June 2026 Newsletter

New cohort of companies steps up for nature

Dear Colleague,

Yesterday, at London Climate Action Week, I spoke at Reset Connect about one of the biggest barriers making corporate action on nature harder: the complexity trap. Nature impacts are location-specific, value chains are long, and data is imperfect. And while many companies are already acting on nature, it’s often through disparate water, biodiversity, sourcing, certification, or supplier programs.  Without a science-based structure, it is hard for companies to know whether their existing efforts are focused in the right places, addressing the right issues, or adding up to credible progress. The risk is that companies mistake activity for progress — or wait for perfect data before acting.

That is why SBTN’s corporate progress this week matters. A new cohort of companies is stepping up and signaling their intended progress toward science-based targets for nature. Among them are companies preparing to set SBTN’s expanded freshwater targets through our pilot program, including Adidas, Danone, General Mills and H&M. Newly disclosed validations from companies including Hermès and Sodexo show how ambition is turning into credible, independently validated progress.

Together, these signals point to a shift in the market: leading companies are not waiting for perfect data or full traceability. They are using science-based targets to cut through complexity by clarifying what matters most, where action is needed, and how progress can be credibly measured and validated.

Read on below for more on this week’s corporate progress and other latest updates.

All my best,

Erin Billman

CEO, Science Based Targets Network

Latest Updates from SBTN

New companies join the Step Up for Nature initiative

More than 40 companies have now publicly signaled their next milestones toward science-based targets for nature as part of SBTN’s Step Up for Nature initiative. Their stated ambitions range from completing materiality screening and value chain assessments to setting land, freshwater and ocean targets. 

Explore the SBTN Ambition Board to find the list of companies collectively signaling their intent to take science-based action on nature in line with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Pilot program for expanded freshwater targets kicks off

A first group of companies have begun preparing to set expanded freshwater science-based targets through SBTN’s pilot program. Ahead of the release of the updated (V2) technical guidance later in 2026, these companies are helping build early experience in applying the updated methods across different sectors and value chains. Participating companies come from sectors including textiles and apparel, retail, food and agriculture, and industrials and from regions across Europe, North America, and Asia. 

Recent validated progress toward science-based targets

Four new companies have disclosed validated progress on the SBTN Target Tracker this month, demonstrating that companies are taking credible steps toward science-based nature action.  Each has shared the results of its science-based materiality assessment and prioritization (Step 1 and 2) work. These companies include French luxury goods manufacturer Hermès International, French food services and facilities management company Sodexo SA, Turkish cement company Limak Çimento Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş., and food and beverage company Orkla Foods Sweden.

Explore the latest progress on SBTN’s new and improved Target Tracker – recently revamped to make it easier for stakeholders to explore credible corporate action for nature and track progress on target-setting.

Advancing private sector ocean action at Monaco Blue Initiative 

Earlier this month, SBTN was pleased to connect with a global community of scientists, policy makers, and other leaders advancing ocean governance and conservation.

Alongside Louise Heaps, WWF’s Global Lead on sustainable blue economy, Erin Billman moderated a discussion on the private-sector implications of the UN’s Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement Agreement, also known as the High Seas Treaty, to protect marine biodiversity in areas that are beyond national jurisdiction.  

Participants explored the risks and opportunities associated with operating in the high seas under this new agreement, and the benefits of taking proactive and credible ocean action – using resources such as SBTN’s ocean science-based targets.

Partner Spotlights

Here are some of the latest news and resources from SBTN partners to support your work on credible action for nature:

• The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has released the Corporate Net-Zero Standard V2.0  – its most comprehensive framework for corporate climate action to date, with an expanded toolkit for setting and implementing targets.  
• IPBES Business and Biodiversity Assessment: Summary for Policymakers. IPBES recently released an updated, designed version of its methodological assessment of the impact and dependence of business on biodiversity and nature’s contributions to people. If you missed this report upon its initial release this spring, now’s the time to dive in. 
• The Accountability Accelerator released its annual impact report, demonstrating the growing corporate adoption of validation services for science-based targets for nature. As the independent validation host for science-based targets for nature, they saw 19 companies submit milestones for validation using SBTN’s guidance, with 14 achieving successful validation. 
• WWF: Towards Nature Positive for the Ocean: Pathways for Port Sector Contributions. This report provides practical actions for embedding nature into every stage of the port life cycle. Drawing on SBTN’s AR3T framework, it outlines pathways for the port industry to avoid and reduce impacts, restore and regenerate ecosystems, and transform broader systems.