A former employee of the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has lodged a complaint with Britain’s charity regulator, accusing the non-profit, widely used by major corporations to verify their carbon emission goals, of contradicting its mission.
According to Reuters, the complaint alleges that SBTi’s board of trustees acted “recklessly” by announcing plans in April to permit companies to incorporate carbon credits into their targets, which the complainant argues could discourage companies from reducing their own emissions. This move marks a significant reversal from SBTi’s previous stance against using offsets in target setting, prompting internal dissent and a commitment from the board to reconsider its approach to carbon offsets.
The complaint filed with the Charity Commission asserts that SBTi’s trustees repeatedly violated organisational rules and disregarded expert advice in pursuing the adoption of carbon offsets.