And how to simplify supply chains emissions' management.
Science-based targets (SBTs) are an important tool for companies to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and align with the international goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Namely, the Science Based Target Initiative is the body that provides a clear carbon reduction pathway, setting targets for organisations and businesses to limit their emissions and providing recommendations and guidelines.
The private sector must play a fundamental role in reducing GHG emissions by embedding science-based targets in sustainability management: setting a science-based target is a five-step process including committing to the target, developing it, submitting it for validation, communicating it to stakeholders, and disclosing progress annually. Embedding science-based targets in sustainability management is crucial to cope with new national and international regulations, while also best positioning in a more sustainability-sensitive market.
Historical company commitments and set targets in a selection of sectors (as of May 2020), Source: SBTi online database)
Note: the charts below show the number of companies that had committed (in light green) and that had a target set (in dark green) over time.
Source: Ikeafoundation.org
Such targets are set by committing to a first milestone (normally with a 5 to 10 year reach), and then reassessing new short term targets as the "near-term" milestone approaches. This approach allows companies to reach their long term mitigation objective step by step, while also allowing them to adapt to changes or unexpected advances along the way.
A critical aspect for a successful low-carbon strategy is accurate emissions data.
Reliable carbon footprint data is indeed essential to understand the starting point, and to make effective decisions to reduce emissions. Tools such as carbon reduction SaaS can help clarify the availability of emission reductions and develop a carbon reduction pathway, providing a clear representation of the biggest sources of GHG emissions in a company's supply chain.
The SBTI, as well as the World Economic Forum, recognizes that the majority of emissions, namely between the 70 and 80 percent, come from scope 3 emissions in the value chain. The CDP has estimated indeed that:
- on average, company's supply chain emissions on the Tier 1 level are 5.5 times higher than its scope 1 and 2 emissions.
- In 2020, 94% of companies that committed to a science-based target also set goals for their scope 3 emissions. Engaging with the supply chain is thus crucial in reducing scope 3 emissions.
Companies are now facing the challenge of asking suppliers and customers to provide data on their own emissions, encouraging best practices in emission reduction. In this, companies can provide software solutions to simplify data collection, or include carbon assessment or GHG emissions thresholds in bids to incentivize decarbonization.
New Net Zero Standard of SBTI also offers companies a way to decrease scope 3 emissions through engagement targets.
This approach commits a company to influencing a representative 67% of its scope 3 emissions suppliers or customers to set their own GHG reduction targets.
To ensure that the actions you plan to implement will lead to the emissions reductions outlined in your Science Based Target, you must first measure the emissions reductions resulting from each action in each business unit. Then, by consolidating these measurements, you can project the overall reduction in emissions for your entire company.
ClimateCamp allows you to build reliable targets on the reduction potential of different operational actions for various segments of the company. By using the expertise of our team and advanced computational technology, you can set and implement a strategy that aligns with both your business goals and carbon reduction targets with all your suppliers.
This is possible thanks to ClimateCamp's unique feature for which you can invite suppliers to collaborate in the same system, which will share suppliers data and enable your and other businesses to build an emissions-based network for optimizing reduction efforts.
