New SBTi Standard Validates Carbon Removal as Essential to Corporate Net-Zero: Carbon Business Council Statement

June 11, 2026 — The Carbon Business Council welcomes the Science Based Targets initiative's new Corporate Net-Zero Standard and its recognition that carbon removal must play an essential role alongside deep emissions reductions in achieving net zero. Under the new standard, companies are expected to use eligible carbon removals to neutralize all remaining residual emissions by their net-zero target year.

Carbon removal companies require near-term investment to scale deployment, reduce costs, and build the capacity needed to meet climate goals. However, recent research commissioned by the Carbon Business Council found that while companies view carbon removal as an essential component of their climate strategies, many are delaying purchases and investment due to policy and standard uncertainty.

By affirming carbon removal as part of a company's ongoing emissions responsibility, the new standard provides greater confidence for corporate buyers. As nearly 10,000 companies globally have SBTi validated targets, the standard could support growing demand for carbon removal as part of broader net-zero strategies.

Notably, the standard introduces tiered recognition for companies taking early action on carbon removal, acknowledging companies that act on carbon removal ahead of baseline compliance requirements. The standard could help unlock near-term carbon removal purchasing, support continued industry growth, and accelerate investment in the technologies and infrastructure needed to achieve net-zero.

The following statement can be attributed to Ben Rubin, Executive Director of the Carbon Business Council, a coalition of more than 100 organizations working to advance carbon removal. 

"The new Corporate Net-Zero Standard provides important clarity for companies looking to invest in carbon removal and helps to justify both near-term corporate investments and longer-term procurement agreements. Governments can complement this voluntary momentum through procurement programs, investment incentives, and the integration of carbon removal into compliance markets, creating the long-term certainty the industry needs to scale." 

While an important milestone, reaching the necessary scale will also require increasing compliance demand infrastructure. Policy opportunities, including the European Union's consideration of carbon removals within its Emissions Trading System, Canada's emerging CDR policy commitments, and Germany's recent commitment to support the ramp-up of a global CDR market, complement voluntary momentum and help build the durable market infrastructure the industry needs.

The Carbon Business Council and its members remain committed to working with standard setters, policymakers, and corporate buyers to build the market infrastructure the CDR industry needs to achieve climate-relevant scale.

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The Carbon Business Council (CO2BC) is a coalition representing more than 100 carbon management organisations across all major carbon removal pathways who are united to build a more prosperous planet. Our coalition accelerates market development across sectors and continents through ecosystem building, policy engagement, and public affairs.