Developing a net-zero business strategy

With a growing number of corporates committing to net zero emissions targets, pressure is now building for business leaders to demonstrate a credible, science-based plan to reach their goals. This report supports businesses create and action a detailed net zero strategy while maximizing the commercial opportunities of the low-carbon transition.

Corporate net zero emissions pledges are the result of top-down target setting. They are designed to align with the international climate agenda of limiting global warming to 1.5oC, rather than the result of a bottom-up operational assessment of what is possible. As a result, the commitments are often made without acknowledging the extent of the internal challenge that is required to meet the pledged commitments.

Recent growth in net zero commitments has been remarkable: by May 2021, more than a fifth (21%) of the world’s 2,000 largest publicly-listed companies had committed to net zero targets – a two-fold increase from 20201 . The United Nations’ Race to Zero Campaign2 added further momentum to this trend in the run up to its global climate change summit, COP26, in November 2021.