SBTi opens Corporate Net-Zero Standard V2 draft for consultation

What happened

On 18 March 2025 the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) published the first draft of version 2 (V2) of its Corporate Net-Zero Standard and opened it for public consultation until 1 June 2025. The draft was the first concrete text of the standard's comprehensive revision.

Key proposals in the draft:

• Company categories: Category A (large and medium-sized companies operating in higher-income geographies) would meet all criteria; for Category B (small and medium-sized companies operating in lower-income geographies) some criteria would be optional.
• Separating Scope 1 and 2: A proposal to treat Scope 1 and Scope 2 separately, with a commitment to switch to low-carbon electricity by 2040 at the latest.
• Scope 3: Room for targets such as green procurement or green revenue instead of an emission reduction target, with a focus on direct suppliers and emission-intensive activities.
• Data assurance: A requirement for third-party assurance of base-year data for Category A companies.
• Progress assessment: Regular assessment and disclosure of progress against targets.
• Residual emissions: Options such as recognising companies that carry out beyond value chain mitigation (BVCM) and interim carbon removal targets.

SBTi said companies could continue to set targets under the existing standard and the Near-Term Criteria while V2 was being developed. The second draft went to consultation on 6 November 2025, and the final standard was published on 11 June 2026 (our news on the final standard).

Who is affected

Turkish companies that already have an SBTi target or plan to set one. The category split signalled that requirements would differ by company size and operating geography; which category medium-sized Turkish companies fall into depends on these definitions. The non-emissions target option for Scope 3 opened a new route for exporters whose Scope 3 is concentrated in the supply chain. The assurance requirement for base-year data was a proposal that would lengthen preparation time for companies setting targets on an unverified inventory.

What companies should do

• This draft has now been superseded by the final standard; use V2.0, published in June 2026, as the basis for current rules.
• Get your base-year inventory ready for verification; the assurance requirement was kept for Category A in the final standard as well.
• Identify your largest Scope 3 categories and the options for supplier-specific data.

Alalëa supports companies through SBTi target setting and validation: SBTi target setting.