Kerig, GSK, Holcim: first adopters of science-based targets for nature

Luxury group Kerig, biopharma company GSK and building materials firm Holcim are the first three companies to set science-based targets for nature based on the framework developed by SBTN.

The announcement, made this week at COP16 in Cali, follows the conclusion of a year-long corporate pilot programme by the Science-Based Targets Network (SBTN), which aims to do for nature what the SBTi has done for climate change: developing a standard for setting and disclosing targets in these areas.

Last month, WWF informally endorsed the SBTN framework, considering it “sufficiently mature” to support nature target setting for a majority of companies.

Kerig: freshwater use and land conversion targets

Kerig’s targets are focused on both freshwater and land, while Holcim and GSK’s targets focus only on freshwater. 

Kerig, home of luxury fashion houses Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Alexander McQueen and others, has set its first freshwater quantity target for its direct operations, including company-owned tanneries and factories, and upstream suppliers, particularly in Tuscany.

It has also set science-based targets to address its impact on land, including eliminating conversion of natural ecosystems, reducing its land footprint, and engaging in materially relevant landscape initiatives. It will also continue efforts to promote regenerative agriculture practices in its supply chain. 

Holcim and GSK focus on freshwater

Meanwhile, GSK has made a commitment to be water neutral in its operations in water-stressed regions by 2030, which includes a freshwater quantity target initially focused on its India operations.

As a concrete and cement manufacturing company, Holcim was able to use granular water usage data to set a target to reduce freshwater withdrawals in its direct operations, specifically in Mexico. 

More companies to follow

SBTN is encouraging other companies to follow the three early adopters’ example, and will set up a corporate target tracker on its website in early 2025 to follow progress.

Erin Billman, Executive Director of Science Based Targets Network, said: “With global nature loss accelerating at an unprecedented rate, it’s clear that urgent, decisive action is required from governments and business alike to reverse and halt this trend. For companies, this means understanding their material impacts and dependencies on nature, and taking ambitious science-based action to address and mitigate those impacts.

“Our corporate pilot has shown that science-based targets for nature are both feasible and valuable, closing a critical gap in corporate sustainability. The time for companies to act is now — responsibly, urgently, and with the ambition that matches the scale of the challenge.”