SBTN described Kering’s adoption as a significant milestone in advancing ambitious and measurable corporate action on nature and more specifically freshwater and land.
While global biopharma company GSK and building materials and solutions company Holcim have adopted the first science-based targets for freshwater.
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Science-based targets for nature are described as key mechanisms for companies to deliver on the Global Biodiversity Framework, aimed directly at the drivers and pressures of nature loss.
Additionally, SBTN emphasised that science-based targets for nature tell a company if they are taking enough of the right actions, in the right places, at the right time to do their part to reverse and halt nature loss by 2030.
This follows SBTN’s year-long pilot programme with a cohort of companies trialling science-based targets for nature, which concluded in the middle of this year.
Validating nature targets with SBTN pilot
SBTN explained that the pilot demonstrated a credible way for companies to take ambitious action for nature, address key drivers of nature loss in the ecosystems they and their suppliers operate in, and align their business strategies with nature-positive goals.
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By GlobalDataNotably, the pilot programme’s success is underscored by the majority (60%) of participating companies receiving validation for some or all of their targets.
Among the companies that received validated targets was Kering, which made it one of the first to move forward with publicly disclosing and adopting its targets.
Kering’s chief sustainability officer, Marie-Claire Daveu, affirmed the importance of science-based targets in driving Kering’s biodiversity efforts: “Setting and adopting science-based targets for nature was the next necessary step to complement and enhance Kering’s long-standing efforts to protect and restore biodiversity. Land and water are critically interlinked and we are proud to be the first company in the fashion industry, and across all sectors globally, to adopt both land and freshwater science-based targets for nature.”
Other pilot companies validated by SBTN have until January 2025 to adopt their targets publicly, after which SBTN will launch a target tracker to enhance transparency.
Target setting elevates ambition
SBTN said participating companies in the corporate pilot highlighted that setting targets helped raise corporate ambition and drive credible action for nature, including moving beyond zero deforestation to zero conversion of natural ecosystems.
Insights gathered from the pilot revealed that companies view science-based targets for nature as instrumental in establishing a foundation for measurable, comparable, and standardised approaches.
Erin Billman, executive director of SBTN, believes that the company’s corporate pilot has shown that science-based targets for nature are both feasible and valuable, closing a critical gap in corporate sustainability.
He said: “With global nature loss accelerating at an unprecedented rate, it’s clear that urgent, decisive action is required from governments and businesses alike to reverse and halt this trend. For companies, this means understanding their material impacts and dependencies on nature and taking ambitious science-based action to address and mitigate those impacts. The time for companies to act is now — responsibly, urgently, and with the ambition that matches the scale of the challenge.”
Refining approaches, expanding goals
In response to pilot learnings, SBTN updated its methodology in July, addressing feasibility and target validation challenges. Over 150 additional companies – through SBTN’s Corporate Engagement Program and its service provider programme – are now preparing to set science-based targets for nature.
The upcoming new target validation service, hosted by the Global Commons Alliance Accountability Accelerator will enable companies to submit targets and have them validated, ensuring their targets are robust and in line with what science requires.
Moving forward, SBTN aims to release the next generation of nature targets in 2025, expanding biodiversity, freshwater, and land target scopes. The organisation will also deliver the “first” ocean targets for companies as well as equip cities with initial guidance on science-based targets for nature.
According to SBTN, this milestone comes at a time when business leaders gather at COP16 in Colombia, where urgent action to preserve biodiversity and stop the destruction of nature has been at the heart of negotiations, underscoring the importance of businesses to address nature loss and climate change.
Last year, a new report by global non-profit Textile Exchange and global eco initiative the Fashion Pact called for fashion industry targets to protect biodiversity and ensure a sustainable future with access to fibres and raw materials.
