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SBTi corporate Net-Zero standard V2.0: What changes and what it means for your business
June 2026
The Science Based Targets initiative published Version 2.0 of its Corporate Net-Zero Standard on June 11, 2026, effective February 1, 2027. Used by more than 11,000 companies globally, the standard has been fundamentally rewritten. Here is what practitioners need to know.
V2.0 introduces a three-tier hierarchy for target implementation:
Book-and-claim mechanisms, mass balance commodity certificates, and energy attribute certificates sit at tiers two and three formally recognized, but subject to strict guardrails.
The most demanding new requirement is system-level impact: programs issuing commodity or energy certificates must demonstrate that demand for those instruments actually decarbonizes the relevant system, not merely tracks attributes. Carbon bank models, which concentrate green attributes on a subset of products beyond what physically occurs, are explicitly prohibited. Geographic matching for electricity is also tightened: certificates must come from the same deliverability region as consumption, with limited exceptions for interconnected grids and new-build PPAs.
Instruments deployed outside a company’s physical GHG inventory are limited to supporting system contribution claims and cannot be used to substantiate direct emissions reduction claims. The physical inventory remains the exclusive basis for any SBTi-recognised emissions reductions. Accordingly, actions and market instruments applied at the activity pool and sector levels must be reported separately, as additional activities contributing to value chain emissions reductions and not as substitutes for inventory-based progress.
The most structurally significant change introduced in V2.0 is the overhaul of the assurance model. Category A companies, defined as large companies globally and mid-sized companies in high-income countries, are now subject to mandatory independent third-party assurance at two distinct points in the validation cycle:
Companies that fall short face a steeper required trajectory in their next cycle, with minimum progress criteria for revalidation set out in the forthcoming SBTi Assurance Manual.
Separately, the voluntary Ongoing Emissions Responsibility (OER) programme which recognises companies that cover between 1% and 100% of ongoing emissions through high-integrity carbon credits and other climate contributions, also requires independent third-party assurance of verified mitigation outcomes and fund disbursement.
| Topic | V1.3 | V2.0 |
|---|---|---|
| Target base year | Fixed historical year | Rolling: most recent year with comprehensive data |
| Scope 1 & 2 targets | Combined target permitted (Category A) | Separate targets required (Category A) |
| Market instruments | Limited guidance; broad latitude | Three-tier hierarchy with system-level impact test |
| Claims | Emissions reduction claims from instruments | System contribution claims only (off-inventory) |
| Assurance | At target-setting only | At target-setting and end of each cycle |
| Transition plans | Best practice | Mandatory; disclosed within 15 months (Category A) |
| Board governance | Light requirements | Explicit board sign-off and oversight required |
| Carbon contributions | Outside standard scope | Optional OER programme with three recognition tiers |
Version 1 remains open for new submissions until end-2027 for companies planning against the existing framework.
Normec Verifavia is an accredited independent validation and verification body that supports companies with third-party assurance in fulfillment of the requirements of the SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standard V2.0, covering GHG inventory verification, target base year assurance, end-of-cycle progress assessment, and OER programme conformance.
Read more about the new standard here: Corporate Net-Zero Standard Version 2.
