SBTi validates Schaeffler's 2035 climate targets: 42% cut in Scope 1 and 2, 30% in Scope 3
The Science Based Targets initiative has confirmed that Schaeffler's 2035 greenhouse gas reduction goals meet its criteria, giving the supplier's climate plan an independent scientific stamp.
- 42 percent
- 30 percent
- 90 percent
- 2025
What Happened
The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has confirmed that the greenhouse gas reduction targets submitted by Schaeffler AG comply with its criteria and recommendations as so-called near-term targets. The validation covers the company's goals for 2035, measured against a 2025 base year. Schaeffler says it further developed its sustainability strategy as part of the merger with Vitesco Technologies, and that 2025 was the first fully consolidated year after that merger, which is why it serves as the new base year.
- Down 42 percent versus the 2025 base year (validated by SBTi)
- Down 30 percent versus the 2025 base year (validated by SBTi)
- Down 90 percent versus the 2025 base year, with remaining emissions neutralized (not validated by SBTi)
Used as the base year for all targets — the first fully consolidated year after the merger with Vitesco Technologies.
The Climate Transition Plan is established as part of the updated sustainability strategy.
Absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions to fall 42 percent and absolute Scope 3 emissions 30 percent against the 2025 base year.
Target of becoming a net-zero company, with a 90 percent reduction across Scope 1, 2 and 3 and neutralization of remaining emissions.
“The validation of our climate targets by the Science Based Targets initiative marks an important milestone for Schaeffler on the path to climate neutrality. It means our climate targets are grounded in science, transparent and aligned with our responsibilities as a company. We recognize, however, that setting targets alone does not reduce emissions. The real work lies ahead. Further progress will be possible if we consistently align our actions with sustainability throughout our value chains. Following the acquisition of Vitesco, we are using 2025 as our new base year. We have a long-term perspective and are guided by our corporate values. For us, sustainability is both an obligation and an opportunity. Only by systematically integrating sustainability into our decisions and embedding it in our strategy can we lay the foundations for profitable growth and secure our long-term viability.”
- Purchased goods and services
- Capital goods
- Fuel and energy activities
- Upstream transportation and distribution
- Waste in operations
- Business travel
Schaeffler states that it supports the Paris Agreement and has set itself the goal, not validated by SBTi, of becoming a net-zero company by 2050. That goal commits the group to cutting Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 90 percent by 2050 compared with the 2025 base year and to neutralizing remaining emissions in line with the applicable net-zero requirements. The framework for this is the Climate Transition Plan, established in 2026 as part of the updated sustainability strategy. The SBTi itself is a global organization that helps companies set science-based climate targets in line with the 1.5°C target of the Paris Climate Agreement, developing standards, methods and guidelines and validating the targets companies submit; Schaeffler says the SBTi's validation information is available on the SBTi website.
Why this matters
Validation by the SBTi means Schaeffler's near-term targets have passed a formal review confirming they comply with the criteria in force when submitted, rather than being self-declared. The goals reach beyond Schaeffler's own plants into its value chain, since the Scope 3 target covers purchased goods and services, capital goods, upstream transport and business travel — areas involving suppliers. Schaeffler's CEO frames the programme as a foundation for profitable growth and long-term viability.
Terms in This Story
- Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)
- A global organization that helps companies set greenhouse gas reduction targets in line with climate science, and reviews and validates the targets companies submit.
- Scope 1 and 2 emissions
- Greenhouse gases a company releases directly from its own operations and indirectly from the energy it buys and consumes.
- Scope 3 emissions
- Indirect greenhouse gas emissions that occur in a company's value chain, such as from purchased goods, transport of goods, and business travel.
- Net-zero
- A state in which the greenhouse gases a company still emits are balanced by removing an equivalent amount from the atmosphere.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.