SBTN External Newsletter: April 2021

SBTN EXTERNAL NEWSLETTER
April 2021

Did a colleague forward you this newsletter? Click here to sign up!

As we celebrate our two year anniversary, the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN) continues to grow - both in membership and reach. Today our partners include 45+ NGOs, business associations and consultancies, along with 75 members of our Corporate Engagement Program. Together, we are creating a powerful network to scale science-based action to protect the planet. Companies and cities are uniquely positioned to be driving positive change for nature and climate. As we look ahead to the end of this year, we are excited to be providing updated company guidance, methods for land and water, and ultimately establish comprehensive frameworks for both cities and corporate industry to leverage the best available practices and science to protect people and the planet.

- Erin Billman, Executive Director, Science Based Targets Network

BUSINESS AND NATURE

Nature provides us with the food, water, shelter, transport we need to live our lives and run our businesses. Building science-based nature and climate targets into business strategy will further increase company resilience, competitive advantage and growth potential.

SBTN’s initial corporate guidance came out in November 2020 and details a five-step process for companies to set science-based targets for nature.

New Resources and Coming Soon

Translations of the Executive Summary of the initial guidance are now available in English, Spanish, Japanese, Portuguese and French here. A Chinese translation will be available later this week.
Additional guidance on target setting as well as initial methodologies for land and water targets will be available by the end of 2021. Our deadline to release the full framework remains steadfast for the end of 2022.
Watch our latest overview of SBTN and learn more about how your company can start to set a credible and comprehensive course of action to protect nature and the climate in line with science.

Latin America, Southeast Asia, China and Africa Companies

We are hosting regional workshops specifically for you. Don’t miss the regional specific webinars and events in our events section below.

Why should your company start its journey now to set science-based targets for nature?
A growing number of investors, investor groups as well as retailers and big brands are now working with us because they see science-based targets for nature as the most comprehensive and credible way for companies to play their part in creating an equitable, net-zero and nature positive future.

Regulation is on the rise, with governments calling for the private sector to take ‘science-based action’ for nature is. Getting started now on science-based targets for nature will help you keep ahead of regulation.

Get started now by following our initial corporate guidance on science-based targets for nature. It details a five-step process companies can follow to supplement their understanding of environmental issues or begin exploring these issues for the first time. Get in touch to find out how you can be supported in following the guidance.

Join Us!

We invite companies and their subsidiaries, consultants, industry coalitions and financial institutions to join our Corporate Engagement Program. Members help co-design the targets for nature and get exclusive access to learning sessions, resources, feedback and insights into the latest science.

For example, last week, our members attended a learning session on Steps 1 + 2 of the SBTN Initial Guidance. With knowledge gained from this session, members of the program will be better able to undertake Steps 1 and 2 and therefore, more ready to set SBTs for nature. This session was equally beneficial for SBTN, as we learned more about the challenges encountered by companies doing these steps and gained new ideas on how to address these challenges.

Feedback from members drives the development of our methods, tools, and guidance, and helps us ensure targets build on what companies are already doing. Follow this link to see the registered members of our program.

For more information, please contact Jess McGlyn at jess@sciencebasedtargetsnetwork.org.

Corporate Engagement Program News

After launching in January, the SBTN Corporate Engagement Program (CEP) now has 75~ members. We are thrilled to welcome our two of our newest members: Japanese-based beverage company, Kirin, and the Church Commissioners for England, the program’s first financial institution responsible for managing assets worth £8.7bn.

Feedback session
We would like to thank our members for their feedback and valuable insights during our monthly learning sessions. In the April 8th feedback session on Steps 1 + 2 of the SBTN Initial Guidance, we discussed how to assess impacts (Step 1) and prioritize business activities for inclusion (Step 2) in target setting. Members who attended will now be better able to undertake Steps 1 and 2. Thank you for helping us understand the challenges and sharing ideas with us. In case you missed it, please contact Jess McGlyn for the slide deck, recording, and next steps.

Technical FAQ
Questions raised in feedback sessions will be reviewed and answered in our Technical FAQ, now available on the SBTN members-only site. Please check this regularly as it is a living document - questions and answers to be added over time. Also on the members-only site, we have added a French translation of SBTN’s templates for Step 1 (courtesy of BL-evolution).

Help us amplify our message
As leaders in this work, we encourage you to inspire companies across your value chains and others in your industry, for example by sharing details of SBTN webinars and events. Please help us promote the upcoming SBTN introductory webinar to SBTs for nature for companies in Southeast Asia on April 20th (PDF invite here)

For upcoming CEP meetings, please see the upcoming events below.

CITIES, CLIMATE, AND NATURE

Nature loss and climate change crises are fundamentally interlinked. We can solve the climate crisis – but only if we recognize the urgency of tackling the nature crisis alongside it. Our guidance to help cities set climate science-based targets, was launched in November 2020. It is now available in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Spanish.

Science-based targets for nature for cities are currently under development.

