In a development that could reshape corporate climate strategies, the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has proposed guidelines that would fundamentally alter how companies tackle their Scope 3 emissions – often the most challenging aspect of corporate decarbonization efforts. The initial draft of the SBTi’s revised Corporate Net-Zero Standard for public consultation published in March 2025 responds to years of industry feedback by introducing a more nuanced approach to value chain emissions. Rather than treating Scope 3 as a monolithic challenge with a one-size-fits-all mandate to generally reduce emissions, the new framework would allow companies to set discrete targets for specific high-impact activities within their value chains, such as procurement of carbon-intensive materials or business travel. The proposed changes would offer companies a much more flexible pathway to addressing their value chain emissions. (....)