SBTi Services Prepares Fully Digitised Portal Replacing Spreadsheet Target Submissions

SBTi Services announced a major upgrade to its Validation Portal in May 2025, ahead of a June 18 launch date, to fully digitise the corporate science-based target submission process and replace spreadsheet-based forms with an interactive digital interface. Companies finalising targets under the old spreadsheet format were advised to submit by June 12, 2025 to avoid using the new system.

The portal upgrade was developed through a pilot with 30 participating companies and introduces four key changes for corporate users. First, an intuitive digital interface replaces Excel forms, with built-in prompts and automated route guidance. Second, automated pre-screening checks block submissions with errors before they reach SBTi Services, reducing rejections and delays. Third, companies gain enhanced visibility over submission status and can update key data directly within the platform. Fourth, a structured 30-day validation timeline with defined milestones replaces the previous unstructured process, including a kick-off call with an assigned lead reviewer.

For SMEs, two brief additional questions have been added to ensure companies are directed to the correct validation pathway at the point of submission. For financial institutions, a small but significant change enables direct entry of base year and target year data into a structured table within the portal, with this data feeding automatically to the public SBTi Target Dashboard after validation. Consultants managing multiple client submissions benefit from a real-time visual dashboard providing an overview of all submission statuses in a single view.

The portal was taken offline between June 16 and 17, 2025 for final integration. Companies with submissions already in the validation queue at the time of the upgrade were not required to take any action. SBTi Services indicated that further enhancements are planned following the initial launch, including direct in-portal communication between companies and reviewers. The upgrade forms part of the SBTi's broader commitment to scaling validation capacity in response to growing global demand for science-based target setting, particularly from companies in Asia, which accounted for more than 40% of validations in 2025.

Key figure — June 12, 2025 — final deadline to submit under the previous spreadsheet-based system