SBTi names and shames big-name food businesses for failing to meet target-setting deadlines

The initiative gives corporates two years to develop credible, approved climate targets after they signal their intention to do so publicly.

In August last year, it changed its approach to listing businesses that fail to have targets approved within this timeframe on its dashboard. Since then, they have been badged as ‘commitment removed’.

The SBTi updates its dashboard weekly on Thursdays.

This week, it has marked Yum Brands as having its commitment removed. The business is the parent of several of the world’s best-known food-to-go brands including Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell.

UK-based firm Osborne Infrastructure also had its commitment removed, as did JBS – the world’s largest meat producer.

JBS has been in the headlines for its environmental impact in recent months, with campaign groups Mighty Earth and Global Witness opposing the company’s listing on the New York Stock Exchange due to its historic links to deforestation in the Amazon. This call to action was backed by 15 US-based lawmakers, ultimately delaying the listing until at least the second half of 2024.

Other companies to have had ‘commitment removed’ flagged on the SBTi’s dashboard in 2024 include:

• Translink, a UK-based bus and rail service business
• Ace and Tate, an eyewear brand
• Stantec, a Canadian engineering services firm
• British PR giant WPP
• Financial information multinational S&P Global

As 2024 began, the SBTi confirmed that it is forging ahead with reforms intended to increase its capacity for verifying business climate goals, separating its standard-setting and target validation services.

The SBTi saw a 100%+ increase in corporate commitments between 2022 and 2023.

Earlier this week, the SBTi’s head of validation McKenna Smith appeared on an edie online event providing advice on measuring and reporting corporate emissions data. This event can be watched in full, on demand, here.