SBTi and BVCM: why soil carbon qualifies
The Beyond Value Chain Mitigation framework and the place of agricultural soil carbon
The SBTi's BVCM (Beyond Value Chain Mitigation), published April 2024, encourages companies to invest beyond their value chain. Certified European agricultural soil carbon meets all eligibility criteria: third-party verification, additionality, permanence, no double counting.
The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has become the reference for corporate net-zero trajectories. Its BVCM framework, published April 2024, structures what companies can do beyond their value chain. European agricultural soil carbon naturally fits in. Here is how.
BVCM published April 2024: encourages beyond-value-chain investment alongside reduction.
Eligible credits: third-party-verified, additional, double-counting-free avoidance and removal credits.
Net-Zero V2.0 (publication mid-to-late 2026) rebrands BVCM as 'ongoing emissions responsibility'.
Voluntary until 2035, mandatory thereafter for SBTi-validated companies.
What SBTi is and its role
The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) is a joint initiative launched in 2015 by CDP, the UN Global Compact, the World Resources Institute and WWF. Its goal: help companies set emission-reduction trajectories aligned with climate science (limit warming to 1.5°C). SBTi validates commitments following a public methodology: short-term targets (5-10 years), long-term net-zero targets, scope covering 1, 2 and 3 (including upstream and downstream value chain). By end-2025, more than 7,000 companies had a validated SBTi trajectory, a large share in Europe. For ESG leads, SBTi validation is a major credibility signal expected by investors and analysts.
Beyond Value Chain Mitigation: the concept
BVCM, published April 2024 in an official SBTi document, formalises a simple question: 'what can a company do beyond its own value chain to contribute to the climate fight?'. SBTi's answer: invest in mitigation and removal activities outside its direct operational scope. Concretely: fund carbon sequestration projects (soils, forests, biochar, DAC), avoidance projects (REDD+, clean cooking, renewables in developing countries), community climate resilience solutions. BVCM is voluntary for SBTi-validated companies, but SBTi strongly recommends adoption. It fits a contribution logic (not offsetting): invested funds do not 'neutralise' residual emissions, they fund actions complementary to the reduction trajectory.
Eligibility criteria for a BVCM credit
SBTi defines five eligibility criteria for a credit to count in a BVCM strategy. (1) Independent third-party verification by an accredited VVB. (2) Activity from 2021 onwards: credits from projects started before 2021 are not eligible under SBTi V1.3 doctrine (date may evolve). (3) Demonstrated additionality. (4) Permanence with reversal-risk management mechanism (buffer pool or equivalent). (5) No double counting: the credit must not be counted in a state's NDC inventory without corresponding adjustment. SBTi additionally encourages ICVCM CCP-approved status, an integrity proof. European soil credits certified Verra VM0042 v2.2 (CCP-approved), Gold Standard SOC 402.x (third-party verified, rigorous) or Label Bas-Carbone (recognised national frame) meet these criteria.
Why agricultural soil carbon fits particularly well
Several characteristics make European agricultural soil carbon relevant for BVCM. (1) It combines removal (active sequestration in the stable soil pool) with documented co-benefits (biodiversity, water, rural support), so it feeds several ESG dimensions simultaneously. (2) Methodologies are mature and audited: Verra VM0042 v2.2 is CCP-approved, Gold Standard SOC 402.x mandates Paris-alignment from 2026. (3) Geographic proximity to European buyers eases physical audit and territorial narrative. (4) The regulatory frame (CAP, CRCF) secures the economic durability of projects, strengthening practice permanence. (5) Available volumes let contribution scale yearly, at defensive prices (80 to 200 €/tCO₂eq). For SBTi companies with an ambitious BVCM strategy, allocating 30 to 60 % of the BVCM budget to European soils is coherent.
Recommended mix: long-duration vs short-duration removals
The Corporate Net-Zero Standard V2.0 (in public consultation November 2025, publication mid-to-late 2026) introduces a long-vs-short-duration removal mix requirement. Typical scheme: 41 % long-duration removals (DAC, BECCS, biochar with long-term storage), 59 % short-duration removals or additional long-duration (agricultural soils, agroforestry, peatland restoration). This ratio evolves with horizon: as net-zero approaches (typically 2050), long-duration share climbs to 60-70 %. Agricultural soils, classified as short-duration (semi-permanent), remain eligible in this approach. For companies with 2030 commitments (e.g., agrifood leaders), the current mix favouring soils is defensible. For 2050 commitments, progressively raising the DAC or biochar share is expected.
BVCM obligation timeline
BVCM is currently voluntary for all SBTi-validated companies. SBTi announced in 2024 a trajectory towards mandatory adoption from 2035 for companies with a validated net-zero commitment. The logic: leave a 5-10 year learning period to structure processes, source credits, integrate BVCM into ESG governance, before flipping to obligation. For a 2026 CSR lead, two choices. (1) Start now voluntarily, which sends a leadership signal, secures learning, and eases the 2035 transition. (2) Wait for the obligation, which postpones but does not remove the requirement. The vast majority of serious SBTi companies pick option one.
'Ongoing emissions responsibility': the future vocabulary
The Corporate Net-Zero Standard V2.0, in public consultation November 2025, rebrands BVCM as 'ongoing emissions responsibility'. The change is not cosmetic: it signals that carbon contribution is not a one-off act but a permanent responsibility, of the same nature as the reduction trajectory. V2.0 should be published mid-to-late 2026, progressively applicable from 2028. For CSR leads, this vocabulary is useful: it helps internalise that carbon contribution is part of the corporate package (alongside jobs, taxes, innovation), not a side project.
How to embed BVCM in governance
Four operational steps. (1) Define an annual BVCM budget, as a percentage of residual emissions or in absolute value (for instance: 2 % of CSR budget). (2) Define an allocation policy: how much to long-duration removals, how much to soils, how much to avoidance, how much to territorial projects. (3) Choose standards: Verra VM0042 v2.2, Gold Standard SOC, Label Bas-Carbone depending on priority axes. (4) Document the contribution in the annual report and the CSRD ESRS E1-7 report. Internal governance must articulate CSR, procurement, legal and finance. Many companies set up a quarterly BVCM committee to track commitments, validate sourcing and prepare reporting. This discipline is what distinguishes leaders from followers in 2026.
To start BVCM, the typical 2026 allocation is: 50 to 60 % in European nature-based removals (agricultural soils, agroforestry), 20 to 30 % in long-duration removals (biochar, DAC for ambitious players), 10 to 20 % in high-integrity CCP-approved avoidance.
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