SBTi Invites Chemicals Companies to Pilot Sector Target-Setting Criteria

The Science Based Targets initiative opened applications for chemicals companies to participate in pilot testing of its Chemicals Sector Target-Setting Criteria and Tool in December 2024, with a submission deadline of 10 January 2025. Participants will use their own confidential data to test the draft criteria and identify potential improvements.

SBTi is seeking pilot participants from a broad range of chemical industry stakeholders, including producers of primary and base chemicals, manufacturers of intermediate and specialty chemicals, pharmaceutical and consumer chemicals producers, and companies engaged in chemical recycling. Pilot participants will test the Draft Chemicals Sector Criteria and Target-Setting Tool using real-world data, help identify implementation challenges, and assess the feasibility of the draft requirements. The pilot phase follows a second public consultation and is an intermediate step before final Technical Council review and board adoption.

The chemicals sector contributes approximately 5 percent of global CO2 emissions and is the third-highest industrial emitter worldwide, while underpinning nearly every other sector of the global economy—from healthcare and agriculture to construction and renewable energy systems. Establishing credible, science-based decarbonisation pathways for chemicals is therefore a prerequisite for meaningful economy-wide net-zero progress. India's chemicals industry, one of the largest in Asia, stands to benefit from clear guidance that supports both domestic decarbonisation and alignment with international trading partners' sustainability standards.

Following the pilot, SBTi will conduct a thorough review of feedback received and revise the draft Chemicals Sector Criteria and Tool before presenting them to the Technical Council for approval and subsequently to the Board of Trustees for formal adoption. A summary report will be published documenting key issues raised and how they were addressed. Companies that meet the application requirements outlined in the Terms of Reference were invited to submit through the published application form by 10 January 2025.

Key figure — 5% of global CO2 emissions from the chemicals sector