Once you have assessed your organisation's emissions, the next step is planning your decarbonisation journey, a key part of which is setting decarbonisation targets.

Decarbonisation targets are goals set by organisations to reduce their carbon footprint. These targets usually include a clear aim to decrease emissions by a certain amount or percentage over a defined period.

Targets are a fundamental aspect of decarbonisation planning for a number of reasons:

Establishing precise, measurable, and time-bound goals for reducing emissions provides decarbonisation planning with a focus and direction. Throughout the implementation process, targets act as milestones that direct decision-making, resource allocation, and performance evaluation. Regular monitoring and reporting against targets allow companies to identify areas of success as well as areas needing improvement, and adjust their strategies accordingly.

Targets help companies develop strategic plans to identify and prioritise emission reduction initiatives. By quantifying the desired outcomes, you can evaluate the viability of various initiatives, allocate resources efficiently, and set reasonable implementation deadlines.

Targets also provide accountability within your organisation by assigning responsibility for achieving reduction goals to specific individuals or teams. In this regard, performance against decarbonisation targets can become a Key Performance Indicator. This accountability fosters a culture of ownership and commitment to driving change across your organisation.

Establishing clear targets encourages employees, investors, and stakeholders to participate actively in the decarbonisation process. When people understand their organisation's decarbonisation goals and can see progress towards achieving them, they are more likely to support and engage in sustainability initiatives, increasing the overall success of the decarbonisation plan.

As previously mentioned, targets are commitments to reduce emissions by a defined amount. There are, however, a number of factors to take into consideration when setting a target.

Watch our introductory video below to get started:

Firstly, targets require a 'base year' to formulate reduction goals from. This means that a comprehensive carbon footprint should be calculated first. See more information in our article on determining your base year.

In order to ensure the success of targets, it is also crucial to ensure your board supports and is engaged in the development of targets. Their engagement will ensure the ambition of your target matches the resources provided to meet it.

When setting a target, it is also important to know that there are a variety of target types, including near-term and long-term, science-based and not science-based. Therefore, it is important to determine which target type is most appropriate for your organisation.

Another key factor is determining what level of ambition is feasible for your organisation. This means taking into account your available budget, what emissions hotspots can realistically be tackled, and the internal and external (supply chain) support of your decarbonisation agenda. This also involves scenario modelling using the Action Plan to see what actions are possible and how they might impact your emissions.

Once you've determined a realistic, yet ambitious target, you can set this on the Plan A Sustainability Platform.