On 2 September 2026, NRC Group received validation from SBTi for its near-term and net-zero science-based targets. This marks an important milestone in the Group’s sustainability journey and provides a clear framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions across its operations and value chain.
Katri Ilona Koivula, VP Group Sustainability at NRC Group, explains what the validation means for NRC Group and the journey towards net zero.
- Having our targets validated means that they have been independently assessed against SBTi criteria. That gives greater credibility and transparency, both externally towards our customers, investors, suppliers and other stakeholders, and internally within our own organisation, she says.
What does having our targets validated by SBTi mean for NRC Group in practice?
The validation gives NRC Group a clear direction and a common framework for climate action. Katri explains that the Group is now developing a Climate Transition Plan, a concrete roadmap for turning the targets into action across the business.
Much of the practical work is already underway. We are electrifying our operations, increasing the use of renewable fuels and electricity, improving machinery efficiency and operational planning, and responding to growing customer demand for low and zero emission construction sites. In addition we focus on material reuse and circularity.
What is the Science Based Targets initiative?
| The SBTi is a corporate climate action organization that enables companies and financial institutions worldwide to play their part in combating the climate crisis. | |
| The SBTi is a collaboration between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, the World Resources Institute and the World Wide Fund for Nature. | |
| The SBTi develop standards, tools and guidance which allow companies to set greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions targets in line with what is needed to keep global heating below catastrophic levels and reach net-zero by 2050 at latest. |
What changes, she says, is the way climate considerations are embedded more systematically into everyday decision making, when we invest in machinery, choose fuels and materials, design and deliver projects, and work with customers, partners and suppliers. Ultimately, achieving the transition will require climate considerations to become an integral part of how we make decisions, not only as a business, but across the industries and societies we are part of.
Climate action is also about risk management, as changes in energy prices, regulation, financing, technology and customer expectations can directly affect our business and its resilience. The challenge is to balance the cost of acting with the cost of inaction, while building a business that is less dependent on fossil energy and better prepared and resilient for climate change.
What are NRC Group’s key climate targets for 2030, and what will it take to reach net zero by 2050?
Katri describes 2030 as an important milestone on NRC Group’s path towards net zero by 2050. By 2030, NRC Group has committed to reducing absolute Scope 1 greenhouse gas emissions by 47% from its 2024 base year, reducing relevant Scope 3 emissions from purchased goods and services and fuel- and energy-related activities by 25%, and increasing its active annual sourcing of renewable electricity from 48% to 100%.
On 2 September 2026, NRC Group received validation from SBTi for its near-term and net-zero science-based targets.
Looking further ahead, the goal is to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across the value chain by 2050, with a 90% reduction in absolute Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. We do not yet have every solution required to get there, but we know the direction and can make the decisions today that prepare NRC Group for the transition ahead.
Where do you see the biggest opportunities for NRC Group to reduce emissions?
Katri sees some of the biggest opportunities in how NRC Group plans, designs and delivers projects. While electrification, renewable energy and more efficient operations remain important, greater potential lies in how we build, what we buy and how we make better use of materials through circular solutions. Finding those solutions will require close collaboration across NRC Group and with customers and partners, particularly when we are involved early enough to influence how projects are designed and delivered.
Ultimately, success will be about more than achieving the targets. It will mean that climate considerations have become an integrated part of how we make business decisions, and that we are better equipped to help our customers build lower-emission and more climate-resilient infrastructure.
Ultimately, success will be about more than achieving the targets. It will mean that climate considerations have become an integrated part of how we make business decisions.
Katri Ilona Koivula, VP Group Sustainability at NRC Group