SBTi opens consultation on urgent updates to Forest, Land, and Agriculture (FLAG) criteria

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) opened a 30-day public consultation on a series of urgent revisions to its Forest, Land, and Agriculture (FLAG, also known as AFOLU) criteria. It is estimated that the FLAG sector accounts for almost a quarter of global emissions.

As part of its ongoing review of Standards and Guidance, the SBTi has identified two FLAG Criteria (1 and 4) that require urgent updates to make them viable while maintaining ambition and alignment with evolving frameworks. The proposed updates are related to timeframes and deadlines on FALG and non-FLAG targets, list of commodities covered under no-deforestation commitments and documentation required to demonstrate no-deforestation commitments.

Inputs from stakeholders should be submitted until deadline on November 6th, 2025. The final updated Criteria is expected to be published no earlier than Q1 2026.