SBTi Surpasses 10,000 Validated Companies Across Nearly 100 Countries

The Science Based Targets initiative has reached a milestone of more than 10,000 companies with validated science-based targets, representing firms from nearly 100 countries and 52 sectors. The milestone was achieved in January 2026, just over a decade after the SBTi was founded with a goal of engaging only 100 companies.

The 10,000 validated companies collectively represent more than 40% of global market capitalisation, according to the SBTi. The initiative's growth has been particularly marked in Asia, which accounted for more than 40% of all validations in 2025, with Japan holding the largest number of companies with SBTi-validated targets of any single country. In its record-breaking year, the SBTi validated more than 3,000 companies in 2025 alone. Key milestones over the initiative's history include the launch of a dedicated financial institutions validation route in 2022, the first net-zero targets for a football club, motorsport team, and airline in 2024, and the first African company to set net-zero targets.

Companies holding validated SBTi targets report multiple business benefits beyond emissions reductions, including improved investor relations, access to better financing terms, stronger supply chain alignment, and enhanced strategic cohesion. Research cited by the SBTi found that 90% of companies with science-based targets report a positive overall impact on their business. The initiative also notes that companies with validated targets reduce both absolute and intensity emissions at a faster rate than peers without targets, and demonstrate lower stock price volatility, including during periods of market stress such as the 2020 global downturn.

Despite the milestone, the SBTi has emphasised that corporate climate action must accelerate significantly if global climate goals are to be achieved. The initiative is currently transitioning to Version 2.0 of its Corporate Net-Zero Standard, which introduces tiered requirements, a best-efforts implementation approach, and a new Ongoing Emissions Responsibility programme. The SBTi has positioned the 10,000-company milestone as a foundation for broader adoption rather than a ceiling, and urged businesses yet to set targets — including those in high-growth markets such as India — to begin the process through SBTi Services.

Key figure — 10,000 companies with SBTi-validated targets, representing over 40% of global market capitalisation