The Science Based Targets Network (SBTN) has announced the first cohort of companies to adopt science-based targets for nature, marking a “significant milestone in advancing measurable corporate action on nature”. The announcement follows the closure of SBTN’s year-long pilot programme, which enabled companies to comprehensively assess their biggest impacts on nature, quantify them, and set science-based targets – beginning with freshwater and land. The majority of participating companies (60%) received validation for some or all of their targets. Among those, three have moved ahead with public adoption, including luxury group Kering, biopharma company GSK, and building materials and solutions business Holcim. The milestone comes amid COP16 negotiations, where urgent action to preserve biodiversity and halt and reverse nature loss has been at the heart of discussions. “With global nature loss accelerating at an unprecedented rate, it’s clear that urgent, decisive action is required from governments and business alike to reverse and halt this trend,” said Erin Billman, Executive Director at the SBTN. “Our corporate pilot has shown that science-based targets for nature are both feasible and valuable, closing a critical gap in corporate sustainability.” SBTN’s next generation of nature targets in 2025 will address corporate demand for guidance on implementation, and include broader coverage of freshwater and land, alongside additional biodiversity integration. The network will also deliver the first ocean targets for companies, and aim to equip cities with initial guidance on nature targets. “With over 150 additional companies already preparing to set targets through [our] Corporate Engagement Program and service provider program, momentum is building,” the SBTN said. “The upcoming target validation service, hosted by the Global Commons Alliance Accountability Accelerator, will enable companies to submit targets and have them validated, ensuring [they] are robust and in line with what science requires.”
