The path to committing to the SBTi : a case study on SaaS company Transporeon

Abstract

As the reality of climate change becomes increasingly apparent, companies have been pressured to reduce their environmental impact. This has led to internal commitments and ambitions that are, however, difficult to verify and may not always be aligned with scientific data. Consequently, the Science Based Targets initiative, or SBTi, was created aiming to drive change, by guiding and verifying companies’ commitments in alignment with the Paris Climate Agreements. Since then, it has rapidly gained traction within companies worldwide in all sectors. German SaaS (Software as a Service) company Transporeon is among these adherents and is the subject of this thesis.

Specifically, this thesis aims to pave a path for Transporeon to reach and set its targets while acting as a guide or inspiration for its peers. This will be done by analysing the reasons that brought Transporeon to join the SBTi, determining the best target setting methodologies and actions to reach, as well as outlining the main issues and critiques that the initiative attracts from both companies and environmentalists.

Through interviews and analysis of data, the thesis will conclude that the SBTi is a good option for a number of SaaS companies and that Transporeon can succeed within the SBTi through a number of target-setting and reduction methods. The validity of the critiques will be acknowledged, emphasizing the importance of not overstating the initiative's impact. However, it is concluded that the extensive coverage of the SBTi could indeed lead to significant reductions in CO2e emissions if companies are to uphold their commitments.