Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) commitments have reached 10,000 validated companies globally as of January 2026. Among those companies are many of the commercial property owners, REITs, and institutional real estate operators who hire restoration contractors. When your client has an SBTi commitment, the data quality standard they need from your RCP Job Carbon Reports is materially higher than what GRESB or CDP alone require. This article explains the difference, what it means for the data you deliver, and how the SBTi landscape is changing through 2028.
What SBTi Is and Why It Affects Your Clients
The Science Based Targets initiative is a collaboration between CDP, the UN Global Compact, the World Resources Institute, and WWF. It provides a framework for companies to set emissions reduction targets that are scientifically aligned with limiting global warming to 1.5°C. Companies that commit to SBTi submit their targets for validation and are required to report progress annually.
The current operative standard is the Corporate Net-Zero Standard V1.3, released September 2025. These updates are non-substantive minor revisions improving clarity and alignment with the GHG Protocol — they do not alter the ambition level or intent of the Standard. Companies may continue setting targets under V1.3 through 2027. Version 2.0 is expected to become mandatory for new targets from January 1, 2028, following publication in 2026.
The 67% Rule: Why Scope 3 Coverage Is Mandatory
Here is the specific SBTi requirement that makes restoration contractors relevant to their clients’ climate programs: to be in line with SBTi Criteria, companies must set Scope 3 targets — supplier engagement targets and/or reduction targets — that collectively cover at least 67% of total Scope 3 emissions, if those emissions represent over 40% of their total Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions.
For commercial real estate companies, Scope 3 emissions represent well over 40% of their total footprint — typically 85–95%. This means every commercial property owner with an SBTi commitment is required to set supplier engagement targets covering at least 67% of their Scope 3. Restoration contractor work sits in their Scope 3. If restoration spend is material enough to be in that 67% coverage boundary — and for large property portfolios with significant loss history, it can be — they need your emissions data.
Supplier engagement targets require suppliers to set SBTi-approved targets themselves, usually within 3–5 years. This is the escalation path: right now, your clients need your per-job carbon data. Within 3–5 years, some will require you to set your own science-based targets as a condition of preferred vendor status.
What SBTi Data Quality Requirements Mean for RCP Records
The SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standard V1.3 states that companies must collect high-quality primary data from suppliers and other value chain partners for Scope 3 activities. This is a stricter bar than GRESB or CDP, which accept supplier-estimated data with appropriate disclosure. For SBTi-committed clients, the preference hierarchy is:
- Primary data: Metered kWh, weighed waste manifests, GPS-derived vehicle miles. RCP records flagged as “primary_data_points” in the data_quality section.
- Activity-based secondary: Calculated from documented activity (miles × mpg × emission factor). Still a defensible RCP record with proper calculation_method flagging.
- Spend-based or proxy: Acceptable for initial Scope 3 inventory building, but not sustainable as a primary data source for SBTi reporting. RCP proxy records should be actively replaced with primary data as job management systems improve.
The practical implication: if your largest commercial clients have SBTi commitments, prioritize metered equipment energy and manifest-confirmed waste weights on their properties. The RCP data_quality section explicitly distinguishes primary from proxy data points — use it to show your SBTi-committed clients that their records are primary-data quality where possible.
SBTi V2.0: What’s Coming and What It Means
The draft V2.0 standard moves away from fixed percentage thresholds, instead encouraging companies to prioritize Scope 3 emissions based on intensity of activities and where they have the greatest influence. This is a meaningful shift. Under V1.3, clients must cover 67% of Scope 3 by emissions volume. Under V2.0, they may need to cover the categories where they have the most procurement influence — which may or may not include restoration, depending on their portfolio.
The new standard may require companies to set supplier engagement targets with the goal of increasing the number of Tier 1 suppliers transitioning to net-zero compatible performance. Restoration contractors are Tier 1 suppliers for their commercial property clients. Being RCP-certified and showing a documented emissions reduction trajectory positions you as a net-zero-compatible vendor before your clients are required to ask.
How to Identify Whether Your Client Has an SBTi Commitment
The SBTi maintains a public Target Dashboard at sciencebasedtargets.org/target-dashboard. Any company with a validated SBTi target or a commitment to set one appears there. Search your top commercial clients by company name before your next renewal conversation. If they appear on the dashboard, the data quality bar is higher than if they are GRESB-only reporters.
Signs a client has or is moving toward an SBTi commitment: they have a net-zero pledge on their website with a year attached, they reference “science-based targets” in procurement communications, they are a GRESB “Green Star” participant, or their investor base includes institutional investors with their own SBTi commitments (who in turn pressure portfolio companies).
The RCP as Pre-Positioning for SBTi Supplier Engagement
When a commercial client with an SBTi commitment initiates a supplier engagement program — asking vendors to provide emissions data and eventually set their own targets — the contractors with established RCP records are in a fundamentally different position than those starting from zero. You already have the data infrastructure. You already know your per-job emissions. You already have a documented trajectory if you have implemented any reduction levers from the RCP Carbon Reduction Playbook.
The contractor who can respond to a supplier engagement questionnaire with two years of RCP portfolio data and a documented 15% reduction in per-job emissions is not a compliance burden to the client — they are evidence that the engagement program works.
Sources and References
- Science Based Targets initiative. Corporate Net-Zero Standard V1.3. September 2025. sciencebasedtargets.org/net-zero
- Science Based Targets initiative. Target Dashboard. sciencebasedtargets.org/target-dashboard
- Latham & Watkins. SBTi Publishes Second Consultation Draft of Corporate Net-Zero Standard V2.0. November 2025.
- SBTi. New Supplier Engagement Guidance. sciencebasedtargets.org
- RCP v1.0 Full Framework Document. tygartmedia.com/rcp-v1-full-framework-document/
Leave a Reply