SBTi Surpasses 10,000 Companies with Validated Science-Based Climate Targets

The Science Based Targets initiative has reached a milestone with the number of companies holding validated science-based climate targets surpassing 10,000, representing a nearly 40% increase from approximately 7,200 in early 2025. The validated companies now account for more than 40% of global market capitalisation and span more than 90 countries.

More than 2,800 new companies received validation in 2025, up from around 4,200 in 2023. Japan leads all countries with more than 2,000 validated companies, followed by the UK, the US, and China. European-headquartered companies still constitute a substantial share of the total. The SBTi was founded in 2015 and published its flagship Corporate Net-Zero Standard in 2021, with an updated draft Corporate Net-Zero Standard V2 currently under development.

The milestone comes as the SBTi faces increasing political scrutiny in the US, including an investigation by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier alongside CDP into alleged antitrust violations and deceptive trade practices. Twenty-three US State Attorneys General have also sent a letter demanding information about the organisation, with particular concern about its financial sector standard and requirements for financial companies to reduce fossil fuel funding. Despite this pressure, corporate adoption continues to grow internationally.

The SBTi's CEO said companies are setting science-based targets because they recognise the strategic, reputational, and financial benefits of net-zero business transformation. Asia's growth in validated targets has been particularly strong, with Japan now holding the largest national count globally. India-based companies and other Asian markets are increasingly engaging with SBTi's frameworks, reflecting the growing alignment of corporate sustainability governance in the region with global climate commitments.

Key figure — 10,000 companies