What happened

On 6 November 2026 the Net Zero Tracker, a research project that follows climate targets around the world, published its sixth Net Zero Stocktake. It assesses the targets of 4,062 national governments, states and regions, large cities and publicly listed companies. As Matilda Cox reported for edie, the headline is that commitments have held firm in a year of loud backlash. The main findings:

  • Targets held, but new ones stalled. 1,926 of the 4,062 entities (47%) have net zero or similar targets, the same share as in 2025, and 92% kept the same or a similar target status. 137 of 198 countries have net zero targets, covering at least 76% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Most big companies are in. 64% of the 1,957 listed companies tracked have a net zero target, covering nearly $40 trillion of annual revenue. Coverage is near-universal by revenue in the UK, Japan and the EU. In the US it edged down from 52% to 51% of companies; in China it rose from 23% to 28%.
  • More plans, still few complete targets. 78% of companies with net zero targets now publish implementation plans, up from 69%, and 89% have an interim target. But only 11% meet all seven of the Tracker's minimum integrity tests, up from 7%. Only 28% say whether and how they will use carbon credits.
  • The supply chain is the gap. 93% of company targets cover Scopes 1 and 2, but only 48% fully cover Scope 3 and a further 24% cover it partly.
  • Quiet back-tracking. A new look at the world's 50 largest listed companies found more weakening their targets (an interim milestone pushed back, fewer emissions covered, a commitment reworded as an aspiration) than strengthening them, mostly since 2024 and mostly in finance and oil and gas. 384 listed companies have no emissions target at all.

"Better disclosure is not the same as delivery," said Net Zero Tracker analyst Louise Bammel, as quoted by edie.

What it means for your business

Your large customers are still asking. If you sell to a large company, the odds are high it has a net zero target, and the report shows those targets have not gone away. More of them now publish plans to deliver, and a plan that covers the supply chain means asking suppliers for their emissions. Our guide to what to do when a customer asks for your carbon data covers the usual questions.

Scope 3 is where the pressure grows next. Fewer than half of corporate targets fully cover Scope 3 today, and the Tracker counts that as a weakness. As companies close that gap, more of their suppliers get asked for figures. Your Scope 1 and 2 are part of each customer's Scope 3, which is why our post on what a customer's net zero target means for its suppliers starts there.

Wording matters. The Tracker's back-tracking analysis shows targets being changed in small ways that are hard to spot. If you set or publish a target of your own, say exactly what it covers and by when. Our post on wording a net zero target explains how to keep it accurate.

A worked example: the figure a customer asks for first

Take an illustrative supplier with one office and two diesel vans. The quantities are assumptions for the example; the factors are the 2026 UK government conversion factors.

  • 40,000 kWh of natural gas for heating: 7.29 tonnes CO2e (Scope 1).
  • 6,000 litres of diesel in the vans: 15.50 tonnes CO2e (Scope 1).
  • 25,000 kWh of grid electricity: 3.27 tonnes CO2e (Scope 2, location-based).
  • Total Scope 1 and 2: 26.07 tonnes CO2e a year.

That total, with the year, the factors used and what it covers, answers most first requests. A customer that has set a science-based target may then ask for a reduction target of your own; our guide to science-based targets for smaller businesses explains what that involves.

What to do now

  1. List your biggest customers' targets. Most publish them in their annual or sustainability report. Note whether they cover Scope 3 and the interim year, as that is when requests tend to start.
  2. Work out last year's Scope 1 and 2. Gas, fuel and electricity from your bills are enough. Our guide to Scope 1, 2 and 3 shows how each one counts.
  3. Have your answers ready. Our supplier questionnaire answers tool shows the questions large buyers usually ask and how to answer them.