SBTi Releases Five-Year Review Guidance as Early Corporate Targets Approach Renewal Deadlines

The Science Based Targets initiative has published mandatory Five-Year Review Guidance, a step-by-step Review Manual, and an updated Commitment and Target Statuses document to support companies whose first science-based targets are approaching the five-year review threshold. Target submissions are up 30% year-on-year, with many early adopters from 2020 and 2021 now required to review and, if necessary, update their targets.

Under the SBTi's Corporate Net-Zero Standard V1.3 and Near-Term Criteria V5.3, companies must review validated targets at least every five years from the end of the month of their initial target validation publication. From the trigger date, companies have six months to submit review results to SBTi Services and a total of 12 months to submit any revised targets for validation. SBTi Services will assess review results within 30 business days of submission. If updates are not made when required, the company's target status will be adjusted on the SBTi Target Dashboard accordingly.

The new guidance includes flexibility provisions for specific circumstances. Companies whose target year falls within 24 months of the trigger date may request a waiver to bypass the mandatory review and instead submit a full new set of targets before the end of a defined period. Companies awaiting a mandatory sector-specific SBTi standard may request an extension of up to 18 additional months. The updated Commitment and Target Statuses document introduces expanded status categories — including Active, Previous Commitment, Previous Targets, and a range of subcategories — designed to improve transparency on the SBTi Target Dashboard for investors and other stakeholders.

Implementation of the updated Target Dashboard displaying the new status categories was originally planned for December 2025 but was delayed to allow the SBTi to complete a broader data infrastructure project. The new dashboard is expected to be rolled out during 2026. The five-year review process reflects a broader shift in the SBTi's model, from validating initial target ambition toward assessing and recognising companies' actual progress and ongoing accountability for the climate commitments they have made.

Key figure — 30% increase in target submissions year-on-year as early adopters approach renewal deadlines