SBTi sector guidance · status on 11 October 2026
SBTi sector guidance: the status of every sector
SBTi sector guidance decides whether your sector uses its own pathway or the cross-sector method: on 11 October 2026 power and automotive standards were still unpublished, oil and gas companies were not eligible, and buildings had just reached V1.2.
The table below is the Science Based Targets initiative sector guidance status, sector by sector, with the source for each line.
By sector
SBTi sector guidance status, sector by sector
| Sector | Resource and status | Required? | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power | Quick Start Guide for Electric Utilities (minor revisions September 2026); Power Standard unpublished, final no earlier than Q4 2026 | Required for companies meeting the criteria | Power page |
| Automotive | Automotive Standard unpublished, expected no earlier than Q3 2026, then mandatory after a 6-month grace period; Land Transport Guidance (March 2024) meanwhile | Land transport: required for companies meeting the criteria | Automotive page |
| Steel | Steel Guidance V1.0, July 2023 | Recommended; the core boundary approach is mandatory for companies meeting its criteria | Summary |
| Cement | Cement Guidance V1.0, September 2022 | Recommended | Summary |
| Chemicals | Chemical Sector Pathways and Implementation Criteria, December 2025 | Required for companies meeting the criteria | Chemicals page |
| Buildings | Buildings Criteria V1.2, 20 July 2026; a V2.0-aligned revision in scoping | Required for companies meeting the criteria | Buildings page |
| Forest, land and agriculture | FLAG Guidance V1.2, 19 March 2026; V2 in development | Required for six sectors, or 20% FLAG emissions | FLAG page |
| Aviation | Interim 1.5°C Sector Pathway for Aviation, February 2023 | Recommended | Summary |
| Maritime | Maritime Guidance V1.1, May 2023 | Recommended | Summary |
| Oil and gas | No standard; paused April 2025, resumes early 2027 | Not currently eligible to set targets | Oil and gas page |
| ICT | No standard or requirement; optional 2020 guidance for network and data centre operators | Cross-sector method | CNZS V1.3.1, Table 4 |
| Financial institutions | FI Near-Term Criteria and FINZ V1.0, both open without an end date | Required route for FIs | SBTi, 8 October 2026 |
V2.0
Science Based Targets initiative sector guidance and V2.0
Existing sector guidance stays valid alongside the Corporate Net-Zero Standard V1.3.1 through the transition, so a sector pathway is not superseded by V2.0’s publication.
For V2.0, SBTi Services says sector-standard validation “will become available once the relevant Sector Standards have been revised to ensure interoperability with CNZS V2.0”, and until then affected companies should submit under V1.3.1.
Which version suits a given submission date is on the SBTi net zero standard page.
The 29 July 2026 plan for one consolidated corporate standard was the GHG Protocol’s, with ISO: an accounting standard, consultation planned for Q2 2027. It is not an SBTi plan to merge its target standards.
UK sectors
SBTi sector guidance for UK companies
UK food producers, processors and retailers meet the SBTi FLAG rules first; banks, insurers and investors use the SBTi financial institutions routes.
Construction and engineering, with 212 UK organisations on the SBTi dashboard, has no row of its own in the SBTi’s sector table, so the cross-sector criteria apply unless a listed resource, such as the buildings criteria, covers the company; the counts are on the SBTi companies page.
The SBTi hub links every guide.
Frequently asked
Science Based Targets initiative sector guidance, answered
Which SBTi sector guidance is mandatory?
On the SBTi’s summary table, sector resources are required for companies that meet their criteria in power (the Quick Start Guide for Electric Utilities), chemicals, land transport and buildings, and FLAG targets are required for six designated sectors or 20% FLAG emissions.
Cement, steel, aviation and maritime resources are recommended, not required.
Has the SBTi published its power sector standard?
No. On 11 October 2026 the SBTi’s power page said it will publish a final Power Standard no earlier than Q4 2026; until then electric utilities use the Quick Start Guide for Electric Utilities.
Can oil and gas companies set SBTi targets?
No. The SBTi’s summary table says oil and gas companies are not currently eligible to set targets; it paused its Oil and Gas Standard in April 2025 and says development will resume in early 2027.
Is there SBTi guidance for ICT companies?
There is no ICT standard or requirement; ICT companies use the cross-sector absolute reduction method.
Table 4 of the Net-Zero Standard V1.3.1 notes optional guidance for mobile network, fixed network and data centre operators.
Is sector guidance still valid under V2.0?
Existing sector guidance remains valid alongside V1.3.1.
SBTi Services says sector-standard validation under V2.0 becomes available once sector standards are revised for it, and meanwhile affected companies should use V1.3.1 and the relevant sector standard.
Is the SBTi consolidating its corporate standards?
The 29 July 2026 announcement of a single consolidated corporate standard was the GHG Protocol’s, with ISO, about carbon accounting, not the SBTi’s about targets.
Sources
Primary sources
Every figure, date and status on this page traces to the instrument’s owner.
Secondary commentary is never the source for a number.
- Science Based Targets initiativeStandards and guidance: Technical Work Plan
Development windows; updated quarterly.
- Science Based Targets initiativeSector Resources Summary
Required, recommended or not eligible, by sector.
- Science Based Targets initiativePower sector page
Final standard no earlier than Q4 2026.
- Science Based Targets initiativeAutomotive and land transport sector page
Expected no earlier than Q3 2026; six-month grace period.
- Science Based Targets initiativeOil and gas sector page
Paused April 2025; resumes early 2027.
- Science Based Targets initiativeBuildings sector page
Buildings Criteria V1.2, 20 July 2026.
- Science Based Targets initiativeChemicals sector page
Published December 2025.
- Science Based Targets initiativeForest, land and agriculture
FLAG Guidance V1.2.
- Science Based Targets initiativeCorporate Net-Zero Standard V1.3.1
Table 4: optional ICT guidance.
- SBTi ServicesValidation Procedures for CNZS V2.0
Sector-standard validation under V2.0 is forthcoming.
- Science Based Targets initiativeFinancial Institutions Near-Term Criteria to continue without end date
Power and automotive “pending finalization” on 8 October 2026.
- GHG ProtocolKey standard development updates (29 July 2026)
The GHG Protocol and ISO consolidation, not an SBTi plan.