SBTi Opens Second Consultation on Chemicals Sector Net-Zero Criteria

The Science Based Targets initiative launched a second public consultation on its revised Chemicals Sector Criteria Draft on 12 November 2024, with the feedback window running until 10 January 2025. The consultation invites input from chemicals industry stakeholders, finance, academia, and civil society on the updated framework.

SBTi revised its Chemicals Sector Criteria following a detailed review of responses from the first public consultation, and released the updated draft for a second round of stakeholder feedback. The chemicals industry uses fossil fuel feedstocks for the vast majority of its production, contributing approximately 5 percent of global CO2 emissions and ranking as the third-highest industrial emitter globally. The criteria are designed to provide a framework for chemical organisations to determine how rapidly and by how much they need to decarbonise to avoid the worst effects of climate change.

Chemicals are present in an estimated 95 percent of products used daily, from pharmaceuticals and plastics to electronics and clothing, making decarbonisation of the sector a broad economy priority. The consultation seeks expert input from across the value chain to ensure the criteria are both scientifically robust and operationally practical. A summary table of key changes between the first and revised draft is available, alongside a more detailed Main Changes Document.

Following the second consultation, SBTi will review all feedback and issue a public call for companies to volunteer for pilot testing of the criteria and target-setting tool. The pilot phase will precede final Technical Council review and Board of Trustees adoption. When the final criteria are released, SBTi will publish a development summary documenting key issues raised and their resolution. Companies with expertise in the chemicals sector were encouraged to engage with the consultation before the January 2025 deadline.

Key figure — Chemicals present in 95% of daily-use products globally