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GMA Newsletter Special Edition | SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standard V2

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This week’s SBTi release of the Corporate Net-Zero Standard V2 is a major milestone for corporate climate action.

Most importantly for GMA programs, the standard explicitly recognizes market-based instruments, including environmental attribute certificates (EACs) from book-and-claim systems, as legitimate tools companies can use to implement their climate targets. CNZS V2 also acknowledges that many hard-to-abate sectors face real structural barriers to direct decarbonization and creates a pathway for companies to pursue value chain associated interventions, which they refer to as “sector-level actions.” These new approaches towards target implementation can be used by companies that have validated SBTs today; no need to resubmit or wait for the next target cycle.

Taken together, these changes provide welcome clarity and a very strong foundation for companies to invest in the low-emission fuels, materials, and transportation solutions needed to accelerate real-world decarbonization. Given the range of stakeholder views and the complexity of these issues, CNZS V2 is a great outcome and provides critical flexibility to companies making best efforts to implement their ambitious SBTs—especially Scope 3 targets.

Read on for our early takeaways and find us at upcoming events including Trellis Impact and London Climate Action Week to continue the conversation (for details on the sessions we’re a part of, see below). We also plan to host a webinar for GMA program members soon where we’ll take a deeper dive into what this means for corporate decarbonization strategies near term and beyond. Keep an eye out for that invitation if you’re a member of our initiatives!

The Bottom Line: Companies with existing science-based targets can begin using high-integrity market instruments, including EACs generated through book-and-claim systems, to support target implementation without needing to resubmit their targets.

Top Takeaways as they Apply to GMA Programs:

This is a huge, positive development for GMA programs and members.

CNZS V2 states that companies may use market-based instruments representing value chain associated (which they call “sector-level”) actions as tools to implement their science-based targets. It explicitly references the eligibility of EACs from book-and-claim systems and lays out a set of requirements these actions must meet in order to be eligible for target implementation. The revised standard creates a strong foundation for companies to invest in solutions that reduce supplier and customer emissions, supporting market transformation in hard-to-decarbonize heavy industry and transport sectors.

GMA programs were tailor-made for this new moment.

The requirements listed for use of sector-based market instruments include providing justification of the constraints faced that prevented direct or activity pool mitigation in a company’s value chain, as well as a set of integrity criteria actions must meet. GMA Programs exist because of the types of constraints SBTi references, and the GMA team will support our members in documenting and reporting those constraints. In addition, the AIM Platform Standard and Guidance, which GMA aligns with, closely tracks (and provides more detail than) the integrity criteria outlined in CNZS V2.

How CNZS V2 integrates with the AIM Standard:

The AIM Standard and Guidance provides companies with a detailed framework for accounting for and reporting investments in decarbonization interventions and is designed to be complementary to other standards. In most cases, the AIM Standard provides much more detail than what is included in SBTi CNZS, which we believe companies will find incredibly valuable as they work to adhere to these latest requirements. The AIM team engaged closely with SBTi staff as CNZS was drafted and is currently developing interoperability guidance alongside SBTi to help organizations understand how AIM and CNZS V2 work together. As SBTi develops its future Recognition Framework, GMA and AIM will take steps toward formal recognition as appropriate. See the AIM Platform website for the latest and stay tuned!

Companies should feel confident taking advantage of these updates today.

SBTi says additional guidance is forthcoming on a few things, including public claims a company can make based on the tools they use to achieve their target. The nuance of public claims is far less important than what CNZS V2 just gave us—clarity on what counts towards target implementation. Further, SBTi target holders do not need to resubmit targets or wait until their next target cycle in order to utilize these new CNZS target implementation pathways. And for those aware that GHG Protocol also has a new standard on “Actions and Market Instruments” (AMI) forthcoming—have no fear. That long-awaited standard is an important piece of the puzzle but the AMI Working Group’s recently released white paper made clear that companies will be able to report any action they take that SBTi now says it will count.

There is still work ahead and we’ll keep you in the know.

GMA will remain engaged with SBTi as they release additional information, guidance, and partnership opportunities. We also remain deeply involved in the development of the GHG Protocol AMI Standard, which has an in-person working group meeting next month in Amsterdam to progress on the draft standard. As these processes continue to roll forward, rest assured we will update you regularly, and you can always reach out with questions.

Connect with us to get started.

The update recognizes EACs as a tool for addressing hard to abate value chain emissions. Watch a short intro to EACs and book and claim in the video linked above.

Continue reading for the latest from GMA and our programs

GMA in the News:

CleanTechnica covered Greenlane’s expanding EV charging infrastructure in Texas. This success is due in part to Nevoya’s upcoming deployments resulting from GMA Trucking’s pilot procurement.
SCoBA’s pilot procurement launch was featured in Concrete Products: Alliance RFP spells low-carbon cement capacity, commerce prospects
SABA and ZEMBA were featured in Argus: Can collective buying solve the e-fuel offtake problem?
GMA Chemicals announced its pilot procurement: Pilot Procurement Uses Collective Demand to Unlock Investment In Low-Emissions Chemicals

#ICYMI:

GMA Trucking’s pilot procurement is highlighted in The Electrification Roadmap Series – Electrification Coalition
The latest from GMA Insights: Harnessing Green Demand to Drive Sustainable Chemicals Production
Top Q&A for SCoBA’s RFP for Low-Carbon Cement

Upcoming Events:

SAF Congress EU
June 17 | Amsterdam, The Netherlands
GMA’s Jackie Brew will attend SAF Congress EU and speak on the “Book and Claim Outlook” panel. She is also representing SABA during the SAFTA awards, where they are nominated in two categories.
Click here to learn more.

Trellis Impact 2026
June 23-25, 2026 | San Francisco, CA
GMA will be a part of multiple workshops and panels, including:

“Decarbonize Your Supply Chain with Environmental Attribute Certificates”
Tuesday, June 23, 3:30 PM
With GMA speakers: Laura Draucker and Kristen Mertens

“Everything You Need to Know About the SBTi’s Upcoming Corporate Net-Zero Standard V2.0”
Wednesday, June 24, 9:00 AM
With GMA/AIM Platform speaker: Laura Draucker

“Aggregated & Activated: How Buyers’ Alliances Are Accelerating Green Market Transformation”
Wednesday, June 24, 10:30 AM
With GMA speakers: Andre de Fontaine, Kari Pederson, Andrew Alcorta, Clayton Gerber, Joan Gibbons, and Kristen Mertens

Learn more and register for Trellis Impact here.

London Climate Week 2026
June 20-28 | London, UK
GMA will have representatives on the ground, and we look forward to connecting with you.
Reach out at info@gmacenter.com to coordinate.

Climate Week NYC 2026
September 20-27 | New York, NY
GMA will have a robust presence at Climate Week NYC, engaging across multiple venues for the entire event. Planning for the third annual Green Markets Day is currently underway—stay tuned!
Click here to learn more.