The Science Based Targets initiative has released Version 2.0 of its Corporate Net-Zero Standard. It is the framework more than 11,000 companies use to set credible climate targets. For the first time, the standard gives carbon removal a clear, science-based home, and it puts durability at the center of how companies neutralize the emissions they cannot cut.

This is the part that matters to anyone buying carbon removal: permanence is now written into the rules.

What changed

First, durability now counts. When a company reaches net zero, SBTi now requires that it neutralize its residual emissions, the roughly 10% or less that cannot be eliminated, with carbon removal. Version 2.0 expands the rules for that neutralization and, for the first time, sets an expected storage durability for the removals used. In plain terms, how long the carbon stays out of the atmosphere is now part of the standard, not an afterthought.

Second, removals move from optional to expected. From 2035, large companies face a mandatory removal requirement. Alongside it, a new voluntary program, Ongoing Emissions Responsibility, already lets companies be recognized for taking responsibility for their ongoing emissions, including by funding removals. The direction is set. Removal demand grows from here.

What it does not change

The standard is precise on one point, and so are we. Removal is a complement to reducing your own emissions, never a substitute. Companies are expected to use every lever to cut their own emissions. We handle the removal.

In the immediate term, corporate purchases of carbon removal remain voluntary, but the obligation is now visible, dated, and tied to durability, which means the smart move is to build a permanent removal portfolio on your terms, so 2035 is a ramp and not a cliff. Companies that use this time to learn the space, build supplier relationships, and design the optimal portfolio of solutions to match their emissions profile will position themselves to lead.

Why permanence is the point

The standard rewards durability for neutralization because the logic is simple. To cancel out an emission, the carbon you remove has to stay stored for as long as that emission would have stayed in the atmosphere. Permanent, geological storage sits at the high-integrity end of that scale.

That is exactly what Inherit delivers. We capture biogenic CO2 from organic waste and store it permanently under the North Sea. We operate Europe's first project of its kind, live since February 2026. The CO2 is measured, the storage is permanent, and the credits are certified on delivery.