Net-Zero Targets Hold Steady Across 4,000 Entities
A Net Zero Tracker stocktake finds 47% of tracked entities maintain net-zero or similar targets, unchanged from last year.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Public Companies
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Net Zero Tracker's latest stocktake report, covering 4,062 countries, states, cities and large companies, finds 47% hold a net-zero or similar target. That share is up from 18% in 2020, though the report notes over 90% of governments and firms kept the same or a similar target year on year.
Why it matters
Holding targets steady after years of growth suggests the net-zero commitment is maturing, but gaps in implementation and coverage remain. Several high-profile companies have dropped or softened their goals, raising questions about how durable these commitments are.
Of the world's largest companies, 64% hold net-zero targets, while 384 have no mitigation targets at all. Only 48% of targets fully cover Scope 3 emissions, leaving much of corporate carbon footprints outside the stated commitments.
The players
Net Zero Tracker
A research initiative that monitors and analyzes net-zero commitments made by countries, subnational governments, cities and large companies worldwide.
Ralph Lauren
An American fashion company that dropped its 2040 net-zero target last October, one of several high-profile withdrawals noted in the report.
Nike
A global athletic footwear and apparel company that stopped publicly stating a net-zero goal, according to the report.
Duke Energy
A major American electric utility that dropped its 2030 emissions target, as recorded in the stocktake.
The details
Ralph Lauren dropped its 2040 net-zero target last October, Nike stopped publicly stating a net-zero goal, and Duke Energy dropped its 2030 target. Financial companies are more likely than other firms to lack any mitigation target, at 27% versus 13%.
Timeline
2020: 18% of tracked entities held net-zero targets.
2025: 69% of companies with net-zero targets published implementation plans.
October of the prior year: Ralph Lauren dropped its 2040 net-zero target.
November 6, 2026: Net Zero Tracker published its latest stocktake report.
Market Landscape
Net-zero target adoption climbed from 18% of tracked entities in 2020 to 47% today, but growth has stalled as the pool of new adopters thins. The withdrawals by Ralph Lauren, Nike and Duke Energy show that sectors such as apparel and utilities are now testing how firmly companies will hold their pledges.
Customers of companies that have dropped net-zero goals may find fewer public commitments to judge product sustainability against. Investors and employees can use published implementation plans, now common among companies with targets, to check whether stated goals are being acted on.
The takeaway
Net-zero pledges are most credible when they come with published implementation plans and full Scope 3 coverage. Readers evaluating a company's climate claims should check both before taking them at face value.
Further reading
Track more corporate climate commitments in our Public Companies coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Edie.
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