What does the SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standard update (v2) mean for Business?
What’s changing, what’s not, and what it means for real-world implementation
The Science Based Targets initiative is updating its Corporate Net-Zero Standard. For companies already on a net-zero pathway, this isn’t a cosmetic revision. It’s a reset that responds to real implementation failures, credibility concerns, and a growing gap between ambition and action.
This session brings together three perspectives that are rarely in the same room:
Jamie Riley (Robinson's Packaging) A Head of Sustainability navigating SBTi inside a large organisation
Oliver Orlik (European Engagement Manager - SBTi) A member of the SBTi ecosystem, close to how the standard is evolving
Helena Glover A Leafr SBTi specialist consultant, working hands-on with companies translating targets into delivery
The goal is not to speculate, but to help sustainability and business leaders understand what v2 is signalling and how to prepare before it becomes the new benchmark.
What we’ll cover
Why SBTi is updating the Corporate Net-Zero Standard
What v1 achieved, where it struggled in practice, and why v2 is emerging now. We’ll explore how market realities, uneven ambition, and delivery gaps have shaped the direction of travel.
What stays the same vs what fundamentally changes
The core principles that remain non-negotiable, and the assumptions from v1 that companies should no longer rely on. Where continuity ends and recalibration begins.
Key shifts in ambition and scope
How expectations around Scope 3 are evolving, what this means for prioritisation and accountability, and how the balance between near-term and long-term targets is changing. We’ll also look at potential tightening around boundaries, value chain coverage, and interim milestones.
From targets to action: stronger implementation signals
What v2 implies for transition planning, governance, and decision-making. Why credibility is moving to the centre of assessment, and how “pledges” are increasingly being challenged by decision-grade plans.
The role of influence, not just control
What companies are realistically expected to influence across their value chains. How supplier engagement, procurement levers, and commercial trade-offs are becoming central to SBTi-aligned strategies, and why this is a business issue as much as a sustainability one.
What this means for companies at different stages
How v2 affects organisations with existing v1-approved targets, those currently developing net-zero strategies, and those that have delayed or avoided SBTi altogether.
Practical preparation: what organisations should be doing now
The capability, data, governance, and cross-functional alignment gaps to address ahead of v2. The questions leadership teams should be asking now, not once the standard is finalised.
What comes next from SBTi
Expected timelines, the consultation process, and where companies can engage, test assumptions, or influence outcomes. How to avoid being caught flat-footed when v2 becomes the reference point.
Who this is for:
Heads of Sustainability and Climate
ESG and Net Zero leads
Strategy, procurement, and transformation leaders involved in decarbonisation
Companies with existing or planned SBTi targets who need clarity,