Why is my customer asking me to set a science-based target?

Because its own target probably depends on it. Under the SBTi's criteria a company can meet part of its Scope 3 target with a supplier engagement target: a commitment that a set share of its suppliers, by emissions or by spend, will have science-based targets within five years.

Does my target have to be validated by the SBTi?

Not always. The SBTi's near-term criteria say the customer's suppliers should have targets in line with the SBTi criteria, and recommend, but don't require, SBTi validation. Ask your customer what it will accept: some want validation, some accept a target that follows the criteria.

What target would a small supplier need?

On the SBTi's SME route, an absolute cut in Scope 1 and 2 emissions of at least 4.2% for each year between the base year and the target year, with 2030 the recommended target year. A near-term Scope 3 target isn't required on that route.

What if we can't set a target this year?

Say so, and say when you will. Share your current emissions, a reduction target you can stand behind and a date for submitting to the SBTi. A clear plan is usually a better answer than silence or a target you can't meet.

When a customer asks you to set a science-based target

When a customer asks you to set a science-based target, it is usually counting you towards its own SBTi supplier engagement target, which must be met within five years. As of 2026, a small supplier can answer with the SBTi's SME route: a Scope 1 and 2 cut of at least 4.2% a year, which from a 2024 base year means at least 25.2% by 2030. The SBTi recommends, but doesn't require, that suppliers' targets are validated.

Updated 19 October 2026 by the Carbon Recycling team. Figures use the official UK government conversion factors and are checked against the current gov.uk guidance.

Why the request has landed with you

Velika podjetja z znanstveno utemeljenimi cilji se morajo običajno lotiti obsega 3, tj. emisij v dobavni verigi. Po kratkoročnih merilih SBTi, različica 5.3.1, mora podjetje, katerega obseg 3 predstavlja 40 % ali več celotnega odtisa, določiti cilje za obseg 3, ki skupaj zajemajo vsaj 67 % njegovih emisij obsega 3. Eden od načinov je cilj vključevanja dobaviteljev: zaveza, da bodo dobavitelji, ki predstavljajo določen odstotek njegovih emisij obsega 3 ali stroškov, v petih letih imeli znanstveno utemeljene cilje.

Če ste eden od teh dobaviteljev, vaš cilj pomaga stranki doseči njenega. Zato zahteva pogosto pride z rokom in zato vas lahko stranka sprašuje vsako leto, dokler ga nimate.

What exactly the customer needs

The criteria are more flexible than many requests suggest. For a supplier engagement target:

Your target must be in line with the SBTi's near-term criteria.
Validacija SBTi je priporočljiva, ni pa obvezna. Tako navajajo merila v priporočilu R9. Nekatere stranke validacijo kljub temu zahtevajo, zato vprašajte.
Rok stranke je največ pet let od trenutka, ko je svoj cilj predložila SBTi, SBTi pa priporoča leto 2030 ali prej.

Preden odgovorite, si zastavite tri vprašanja:

Ali potrebujete cilj, ki ga je potrdila SBTi, ali cilj, ki upošteva merila SBTi?
Do kdaj?
Would a public commitment with a date for submitting the target be enough for now?

The target a small supplier can set

The SBTi's SME route is the simplest option for most small firms. Our guide to science-based targets for SMEs covers eligibility in full; in short, you need fewer than 10,000 tonnes of Scope 1 and location-based Scope 2 emissions and to meet size tests such as having fewer than 250 employees. The target:

zajema obseg 1 in 2 kot absolutno zmanjšanje;
znaša najmanj 4,2 % za vsako leto med izhodiščnim letom (2015 ali pozneje) in ciljnim letom;
uses 2030 as the recommended target year;
ne potrebuje kratkoročnega cilja za obseg 3, vendar morate obseg 3 meriti in na njem delati.

Praktični primer

Izhodišče ponazoritvenega podjetja za leto 2024: pisarna, ki porabi 30.000 kWh električne energije in 60.000 kWh plina, ter dizelski kombiji, ki prevozijo 25.000 milj. Z vladnimi faktorji za 2024 obseg 1 in 2 znašata 27,25 ton CO2e.

Najmanjše zmanjšanje po poti za MSP: 4,2 % × 6 let = 25,2 %.
Cilj za 2030: največ 20,39 ton emisij obsega 1 in 2.

Pri takem podjetju tarifa zelene električne energije izboljša podatek obsega 2 na podlagi trga, vendar plin in kombiji predstavljajo večino odtisa, zato verodostojen cilj običajno pomeni tudi načrt za ogrevanje in vozila. Cilj je absolutno zmanjšanje: če podjetje raste, se morajo tone vseeno zmanjšati.

