The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has launched the SBTi Academy, a dedicated training and certification platform designed to build professional expertise in setting and delivering climate targets aligned with science. Alongside the new learning hub, the organisation has introduced a certification process for “SBTi Certified Experts,” aimed at formalising advanced proficiency in target setting at a time when companies face rising regulatory and investor scrutiny.

Scope and Strategic Framework

Established in 2015, the SBTi has become the reference point for aligning corporate climate strategies with pathways consistent with the Paris Agreement. Its core mission is to define best practice in emissions reduction and net-zero commitments, provide technical assistance, and validate company targets through independent assessment. The launch of the Academy builds on this role by offering an infrastructure for skills development, complementing the organisation’s policy and standard-setting work. The initiative’s Corporate Net-Zero Standard, released in 2021, remains its flagship framework, with a second version currently in development. By embedding training and certification within its platform, SBTi is extending its influence from validating targets to shaping the talent pool needed to achieve them.

Building Capacity for the Net-Zero Transition

The timing of the Academy reflects a growing global demand for sustainability skills. Companies are under pressure to measure emissions more accurately, address value chain risks, and meet tightening disclosure rules. SBTi positions its new platform as a bridge between climate science and business operations, enabling professionals to translate ambitious pledges into measurable action. The Academy is structured across three levels. An introductory “Onboarding Hub” provides free access for beginners to understand basic technical concepts and target-setting principles. A more advanced “Practitioners Hub” supports sustainability professionals with in-depth training across strategy, procurement, operations, and reporting, including modules on the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and corporate near-term targets. At the highest tier, the “Certification Hub” establishes an assessment process for individuals to qualify as “SBTi Certified Experts,” providing formal recognition of their expertise.

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Economic and Environmental Impact

Equipping professionals with robust climate skills is not simply a technical exercise but an economic necessity. Corporate value chains account for the majority of global emissions, and companies that fail to build internal capacity risk falling behind both regulatory requirements and investor expectations. By lowering barriers to entry, the Academy makes target setting more accessible for smaller firms while offering a pathway for large multinationals to professionalise their internal teams. SBTi argues that this scale-up of expertise will accelerate the transition to net zero, ensuring that targets are not only set but also delivered. With Scope 3 emissions often making up more than 70 percent of corporate carbon footprints, the ability to rigorously assess and manage upstream and downstream impacts becomes a lever for both climate credibility and competitiveness.

Governance and Market Significance

The certification of experts adds an important governance dimension to the SBTi’s role in climate action. For years, companies have relied on external consultants and fragmented tools to interpret target-setting frameworks. By formalising accreditation under its own banner, SBTi introduces a level of accountability that could reshape the advisory landscape and standardise the interpretation of its methodologies.

Tracy Wyman, Chief Impact Officer at SBTi, emphasised this dual focus on accessibility and credibility, noting that “access to skills is a common barrier to target-setting.” The Academy, she added, is designed to “bridge the skills gap to set companies up for success” by providing both foundational knowledge and expert-level certification.

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Future Outlook

The launch of the SBTi Academy underscores the organisation’s ambition to move beyond being a validator of corporate commitments to becoming a central institution for sustainability capacity-building worldwide. As demand for climate expertise rises with new regulations in the EU, the U.S., and Asia, the Academy could play a decisive role in ensuring that pledges translate into practice. By creating a pipeline of certified experts and accessible training hubs, SBTi is laying the groundwork for a professional ecosystem capable of supporting the global transition to net zero. The initiative highlights a critical truth: meeting climate goals depends not only on capital and technology but equally on people equipped with the knowledge to deliver measurable change.

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