It is always useful to hear the opinions of others, but translating them to one’s own situation can be difficult. That is why we have developed a global, step-by-step approach to what it takes to set up SBTs. We are aware that these are very generic points. Therefore, do not hesitate to contact us to further evaluate specific situations.
The first thing to do is to create support within all levels of the organization. When everyone knows why and what is being worked on, it becomes easier to take the necessary measures to reach the goals.
After that, mapping out the emissions is very important. Start with scope 1 and 2 emissions and later also scope 3, because these are often the most challenging. The Greenhouse Gas Protocol offers extensive guidance on how to do this.
The next step then becomes setting a target. A good target takes into account predictions of the future, the growth of a sector, what emissions you may emit at a time in the future, etc. Making these predictions and calculations are very time consuming and often mathematically challenging. Here lies one of the biggest advantages of SBTi, namely that they have already done these calculations for you. The only thing you still have to worry about is making sure that the goals can actually be achieved. This is also time-consuming, but with clear insights into your own emissions, this becomes a lot easier. For example, if you know that the largest emissions of your scope 1 emissions come from your own gasoline cars, then it is easy to calculate how much CO₂ you save if you replace the cars with electric cars, how much these electric cars cost, and how long it takes before all the gasoline cars are replaced.
For scope 3 this will be more challenging because the emissions are in the use phase or in third-party services. Doing Life-Cycle Assessments (LCAs) provide insight into where a product’s emissions occur, after which you can start conversations with production chain colleagues.
Once a target has been developed, the necessary paperwork needs to be done to send your target to – and have it validated by – the SBTi. Reading documents in advance helps to ensure that all steps are taken. In addition, it gives a first impression of what you need to do and where to start.
Once the target has been validated, it is important to monitor progress so that you can intervene if it appears that the expected reduction has not taken place. It is important to keep in mind at the beginning of the process that the target needs to be monitored in the future so that you only have to worry about what to do if something does not go according to plan. This is entirely target- and company-specific, but can be a task for the sustainability department, for example, or outsourced to third parties.
It is always useful to hear the opinions of others, but translating them to one’s own situation can be difficult. That is why we have developed a global, step-by-step approach to what it takes to set up SBTs. We are aware that these are very generic points. Therefore, do not hesitate to contact us to further evaluate specific situations.
The first thing to do is to create support within all levels of the organization. When everyone knows why and what is being worked on, it becomes easier to take the necessary measures to reach the goals.
After that, mapping out the emissions is very important. Start with scope 1 and 2 emissions and later also scope 3, because these are often the most challenging. The Greenhouse Gas Protocol offers extensive guidance on how to do this.
The next step then becomes setting a target. A good target takes into account predictions of the future, the growth of a sector, what emissions you may emit at a time in the future, etc. Making these predictions and calculations are very time consuming and often mathematically challenging. Here lies one of the biggest advantages of SBTi, namely that they have already done these calculations for you. The only thing you still have to worry about is making sure that the goals can actually be achieved. This is also time-consuming, but with clear insights into your own emissions, this becomes a lot easier. For example, if you know that the largest emissions of your scope 1 emissions come from your own gasoline cars, then it is easy to calculate how much CO₂ you save if you replace the cars with electric cars, how much these electric cars cost, and how long it takes before all the gasoline cars are replaced.
For scope 3 this will be more challenging because the emissions are in the use phase or in third-party services. Doing Life-Cycle Assessments (LCAs) provide insight into where a product’s emissions occur, after which you can start conversations with production chain colleagues.
Once a target has been developed, the necessary paperwork needs to be done to send your target to – and have it validated by – the SBTi. Reading documents in advance helps to ensure that all steps are taken. In addition, it gives a first impression of what you need to do and where to start.
Once the target has been validated, it is important to monitor progress so that you can intervene if it appears that the expected reduction has not taken place. It is important to keep in mind at the beginning of the process that the target needs to be monitored in the future so that you only have to worry about what to do if something does not go according to plan. This is entirely target- and company-specific, but can be a task for the sustainability department, for example, or outsourced to third parties.