Join the Race to Zero

Cities joining the Cities Race to Zero commit to set a science-based emission reduction target in line with delivering a fair share of a 50% global reduction by 2030 and reaching net zero carbon by 2050, consistent with limiting global warming to 1.5°C.

The Race to Zero is a global campaign run by the COP26 Presidency and High-Level Climate Champions to rally leadership and support from businesses, cities, regions and investors for a healthy, resilient, zero carbon transition that prevents future threats, creates decent jobs, and unlocks inclusive, sustainable growth. The objective is to build momentum around the shift to a decarbonized economy ahead of COP26, where governments must strengthen their contributions to the Paris Agreement. Cities can join the Race to Zero campaign through the Cities Race to Zero portal

For more information, please contact Laura Parry at laura@sbtnetwork.org.

EVENTS

UPCOMING EVENTS

20 April 2021 | 8:30am WIB
Southeast Asian Companies Introduction to Science Based Targets for Nature

Aimed at companies working in South East Asia, this webinar will provide details on how companies can start their journey now towards setting science-based targets for nature. The webinar will be delivered in English and be co-hosted by Sustainable Trade Initiative, The Biodiversity Consultancy, regional offices of the World Wildlife Fund, World Resources Institute Indonesia, Convention on Global Biodiversity, Flora and Fauna International, CDP, and Indonesia Business Council for Sustainable Development. Register here.

18 May 2021 | 9-10:30am EDT
Step 1 Feedback Meeting (Members only)

In this session, CEP members will have an opportunity to learn from each other and the SBTN Technical Team will be able to learn from you as well. We are inviting CEP members to share how they have been approaching Step 1 of the guidance. If you are interested in presenting, please contact Jess McGlyn at jess@sbtnetwork.org. Register here .

21 May 2021
Chinese Companies Introduction to Science Based Targets for Nature

Aimed at companies working in China, this webinar will provide details on how companies can start their journey now towards setting science-based targets for nature. For more information, contact Sarah Bausmith at sarah@sciencebasedtargetsnetwork.org.

26-27th May 2021
Science Based Targets Network Roundtable for African NGOs

We will also be hosting a roundtable discussion for African NGOs on May 26-27th to explore how to work with African businesses. A French roundtable will be held on May 26 and an English roundtable will be held on May 27. For more information, contact Sarah Bausmith at sarah@sciencebasedtargetsnetwork.org.

3 June 2021 | 8-9:30am EDT
CEP Learning Session (Members only) (tentatively scheduled)

Agenda and registration to follow. Please contact Jess McGlyn at jess@sciencebasedtargetsnetwork.org for registration information.

RECENT EVENTS - WATCH NOW

23 Feb 2021
Sustainable Brands: Trend Watching

Kevin Moss, SBTN council chair and Roberta Barbieri, VP, Global Sustainability of PepsiCo participated in a panel on The state of goal-setting and innovation around critical environmental thresholds to talk about the SBTN. See the recording here (password SB2021).

9 March 2021
Latin American Companies Introduction to Science Based Targets for Nature

SBTN held an introductory webinar on SBTs for nature for companies in Latin America. To watch the recording of this webinar (delivered in Spanish), please follow this link.

16 March 2021
Quantifying Nature Based Solutions
Part of Reuters Natural Capital and Biodiversity Week, this session explored the most effective ways to align business needs with a quest to help restore and regenerate natural ecosystems. Speakers: Helen Crowley, Head of Sustainable Sourcing & Nature Initiatives, Kering, Erin Billman + CHAIR: Jonathan Hughes, WCMC Chief Executive Officer and SBTN council member, UNEP-WCMC. See the recording here.

SBTN IN THE NEWS

Mars, Cargill put nature regeneration goals alongside avoiding climate catastrophe

11 Feb 2021 | GreenBiz

Over 1,000 companies have committed to science-based targets for climate change, but the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN) thinks companies need to start making science-based commitments on nature as well as for climate. Mars and Cargill talk about the importance of SBTN.

UK's Church Commissioners is first investor to join efforts on science-based biodiversity targets

23 March 2021 | Responsible Investor

The Church Commissioners for England has become the first investor to join an initiative to develop science-based targets for companies on “land, oceans, water and biodiversity”.

A metric for spatially explicit contributions to science-based species targets

8 April 2021

The Species Threat Abatement and Recovery (STAR) paper was published in Nature Ecology and Evolution.

Why the palm oil industry needs targets for nature

13 April 2021 | Eco-Business

Nature and climate are facing crises, and business has a key role to play. The Science Based Targets Network enables companies and cities to play a vital role in creating an equitable, nature positive, net-zero future using science-based targets.

Science-based Targets for Nature are Critical to the Climate Solution

14 April 2021 | I S S P B l o g

Building on the momentum of science-based targets for climate, the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN) was set up to develop an integrated solution to the nature and climate crises. The SBTN aims to break down silos between organizations, issues, and approaches in order to solve the interrelated challenges facing the global commons: climate change and the degradation of ecosystems critical for human well-being.