Sama’s Near-term Carbon Emissions Reduction Targets Have Been Validated by the SBTi

We are proud to share that Sama’s carbon emissions reduction targets have been validated by the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi). The validation confirms that Sama’s near-term reduction targets—which cover our direct emissions (Scope 1 and 2) and emissions from our value chain (Scope 3)—are in line with what is needed to keep global heating below catastrophic levels. 

The validation places Sama among more than 5,000 companies and financial institutions across the globe that have made the commitment to supporting climate action by setting science-aligned goals and transparently measuring their progress toward achieving them. 

To achieve target validation, Sama engaged with SBTi, a corporate climate organization that develops standards and tools for corporations and financial institutions to play their part in combating climate change, in a multi-year five-step process. Following rigorous eligibility verification, technical screening, and target validation, Sama’s near-term emissions reduction targets were confirmed to be ambitious and science-aligned.  

Here’s what this means in simple terms: 

Our company targets are aligned with the scientific recommendations from the Paris Agreement 

Through the multi-step validation process, Sama committed to two carbon emissions reduction targets:

1. To reduce absolute scope 1 and scope 2 emissions by 42% by 2030 from a 2023 base year; and
2. To reduce scope 3 emissions by 52% per employee by 2030 from a 2023 base year.

These targets are aligned with the 1.5 degree trajectory outlined in the Paris Agreement - the most ambitious designation available through the SBTi process. To achieve this designation, Sama followed SBTi’s recommendation to update our baseline year for both targets from 2022 to 2023. Previous reports that outlined Sama’s target used a 2022 baseline. Moving forward we will report the updated targets, as well as progress toward them, with 2023 as our starting point.

We are committed to measuring our footprint rigorously and sharing our progress transparently

The early stages of our climate action journey focused on setting up the systems and structures to account for our carbon emissions accurately and completely. Working with SBTi helped us to ensure that our carbon accounting  practices were fully aligned with the GHG protocol.

Our carbon emissions, and work to reduce them, will be documented and shared as part of our annual Impact Report, which reviews, and often celebrates, our progress toward our commitment to our People, the Planet, and Responsible AI. We’ll also continue reporting on our climate action and other ESG topics publicly through the UN Global Compact and CDP. 

We know what we need to do by 2030

With validated targets in place, now more than ever, we are committed to taking action to mitigate climate change. Over the next six years we will continue strategies we’ve already started working on, including investing in renewable energy and expanding the life of our capital purchases by refurbishing and reusing durable goods before purchasing new ones. We’ll also continue developing strategies to reduce our “hotspots,” which include emissions from employee commuting and from our software services. 

SBTi’s target validation is an important step in Sama’s climate action journey, both for us as a company and for our stakeholders. We see it as a way to help us stay ambitious, accountable, and transparent as we work to achieve our targets.