The guidance from the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) opens the door for greater corporate investment in tree planting
LINCOLN, NE / ACCESS Newswire / June 29, 2026 / The Arbor Day Foundation welcomes the release of the Science Based Targets Initiative's (SBTi) finalized Corporate Net-Zero Standard 2.0, the leading guidance for corporate decarbonization commitments worldwide.
The updated standard introduces an "Ongoing Emissions Responsibility" framework spanning three phases through 2050 and beyond. It also allows companies to apply an internal carbon price towards the purchase of carbon credits for emission offsetting, as well as to support climate adaptation and disaster recovery projects.
"This updated standard is a meaningful step forward for corporate climate accountability, and it opens important new doors for nature-based solutions like reforestation," said Dr. Christopher Kibler, Senior Scientist at the Arbor Day Foundation. "For corporations, the new flexibility to direct internal carbon pricing toward climate adaptation and disaster recovery projects means that tree planting can now play a more central role in a company's broader climate strategy. Forests are one of our most powerful tools for carbon sequestration, biodiversity, and community resilience, and standards like this one help ensure that corporate investment flows toward projects that deliver real, lasting impact. We encourage companies not to wait for the mandatory phases of this framework to begin. The need for climate action, and the opportunity to make a difference, is here right now."
The Arbor Day Foundation is a global nonprofit with more than five decades of tree planting experience and has helped hundreds of businesses achieve their sustainability goals through trees. In the coming weeks, the Foundation will continue to reflect on SBTi's Corporate Net-Zero Standard Version 2.0 and what it could mean for the Foundation's corporate partners, carbon markets, and trees.
Visit arborday.org to learn more about the importance of corporate engagement in tree planting.
About the Arbor Day Foundation
The Arbor Day Foundation is a global nonprofit inspiring people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. They foster a growing community of more than 1 million leaders, innovators, planters, and supporters united by their bold belief that a more hopeful future can be shaped through the power of trees. For more than 50 years, they've answered critical need with action, planting more than half a billion trees alongside their partners.
And this is only the beginning.??
The Arbor Day Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit pursuing a future where all life flourishes through the power of trees. Learn more at arborday.org.
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SOURCE: Arbor Day Foundation
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/arbor-day-foundation-reacts-to-newly-released-corporate-net-zero-1184095
