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Free SBTi course: how to set science-based targets

NetNada's Getting Started with Science Based Targets is a free, self-paced online course. Across 19 lessons and 5 quizzes it explains what limiting warming to 1.5°C means, what a science-based target is, why companies set them, and the SBTi process step by step: criteria, committing, developing, submitting and communicating a target. You receive a certificate when you complete it.

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Getting Started with Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi)
Price
Free, certificate included
Format
Online, self-paced
Lessons
19 lessons and 5 quizzes
Level
Intermediate
Framework
Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)
Credential
Certificate of completion

How this course compares

The questions people ask when choosing a course like this, answered honestly, including where this course stops.

Which framework does it teach?
Yes
The Science Based Targets initiative: its criteria, its target-setting methods, and the register, commit, develop, submit and disclose process.
Is it practical, or theory only?
Partly
Chapter 3 walks through each step of setting and submitting a target, with a real company case study and resources in every chapter. You do not build and submit your own target inside the course.
Do I need an emissions inventory first?
Partly
Yes: a target is set against a baseline inventory. The course focuses on targets; to build the Scope 1, 2 and 3 inventory, take our free Introduction to Carbon Accounting course.
Do you get a certificate, and is it accredited?
Partly
You receive a digital certificate of completion from NetNada that you can share on LinkedIn. It is not a university award, an accredited professional qualification or an SBTi endorsement.
What does it really cost?
Yes
Nothing. Enrolment and the certificate are free, and no credit card is needed.

What you'll learn

  • Explain what limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C means and what the latest climate science indicates
  • Define a science-based target and make the business case for setting one
  • Walk through the SBTi process: register and commit, develop, submit, then communicate and disclose a target
  • Apply the SBTi criteria to your own target
  • Compare common and other target-setting methods
  • Tell near-term, long-term and net-zero targets apart
  • Place science-based targets within the wider corporate reporting landscape

Curriculum

Welcome
  • Introduction from your instructor
  • Chapters overview
Chapter 1: What are science-based targets? The climate science behind 1.5°C and what makes a target science-based.
  • What does limiting a global temperature rise to 1.5°C mean?
  • What does the latest climate science indicate?
  • What is a science-based target?
  • Resources
  • Quiz
Chapter 2: Why set science-based targets? The benefits, who has already set targets, and a real company's story.
  • Benefits of SBTs
  • Who has already set targets under SBTi?
  • Ørsted case study
  • Resources
  • Quiz
Chapter 3: How to set science-based targets The SBTi process from commitment to disclosure.
  • Target setting process overview
  • SBTi criteria
  • Register and commit to a target
  • Develop a target
  • Submit a target
  • Communicate and disclose
  • Resources
  • Quiz
Chapter 4: Target-setting methods How targets are calculated, and the difference between near-term, long-term and net-zero.
  • Common target-setting methods
  • Other target-setting methods
  • Near-term, long-term and net-zero targets
  • Resources
  • Quiz
Chapter 5: Context of SBTs within reporting requirements
  • Corporate reporting landscape
  • Resources
  • Quiz
Conclusion
  • Final takeaways

Who this course is for

Sustainability and ESG leads

Your board or customers want a credible emissions target and you need to know what SBTi validation involves.

Executives and boards

You are being asked to commit to a target and want to understand what you are signing up to.

Suppliers to large companies

A customer with an SBTi target is asking its suppliers to set their own.

Consultants and advisers

You support clients through target setting and want a shared, structured foundation.

About your certificate

Finish every lesson and quiz and you receive a digital certificate of completion from NetNada, which you can add to your LinkedIn profile or share with your employer. It shows you have worked through the SBTi process and target-setting methods. It is not an accredited qualification or an SBTi endorsement.

Who's behind the course

Afonso Firmo
Afonso Firmo

Co-Founder & Co-CEO, NetNada

Built by the NetNada team that measures and reports emissions for Australian businesses every day.

Page last reviewed 30 October 2026

Frequently asked questions

Is this SBTi course really free?
Yes. Enrolment, every lesson, the quizzes, the resources and the certificate are free, and no credit card is needed.
Do I get a certificate when I finish?
Yes. When you complete all lessons and quizzes you receive a digital certificate of completion from NetNada that you can share on LinkedIn. It is a completion certificate, not an accredited qualification or an SBTi endorsement.
What is a science-based target?
An emissions reduction target in line with what climate science says is needed to limit warming to 1.5°C. Chapter 1 explains the science and what qualifies a target as science-based.
How do you set a target with SBTi?
The course walks through the process in Chapter 3: understand the criteria, register and commit, develop your target, submit it for validation, then communicate and disclose it.
What is the difference between near-term, long-term and net-zero targets?
Chapter 4 covers all three and the methods used to calculate them, so you can see how a near-term target fits on the path to net zero.
Do I need an emissions inventory before setting a target?
Yes. A target is measured against a base-year inventory of your Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. Our free Introduction to Carbon Accounting course teaches how to build one.
How do science-based targets relate to climate reporting?
Chapter 5 places SBTs within the corporate reporting landscape. Under AASB S2, for example, organisations disclose their climate-related targets, and a validated science-based target is one way to show a target is credible.

Keep learning

SBTi explained The initiative this course is built around. Free carbon accounting course Build the baseline inventory your target is set against. Free AASB S2 course How targets are disclosed under Australian climate reporting. What does net zero mean? Where long-term science-based targets lead.

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