A considered target approach
A review of your baseline, ambition and target options, including boundaries, dependencies and the evidence needed to support your chosen direction.
Net zero and decarbonisation
From a carbon number to a target you can stand behind
Whether you are setting your first internal target or preparing for formal validation, your emissions data becomes the foundation for a science-aligned commitment and a practical pathway to achieve it.
You gain a clear view of how much each decarbonisation lever can reduce emissions, what it will cost, whether your planned trajectory can deliver the target within your intended timeframe, and how to remain aligned with relevant standards and regulatory requirements.
A good fit for
For organisations setting climate targets, preparing a transition plan or deciding which emissions reduction initiatives to prioritise.
Tangible outcomes
What you leave with.
Clear outputs, documented thinking and practical next steps. The final scope is shaped around your organisation and agreed before we begin.
A set of reduction opportunities
A structured assessment of potential actions across operations and the value chain, including feasibility, likely impact and key dependencies.
A prioritised transition roadmap
An implementation sequence that connects near-term actions to longer-term changes, with indicative timing, resource needs and accountable owners.
A governance and progress framework
Clear responsibilities, review points and measures to help your team assess progress and respond when business conditions change.
Our approach
A Practical Path to a Credible Target.
Your decarbonisation journey starts with understanding where emissions come from, how quickly they need to fall, and which actions will deliver the greatest impact. Using the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) as a globally adopted standard for science-based target setting, a clear pathway is developed that connects your emissions baseline with measurable targets, practical reduction initiatives, investment requirements and long-term Net Zero ambitions.
The globally recognised standard that guides our target-setting approach and provides a clear route to formal validation.
Define the Boundary and Baseline
We establish your organisational and operational boundaries of the emissions profile, select a defensible baseline year, and define how future recalculations will be handled. These decisions create a consistent foundation for target setting, progress tracking and year-on-year comparability.
Key outputs- Boundary statement
- Baseline year
- Recalculation policy
Assess Scope 3 and Set the Ambition
We screen your value chain to establish whether Scope 3 clears the threshold that makes a Scope 3 target mandatory. From there, we define an appropriate level of ambition for both near-term and long-term decarbonisation, aligned with SBTi requirements where applicable.
Key outputs- Scope 3 screening
- Near-term target
- Long-term target
Model the Decarbonisation Pathway
We model the impact of the most relevant decarbonisation levers, including efficiency improvements, electrification, renewable energy procurement and supplier engagement. Scenario analysis shows how each measure contributes to the overall trajectory and whether the planned pathway is sufficient to achieve your targets.
Key outputs- Pathway model
- Scenario analysis
- Residual emissions position
Prioritise and Sequence the Measures
Each decarbonisation measure is assessed by its emissions-reduction potential, investment requirements, operating costs and realistic implementation timeline. This allows initiatives to be prioritised based on impact, feasibility and cost-effectiveness, creating a practical roadmap for delivery.
Key outputs- Measures register
- Cost per tonne abated
- Phased implementation plan
Validate, Track and Recalibrate
Where formal validation is required, the necessary documentation is prepared and the submission process is supported through to completion. Once implementation begins, progress is tracked against the target pathway and the model can be updated as your emissions profile, business conditions and available technologies evolve.
Key outputs- Validation package
- Annual progress tracking
- Recalibration model
Science-based targets
A net zero commitment is two targets, not one.
The near-term target governs what you do this decade. The long-term target is the net zero year itself, and it requires deep absolute reduction rather than a purchase. What remains after that is neutralised with permanent removals. Confusing those three is the most common reason a claim does not survive scrutiny.
Target architecture
How a science-based net zero target is built
Emissions relative to the base yearCross-sector illustration
Swipe the chart or select a stage to explore.- Emissions reduced
- Remaining emissions
- Residual
- Permanent removals
Illustrative cross-sector pathway. The near-term reduction shown is indicative; target coverage, ambition and timing depend on the applicable SBTi criteria and sector pathway.
01 / Baseline
Start with an inventory you can trust.
Establish a representative base-year inventory across your operations and value chain. This is the reference point against which your emissions reductions are measured.
One consistent reference for measuring progress.Neutralise what remains
Permanent carbon removals counterbalance residual emissions at net zero and thereafter. They complement deep reductions; they do not replace them.
Support action beyond your value chain
Additional climate finance can contribute to wider mitigation. It sits outside your reduction targets and is accounted for separately.
What validation actually involves
Pathway modelling
The plan has to survive the things that do not go to plan.
A single trajectory drawn to land on the right year is not a plan, it is a picture. We model the levers separately so you can see which ones carry the reduction, and test the pathway against the conditions that would break it.
- What happens if we prioritise intensity reduction over absolute reduction?
- Do we still reach the target if grid decarbonisation runs slower than forecast?
- How does acquisition or portfolio growth move the trajectory?
- Which levers actually carry the reduction, and which are rounding errors?
- Does the pathway hold against a 1.5°C-aligned scenario?
From ambition to action
How the target is actually reached
Relative emissionsBusiness as usual
BaselineInterim targetNet zero target
Hatched area: residual emissions
Explore the reduction levers
Four levers. One coordinated pathway.
These measures work together to bring emissions down from the baseline. Select a lever to see where it contributes; the widths show an illustrative mix, not a forecast.
In practice
Sequence actions around feasibility, investment and operational needs. The mix and timing will differ for each business.
Benefits
What you actually get out of it.
A target you can defend
Every figure in the pathway traces to a method and an assumption you can show, so the commitment survives the first person who asks how you got there.
Fewer revision cycles
We know where submissions get sent back. Getting the boundary, the screening and the ambition right first time is what keeps validation from turning into a year of correspondence.
Capital decisions you can test first
The model lets you stress-test a strategy before the capital is committed, including the case where the grid decarbonises more slowly than anyone promised.
The natural next step
A target says what you intend. Climate risk says what could stop you.
The same scenarios that stress-test your pathway also drive the physical and transition risk assessment your auditor, lender or largest customer is starting to ask about.
Because the boundary, the baseline and the scenario set are already agreed, the assessment builds on the work rather than restarting it.
Frequently asked questions
Do we need a validated science-based target?
Not necessarily. Validation through the SBTi is worth it when a customer or investor specifically asks for it, and it constrains your near-term ambition to a defined method. If nobody is asking, a target built on the same arithmetic without the validation fee is often the better use of the budget. We will tell you which case you are in.
What does it cost?
A fixed fee based on the number of sites, the breadth of Scope 3 in scope, and whether you want a validated target. Quoted in writing before the work starts, with any change priced before it is done.
Can we set a target without a complete Scope 3 inventory?
You can set a Scope 1 and 2 target, and many companies start there. A net zero claim covering the whole footprint needs Scope 3 measured well enough to know which categories dominate, because that is usually where most of the reduction has to come from. Where Scope 3 is thin, we say what the target can honestly cover.
How do you treat offsets and removals?
Separately from reductions, and last. The pathway is built on abatement you actually deliver. Residual emissions are what remains after that, and we quantify them rather than sizing an offset purchase to close a gap the plan did not reach.
What happens when you leave?
The model is yours, in a form your team can open and re-run, with the assumptions written into it rather than held in our heads. The handover phase exists so that next year's update is your work and not a repeat engagement.
Not sure where you stand?
Half an hour, no slides. Tell us what's due and what you've got, and you'll leave knowing what the next step costs you in time.