The number of companies globally having committed to or set targets under the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) reached 13,574 as of June 2026, with 11,156 having achieved formal validation and 2,607 holding confirmed Net Zero targets, according to VnEconomy reporting dated 25 June 2026. Cumulative enrolment through end-2025 stood at approximately 12,353 companies — a 40% year-on-year increase — while the share of committed companies that had achieved validated status rose from 33% in 2024 to 40% by end-2025. Those figures were cited by Nguyen Thi Haof Vietnam Green IN. SBTi’s own 2025 statistics show companies with confirmed targets growing 46% (from 2,936 to 4,299), while those holding validated Net Zero targets rose 76% (from 980 to 1,729).
Vietnam counted 41 companies enrolled under SBTi as of June 2026 — 33 large enterprises and 8 SMEs. The country’s annual SBTi participation rate moved from 12% to 16% between 2024 and 2025. The report attributes growth across Southeast Asia partly to supply-chain pressure: most large European and North American multinationals holding SBTi commitments source from the region, placing Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, and Indian suppliers under increasing scrutiny. Among Vietnam’s SBTi participants, textiles, footwear, and luxury goods companies predominate — sectors governed by strict ESG supply-chain standards — followed by consumer goods firms, professional-services providers (including two event-management companies), and mechanical-components manufacturers.
SBTi’s Version 2.0, approved by its governing board on 21 May 2026, formally takes effect on 31 January 2027, with a mandatory compliance deadline of 31 January 2028, after which all companies setting Net Zero targets under the standard must apply the new version. The revision — described in the report as the most consequential in the initiative’s history across five published versions — contains approximately 42% new content alongside 58% revised material. Its restructured framework addresses seven thematic areas: scope and Net Zero governance, transition planning, company classification, target-setting, implementation, and long-term accountability. The report emphasises that the update shifts the standard’s focus from commitments and targets toward demonstrated implementation, meaning that validation under v2.0 will hinge on companies showing concrete action rather than declared ambition alone.
Carbon Market Context
- Blue carbon pathways — particularly relevant for Vietnam and other Southeast Asian coastal economies — show approximately 8.3 million tCO2e in total supply with around 3.5 million tCO2e already retired, a relatively high drawdown ratio reflecting sustained buyer demand for nature-based coastal credits in the region.
- Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Environment maintains active environmental monitoring and public reporting obligations, as reflected in its published resource bulletins, providing an institutional regulatory backdrop relevant to domestic enterprises formalising science-based decarbonization commitments.
Source
- Doanh nghiệp cam kết mục tiêu giảm phát thải, NetZero theo SBTi tăng mạnhVnEconomy — Kinh tế xanh (carbon), published 25 June 2026