Science-Based Targets (SBTi) Consulting

Navigate the world’s most rigorous climate standard with ease. We translate complex SBTi requirements into a board-friendly financial strategy that protects your time and futureproofs your business.

Notebook and pen with SBTi website showing on a phone screen, representing science-based target business planning.

What is SBTi and Why Does It Matter?

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) is the global gold standard for corporate climate action, providing companies with a science-backed, Paris Agreement-aligned path to emissions reduction that prevents greenwashing.

However, the path to validation is often obscured by technical jargon, shifting standards, and significant data requirements.

Third Partners bridges high-level climate ambition with operational reality. We provide the technical rigor required for validation while ensuring your decarbonization roadmap is financially sound and stakeholder-approved.

Tailored Support for Every Sector and Situation

We work with a diverse range of organizations, including manufacturers, consumer brands, and professional services firms. 

We adapt our SBTi consulting approach based on your specific drivers:

  • Voluntary Leadership: You are setting a target as a proactive pillar of your sustainability roadmap to drive innovation and brand value.
  • Stakeholder Mandates: You are being compelled to set a target by a major customer, a key investor, or emerging regulatory pressure.

Whether you are leading the charge or responding to market requirements, we ensure your SBT is a strategic asset rather than a technical burden.

Why Leaders Choose Third Partners for SBTi Consulting

  • Deep Technical Discipline SBTi isn’t just about math; it’s about understanding the nuances of Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions across diverse industries and how your company is going to execute. We bring expertise in all technical disciplines required to meet the latest criteria.

  • We Make It Easy The SBTi process is notoriously dense. We act as your project’s easy button, managing the administrative burden, technical modeling, and submission logistics so you don’t have to.

  • Stakeholder Alignment We specialize in aligning your Finance, Legal, Operations, and Executive teams to ensure the target is both ambitious and achievable.

  • We Protect Your Time We minimize your “time on task” by handling the heavy lifting and bringing you only the critical decision points.

     

Talk with our team about a board-friendly approach to decarbonization.

Most consultants stop at the “science.” We start with the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), helping leadership teams understand the long-term financial commitment of an SBT. 

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Our Process: Your Path to Validation and Beyond

1. Discovery

We assess your goals, motivations, existing groundwork, and SBT readiness before committing to a path.

2. Strategy & Roadmap

We build your compliance playbook — from a 6-month submission sprint to 18 months of full implementation support.

3. Data Modeling

We lead Scope 1, 2, and 3 baseline modeling with expected costs, ROI, and value streams of each reduction scenario.

4. Submission Management

We assist you with the entire submission process, handling the technical queries and iterations until your target is officially accepted (typically 3–6 months).

5. Implementation & Beyond

We help you move from “target” to “action,” executing reduction activities, designing employee engagement programs.

What You Get from Third Partners SBTi Consulting

  • A Strategy that Adapts to Evolving Standards
    Carbon accounting is an evolving system with constantly moving goalposts – like changing Scope 3 requirements and the introduction of complex Forest, Land, and Agriculture (FLAG) standards. We stay ahead of the curve with a resilient strategy that can adapt to new standards.

  • Ongoing Monitoring & Reporting
    No more Excel nightmares. We streamline your data capture and reporting — whether through your existing software or our in-house automated tools — so your numbers are always accurate and audit-ready.

  • Business Realism for Mandatory Compliance
    We understand that many firms set an SBT because they have no choice. We help you navigate customer- or investor-led mandates with clarity, technical accuracy, and your sanity intact.

  • Partnership Support
    Scope 3 reductions require collaboration. We provide support for supplier engagement, internal education, and external partnerships to ensure you actually hit the goals you’ve set.

Science Based Targets Initiative

SBTi Consulting FAQ

The cost of SBTi consulting varies based on company size and data readiness. For smaller organizations or firms seeking ad-hoc advisory on specific technical hurdles, projects can start as low as $10,000. For larger enterprises, or those that have not yet established a Scope 1, 2, and 3 baseline, fees can exceed $100,000. This higher range typically includes deep-dive scenario analysis, FLAG standard integration, and the development of a comprehensive forward-looking decarbonization plan. At Third Partners, we provide transparent, fixed-fee proposals based on your specific gap analysis.

As a boutique firm, Third Partners provides exactly the support you need, nothing you don’t. We can handle your submission from end-to-end (“do it for you”) or provide quantitative modeling support and scenario analysis tools to explore all the “what-ifs” (“do it with you”). Additionally, we offer lightweight energy and GHG data management dashboards that are faster and easier to use than enterprise software—with no long-term commitment or “SaaS tax.”

The total cost includes the SBTi application fee and the investment in decarbonization activities.

The application fee is minimal compared to the costs of investing in decarbonization. Many activities are ROI-positive (like energy efficiency), while others (like purchasing RECs) represent a net cost. Third Partners provides a financial scorecard that shows the full picture, allowing you to understand the long-term ROI and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) before you commit.

Ready to set a GHG target that you can actually achieve?

Schedule a Consultation