SBTi reinforces governance with ISEAL Community Membership and opens a call for new Technical Council members

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) today announced two significant steps in its ongoing work to further strengthen governance and oversight: its approval as an ISEAL Community Member and the opening of applications for the next term of its independent Technical Council.

Approval as an ISEAL Community Member demonstrates the SBTi’s commitment to continuous improvement and the ISEAL Credibility Principles for sustainability systems. As a Community Member, the SBTi will participate in ISEAL’s learning, collaboration and innovation activities to further strengthen its system over time.

ISEAL is a global membership organization that defines and promotes good practices for sustainability systems and standards. ISEAL Community Membership provides a clear, credible and well-established pathway for organizations that are committed to improving their systems and impacts through learning and innovation, collaborating with stakeholders and peers, and being transparent and truthful about how their systems operate and how impact is measured.

Year on year, the SBTi has taken concrete steps to reinforce its governance. The organization:

• Is formally established as an independent entity and is recognized as a charity by the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
• Operates with a clearly defined and robust target validation arm.
• Is overseen by a legally constituted Board of Trustees.
• Follows a publicly available Standard Operating Procedure for Development of SBTi Standards.
• Convenes an independent Technical Council that provides oversight of normative technical developments in the public interest.

These milestones demonstrate the SBTi’s commitment to maintaining a credible, transparent and impartial standard-setting system, as the global landscape for corporate climate action evolves and expectations continue to rise. By strengthening its governance, the SBTi aims to safeguard trust in science-based targets and ensure long-term effectiveness.

Alongside approval for ISEAL Community Membership, the SBTi has today opened applications for the next term of its Technical Council for the 2026-2029 period — the independent technical decision-making body responsible for reviewing and approving SBTi Standards and other normative documents.

The SBTi is seeking candidates with extensive climate mitigation and sustainability expertise to contribute to the review and approval of SBTi Standards.

Technical Council members are appointed for a three-year term. To ensure continuity in technical decision-making, the SBTi is implementing a staggered rotation model that allows the renewal of up to two-thirds of current Technical Council members for a second term, appointing five new members each year. The next Technical Council term will begin on July 1, 2026.

Applications must be submitted by February 26, 2026 and include a completed application form, CV, statement of interest, and a declaration of any affiliations or potential conflicts of interest. The selection and nominations process is overseen by an independent Nominations Committee designed to support an impartial and transparent process that guarantees the independence of the Council.

The SBTi encourages applications from qualified experts representing diverse geographies, sectors and perspectives.

David Kennedy, Chief Executive Officer of the Science Based Targets initiative, said:

“Approval for Community Membership of ISEAL is a significant milestone for the SBTi, demonstrating that we are a trusted standard-setting organization. This is a clear signal to the market of our commitment to principles like transparency, impartiality and collaboration. The SBTi has worked hard in recent years to elevate its systems and processes to ensure that companies can benefit from globally recognized standards and programs that drive ambition to action.”

Karin Kreider, ISEAL’s Executive Director, said:

“I am delighted to welcome SBTi as an ISEAL Community Member. The science is clear – the climate crisis demands urgent action. We look forward to working with SBTi to continue improving their system and supporting robust, science-based practice.”