SBTi Consults on Urgent Revisions to Forest and Agriculture Climate Criteria

The Science Based Targets initiative has opened a 30-day public consultation on five proposed updates to its Forest, Land and Agriculture criteria, with the consultation open until 6 November 2025. The revisions address the passing of the 2025 deforestation deadline and propose new timelines to maintain ambition while making FLAG target-setting practical for companies in land-intensive sectors.

The five proposed updates target FLAG Criteria 1 and 4, identified as requiring urgent revision. The key changes include a new requirement for companies with existing non-FLAG targets to set FLAG targets before the end of their five-year review period — replacing the previous six-month window tied to GHG Protocol Land Sector guidance. A new deforestation elimination deadline is proposed, giving companies up to two years after FLAG target submission to achieve zero deforestation, with an absolute backstop of 31 December 2030. The deforestation cutoff date requirement is also being updated to mandate a cutoff date preceding the submission of a company's first FLAG targets, rather than merely recommending 2020 or earlier.

The FLAG sector carries outsized climate significance: land-intensive activities account for almost a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, the sector bears severe economic exposure to climate change impacts, losing around $123 billion annually due to natural disasters — equivalent to 5% of global agricultural GDP. A further proposed update aligns the list of commodities covered under no-deforestation commitments with those identified in the European Union Deforestation Regulation, expanding the scope of products companies must address. A clarification on required documentation for no-deforestation commitments rounds out the five updates.

The consultation was opened under the SBTi's special circumstances provision for revisions outside the regular standard revision cycle, as defined in clause 100 of its Standard Operating Procedure. The final updated FLAG criteria are expected to be published no earlier than Q1 2026, along with a Basis for Conclusions report. Once published, updates will take effect immediately for all companies setting new FLAG targets; existing validated FLAG targets remain valid. Companies with existing validated FLAG targets will have the option to voluntarily update their no-deforestation commitments to align with the revised criteria.

Key figure — $123 billion annual economic losses in the FLAG sector from natural disasters