Timing: the SME route and V2.0

The SBTi's Corporate Net-Zero Standard V2.0 takes effect on 31 January 2027. It ends the separate SME route and puts companies into categories, with lighter requirements for Category B, where most small firms are expected to sit. You can still submit under the current criteria, including the SME route, until 31 January 2028.

V2.0 also changes what your customer counts. Supplier engagement targets become broader supplier alignment targets, measuring the share of suppliers that are "in transition" or "net-zero aligned". The details are in the standard, but the direction is the same: customers will keep asking suppliers for targets and progress.

Če tega še ne morete

Dober začasen odgovor ima štiri dele:

Your current Scope 1 and 2 emissions, with the period and method.
Cilj zmanjšanja, v katerega ste prepričani, z izhodiščnim in ciljnim letom.
The date you plan to submit a target, or to align it with the SBTi criteria.
Povezava do vašega objavljenega načrta Carbon Reduction Plan, če ga imate.

Nekatera podjetja sprejmejo tudi brezplačno zavezo SME Climate Commitment prek UK Business Climate Hub: prepoloviti emisije do leta 2030, doseči neto ničelne emisije do leta 2050 in vsako leto poročati o napredku. SBTi te zaveze ne potrjuje, zato preverite, ali jo bo vaša stranka upoštevala. Za druge zahteve, ki prispejo skupaj s to, si oglejte naše prispevke o tem, kaj lahko stranke razumno zahtevajo od dobaviteljev, kako odgovoriti na zahtevo CDP v dobavni verigi in načrtih prehoda za mala podjetja.

How Carbon Recycling helps

Carbon Recycling izračuna evidenco emisij za izhodiščno leto, na kateri temelji cilj: obseg 1, obseg 2 na podlagi lokacije in na podlagi trga ter obseg 3 po kategorijah, z vladnimi faktorji za vsako leto. Njegov Carbon Reduction Plan vam omogoča, da določite odstotek in leto cilja, nariše pot od izhodišča in vsako poznejše leto spremlja glede nanj. Brezplačna zbirka odgovorov na vprašalnike za dobavitelje vaše podatke in stanje cilja spremeni v vzorčne odgovore za obrazec stranke.

Frequently asked questions

Zakaj stranka od mene zahteva, da določim znanstveno utemeljen cilj?

Ker je od tega verjetno odvisen njen lastni cilj. Po merilih SBTi lahko podjetje del cilja za obseg 3 izpolni s ciljem vključevanja dobaviteljev: zavezo, da bo določen delež dobaviteljev, po emisijah ali po izdatkih, v petih letih imel znanstveno utemeljene cilje.

Ali mora moj cilj potrditi SBTi?

Ne vedno. Kratkoročna merila SBTi pravijo, naj imajo dobavitelji stranke cilje v skladu z merili SBTi, in priporočajo, ne pa zahtevajo, potrditev SBTi. Vprašajte stranko, kaj bo sprejela: nekatere želijo potrditev, nekatere sprejmejo cilj, ki sledi merilom.

Kakšen cilj bi potreboval majhen dobavitelj?

Po poti SBTi za MSP absolutno zmanjšanje emisij obsega 1 in 2 za najmanj 4,2 % za vsako leto med izhodiščnim in ciljnim letom, s priporočenim ciljnim letom 2030. Kratkoročni cilj za obseg 3 po tej poti ni obvezen.

Ali se pot za MSP zapira?

The SBTi's Corporate Net-Zero Standard V2.0 takes effect on 31 January 2027 and replaces the SME route with company categories. SMEs can still submit under the current criteria, including the SME route, until 31 January 2028.

Kaj, če letos ne moremo določiti cilja?

Povejte to in navedite, kdaj ga boste. Posredujte svoje trenutne emisije, cilj zmanjšanja, za katerim lahko stojite, in datum oddaje pri SBTi. Jasen načrt je običajno boljši odgovor kot molk ali cilj, ki ga ne morete doseči.

Your customer has a net zero target: why it turns into questions for you
Kako cilj stranke glede neto ničelnih emisij ali znanstveno utemeljeni cilj uvrsti vaše emisije v njen obseg 3, kaj bo zahtevala od dobaviteljev in kako biti korak pred tem.
Vprašanja o podnebnih tveganjih v razpisih in vprašalnikih strank: kako odgovoriti
The five climate risk questions buyers ask, model answers built from a site-by-site flood and heat check, and what not to say.
Odgovor na zahtevo stranke CDP za dobavno verigo
The SME questionnaire, fees, deadlines and the questions that matter when a customer asks you to disclose through CDP.

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