SBTi Services Cuts Corporate Validation Time to 47 Days With Digitised Portal

SBTi Services, the validation arm of the Science Based Targets initiative, has reduced the average corporate target validation time to 47 days — a reduction of more than 50% since June 2024 — following extensive digitisation of its submission process. Customer satisfaction scores have also risen 14 percentage points in a year, exceeding 80% in the most recent reporting quarter.

The validation process for companies seeking SBTi-approved science-based targets follows six stages: registering in the online Validation Portal, making an optional public commitment, developing targets using the GHG Protocol-based inventory, submitting targets for review, communicating validated targets publicly within six months, and disclosing annual progress thereafter. A personalised kick-off call with an SBTi Services point of contact is now provided within three days of each validation starting, and the team maintains an average email response time of five days or fewer throughout the process.

SBTi Services distinguishes between three categories of applicants — corporates, financial institutions, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) — each of which follows a tailored validation pathway. The standard validation timeline for corporates has been streamlined to a structured 30-day schedule, down from a process that previously took significantly longer. Companies with validated targets must publicly disclose progress annually and review their targets at least every five years to ensure continued alignment with the latest SBTi criteria.

The SBTi has reached a cumulative milestone of more than 10,000 validated companies, and SBTi Services projects continued growth in demand for validations. The initiative has also launched the SBTi Academy, an online learning platform offering training from foundational target-setting concepts to advanced technical certification. For Indian companies considering validation, the improved process and reduced timelines reduce one of the commonly cited barriers: the perceived administrative burden of formal science-based target setting.

Key figure — 47-day average corporate validation time, down more than 50% from June 2024