On July 30, 2026, the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) opened a call for evidence to shape Version 2 of its Forest, Land and Agriculture (FLAG) Standard, giving food, agriculture, retail, forest and tobacco companies a ten-week window to influence how the next iteration of FLAG target-setting will work. The call closes on Thursday, October 8, 2026, while a separate expression of interest for virtual stakeholder meetings closes earlier, on Tuesday, September 8, 2026. More than 400 companies already hold validated FLAG targets, and this revision will determine how they re-set those targets over the coming cycle.
The announcement does not change current obligations. SBTi confirms that FLAG companies should continue setting targets under the existing FLAG Guidance version 1.2, and can already draw on two innovations introduced by the Corporate Net-Zero Standard V2 published in June 2026: the absolute contraction approach and the best-efforts framework for pursuing targets.
What is the SBTi actually consulting on?
The call for evidence feeds a structured, 12-month-plus development of FLAG Standard V2, set out in the published Terms of Reference. SBTi wants real-world feedback on how the Corporate Net-Zero Standard V2's new concepts could be integrated into FLAG target-setting: company categorization by market, size and country; five-year review cycles; a wider menu of target-setting options; and a hierarchy guiding how companies implement targets to deliver emissions reductions.
A second stated aim is to clarify how FLAG V2 will align with the new Greenhouse Gas Protocol Land Sector and Removals Standard, which matters because FLAG targets depend on the GHG Protocol for measurement. The development will also draw on pilot testing, public consultations and expert working groups before V2 is finalized, with SBTi pointing to finalization by or before Q1 2028.
Who should respond, and by when?
The call is open to any company in the FLAG sector, but SBTi is explicitly urging responses from underrepresented regions central to FLAG supply chains, particularly Latin America and Southeast Asia. Two distinct tracks close on different dates.
| Track | What it covers | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Expression of interest | Virtual stakeholder meetings | Tuesday, September 8, 2026 |
| Call for evidence | Written feedback and data on FLAG target-setting | Thursday, October 8, 2026 |
Companies with validated FLAG targets due for renewal should also review SBTi's updated Mandatory Five-Year Review Guidance, which sets the rules for how existing targets are reassessed while V2 is still in development. The full announcement and submission links are on the SBTi news page.
Why this matters for FLAG-sector companies now
The FLAG sector is the third highest emitter globally after energy and industry, and it is unusually exposed to physical climate risk through extreme weather events. For the 400-plus companies already operating under FLAG targets, the V2 revision will reshape how near-term and net-zero targets are structured, how removals are counted, and how deforestation-linked emissions are treated, decisions that flow directly into transition plans, Scope 3 reporting and investor disclosures.
Missing the participation window has a concrete cost: the evidence SBTi receives now will shape a standard that governs FLAG target-setting for years, and companies that stay silent lose leverage over the technical design. As SBTi CEO David Kennedy put it, the call lets companies share their experience and shape an updated FLAG approach for the next phase of corporate climate action.
What to do next
For sustainability and climate-target leads in FLAG-exposed value chains, the immediate actions are concrete. First, decide whether to submit written evidence by October 8 and register interest for the stakeholder meetings by September 8, particularly if your operations sit in Latin America or Southeast Asia. Second, inventory which of your current FLAG targets fall under the five-year review cycle and map them against the Corporate Net-Zero Standard V2 absolute contraction and best-efforts options, which remain available under FLAG 1.2 today. Third, brief procurement and supplier-engagement teams, since FLAG Scope 3 reductions depend heavily on upstream agricultural and land-use data that the V2 alignment with the GHG Protocol Land Sector Removals Standard will reshape. Continuous, per-jurisdiction real-time monitoring surfaces this kind of standard-setter consultation the moment it publishes, so the team that tracks SBTi, the GHG Protocol and ISSB in one place sees the revision window open without scanning each source by hand.
Take advantage of this real-time watch
FLAG Standard V2 will not land for at least a year, but the design decisions are being made now. The companies that engage in the next ten weeks will help write the rules; the rest will simply have to meet them.
