Technical Council approving it and, finally, the Board of Trustees adopting it.

The first draft of the revised Corporate Net-Zero Standard V2 was published in March 2025. Over 855 stakeholders provided feedback through the first public consultation and more than 320 companies participated in phase 1 of the pilot testing. Insights from these activities, along with input from expert working groups, have informed the next draft of the Corporate Net-Zero Standard V2 which is now undergoing public consultation and pilot testing.

Feedback from those involved in putting the Standard into action is critical—it’s only through marrying rigor with practicality that we can accelerate businesses' net-zero ambitions.

The second draft of the Corporate Net-Zero Standard maintains ambition while making science-based target setting more accessible, practical, and actionable––to support more companies set targets, make corporate climate action more effective, and accelerate the pace of decarbonization.

This updated draft reflects the latest climate science, evolving best practice and recognized standards and frameworks. It also incorporates feedback from businesses and stakeholders on what they need to achieve the collective ambition of a net-zero future.

Through this public consultation, we are empowering businesses and other stakeholders, including civil society, academia and all those interested in and affected by the Standard, to feed back on the proposed updates, ensuring that the Standard remains both rigorous and practical. 

No. The draft Standard maintains SBTi’s core position: fast and deep value chain decarbonization must be front and center.

We recognize that scaling removals capacity can help companies to address their residual emissions, and use this tool effectively. In response to feedback from the first consultation and further research, the draft Standard introduces the Ongoing Emissions Responsibility framework––a new recognition mechanism for supplementary mitigation, while companies are still reducing their own emissions.

Under the Ongoing Emissions Responsibility framework, companies may contribute by  delivering verified mitigation outcomes (i.e., reductions, avoidance, or removals) and/or by deploying climate finance (e.g., towards research and development, adaptation, loss and damage). These actions are reported separately, and do not count toward achieving a company’s science-based targets. 

The first draft of the revised Corporate Net-Zero Standard V2 was published in March 2025 for public consultation. We received input from over 855 stakeholders and more than 320 companies participated in phase 1 of the pilot testing. This feedback, along with insights from our expert working groups and additional research, has been central to developing the next draft of the Standard.

The result is a practical and accessible science-based framework that balances climate ambition with the operational realities of different sectors and geographies. It introduces a clearer, more streamlined structure to improve usability and make it easier for companies to understand and apply.

A summary of stakeholder input is available in the first public consultation feedback report. When the Standard is released, we will publish a Basis for Conclusion report summarizing the development process, including public input, key issues raised and how they were addressed. 

The second public consultation is open from November 6 to December 12, 2025 (11:59 PM PT). 

How to participate:

• Download and review the consultation resources:
  • Corporate Net-Zero Standard Second Draft for Public Consultation
  • Second consultation Standard draft Target-Setting Methods Documentation
  • Second consultation Standard draft Pathways Appendix
  • Ongoing emissions responsibility (OER) tool
  • Explanatory research series covering key themes in the draft including:
    • How to use the SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standard Version 2 alongside other SBTi Standards
    • Deep dive: Evolving approaches to address scope 1 emissions
    • Integrating a decade of learning in voluntary low-carbon energy markets
    • Towards a focused and flexible framework for scope 3 targets
    • Ongoing emissions responsibility: A framework for credible and competitive climate action
    • Nature and CDR: How SBTi’s Ongoing Emissions Responsibility framework incentivizes both
• Corporate Net-Zero Standard Executive Summary Second Draft for Public Consultation, also available in Arabic, French, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese and Spanish.
• Submit your feedback: Share your insights by completing the consultation survey. You can view the full survey before submitting your responses by downloading the survey questions. Respondents can choose to complete the full survey (estimated completion time: 2 hours) or respond only to selected sections.

Feedback and consultation are critical to the development of a Standard that is scientifically robust, credible, and workable for businesses—helping accelerate climate action in line with global net-zero goals. Add your voice to the public consultation, and help shape the future of corporate climate action.

Following the public consultation and pilot testing, all feedback will be reviewed alongside insights from our expert working groups. These will inform the Standard which will be published for companies to use to set targets in 2026. Before publication, it will undergo internal review and approval in line with the SBTi’s Standard Operating Procedure for Development of Standards. This process includes review and approval by the Technical Council, and formal adoption by the Board of Trustees.

While the work of other standard-setting groups is often complementary to the SBTi’s, it can also carry the risk of fragmentation. Through the revision of the Corporate Net-Zero Standard, we are working to clarify how it relates to other SBTi Standards––such as the Financial Institutions Net-Zero Standard and other Sector Standards––and making it easier to use alongside other relevant frameworks, standards, and regulations. This work aims to help companies streamline their climate strategies and reduce duplication of effort to navigate the evolving landscape while driving credible climate action.