The Scottish Building Contract Committee (SBCC) has published the SBCC 2024 Design and Build Suite for use in Scotland. Based on the JCT 2024 editions, the suite has been adapted to comply with Scottish law and practice and includes the Design and Build Contract, guide, Sub-Contract Agreement, Sub-Contract Conditions and Sub-Contract Guide. SBCC also published a tracked change version of the main contract and a contract administration pack and noted that corresponding SBCC 2016 editions will be withdrawn from sale 12 months after each 2024 edition is published.

The Scottish Building Contract Committee (SBCC) has published a progress update on the development of its 2024 contract suite, which adapt the JCT 2024 contracts to ensure compliance with Scottish law and practice. The SBCC 2024 Minor Works suite is in the final stages of publication, with digital document uploads and testing currently underway, and is targeted for release in winter 2025. The suite will include three main contracts, two associated sub-contracts, administration forms and additional guidance documents. Following the release of the Minor Works suite, the SBCC will publish the 2024 Design and Build suite and the 2024 Standard Building Contract suite. The SBCC also intends to host online launch events after publication of the Minor Works suite, with further details to be announced in due course.

Symptom Based Emergency Response Guidelines: Provide advisory guidance to nuclear operators following a beyond design basis accident in an advanced gas cooled reactor.

The Science Based Targets Network (SBTN) has launched Science-Based Targets for Nature 2.0, updating its methods, guidance and tools to help companies assess their impacts on nature, prioritise action, set targets and put them into practice. The update helps companies progress despite incomplete data, limited traceability and complex value chains. Options include supplier engagement targets and validation in stages. Freshwater methods strengthen the approach to groundwater and cover pesticide-related impacts on water quality. Land methods expand options for regenerating and restoring working land and for companies in mining, infrastructure, construction and extractive sectors. New resources support action planning, while independent validation and transparent disclosure remain central to the approach. Closer alignment with the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures and the Nature Positive Initiative aims to help companies reuse data and analysis and reduce duplication across assessment, disclosure and target-setting. Apart from a forthcoming ocean update, SBTN expects future changes to focus mainly on targeted refinements, guidance and supporting tools.

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has confirmed that the number of validated companies and financial institutions setting greenhouse gas targets has doubled in one year. This number has increased from 2,079 in 2022 to 4,204 in 2023. The increase in demand for corporate decarbonisation standards and target validation services has prompted the SBTi to develop a broader range of emissions reduction standards and develop an increased capacity for validating companies’ targets.

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has launched the Buildings Sector Science-Based Target-Setting Criteria, a decarbonisation framework for companies and financial institutions (FIs) in the buildings value chain. The framework sets a 1.5˚C-aligned emissions reduction target for the industry to overcome current climate challenges and create a net-zero future. It also sets out key actions for companies and FIs, including stopping fossil fuel installations, reducing in-use operational emissions and upfront embodied emissions, and retrofitting inefficient buildings.

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has launched a consultation on the initial draft of its revised corporate net-zero standard. The revised standard seeks to accelerate corporate decarbonisation by addressing barriers to scope 3 emissions and maintaining a focus on emissions reduction, while also exploring incentives to scale climate finance and carbon removals. It also simplifies target-setting for companies in emerging economies, among other aspects. The consultation closes on 1 June 2025.

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has launched a second consultation on the revised draft of the Chemicals Sector Target-Setting Criteria Draft, incorporating feedback received from the first consultation in May 2024. The updated draft outlines sector-specific criteria for chemical companies to set emissions reduction targets in primary chemical production, including ammonia, methanol, and high value chemicals. It also details target setting criteria for scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. The consultation closes on 10 January 2025, after which SBTi intends to conduct pilot testing of the criteria and target-setting tools before finalising and publishing the standards.

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has published two reports on its Beyond Value Chain Mitigation (BVCM) recommendation. BVCM involves mitigation action or investments that fall outside a company’s value chain, which aim to avoid or reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has published four technical outputs as an initial step towards the review of the SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standard. These include a Scope 3 discussion paper, the release of all evidence submitted as part of an open call for evidence on the effectiveness of Environmental Attribute Certificates (without SBTi assessment), a report presenting the SBTI’s synthesis of the evidence submitted on the effectiveness of carbon credits in corporate climate targets, and the findings of an independent systematic review on the effectiveness of carbon credits when used as a substitute for direct abatement. Guidance on the Corporate Net-Zero Standard will remain unchanged until the review process is complete.

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has published Version 2.0 of its Corporate Net-Zero Standard, establishing an updated framework for companies to set, implement and assess science-based emissions reduction targets consistent with achieving net zero by 2050 or sooner. The revised standard introduces a more implementation-focused approach, requiring stronger governance, board-level accountability and transition planning, while differentiating requirements according to company size and geography through Category A and Category B classifications. It replaces the historical base-year approach with the use of the most recent representative emissions data, requires greenhouse gas inventories aligned with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol), and introduces enhanced transparency, reporting and assurance requirements, particularly for larger companies. Companies must set separate targets for scope 1 and scope 2 emissions, while Category A companies must also address material scope 3 emissions through emissions reduction, supplier-alignment, customer-alignment or activity-specific approaches. Net-zero targets remain optional but require comprehensive near-term and long-term targets across all emissions scopes and the neutralisation of residual emissions.

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has released the terms of reference of the major revision to the Corporate Net-Zero Standard. The terms of reference summarise the objectives, scope, deliverables, provisional timeline, and opportunities for engagement during the standard revision process.