Why Land Use Targets Are Reshaping Corporate Climate Goals Worldwide

A new WWF report explores how companies are talking about land sector emissions and setting goals that connect climate action with benefits for people, biodiversity, and nature. It offers a useful snapshot of where corporate commitment stands—and where it needs to go.

Climate accountability in the corporate world is expanding beyond factories and fossil fuels. The focus is shifting to an area often overlooked: land use. Agriculture, forestry, and land-related practices now account for roughly 22% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to data cited in a new report by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

To help companies address these emissions, the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) launched the FLAG (Forest, Land and Agriculture) Guidance in 2022. Since then, corporations have been quick to act—with over 250 entities initiating FLAG targets, including 149 verified cases by the end of 2024 alone.

Target Setting on the Rise

Originally intended to examine 100 FLAG targets, WWF’s review had to expand its scope as adoption surged past expectations. On average, two new FLAG targets were validated every week in 2024, highlighting growing corporate interest in land-based emissions reductions.

Land Use as Core to Climate Plans

Businesses are increasingly seeing FLAG targets not as supplementary, but as essential. Many companies credited FLAG guidance with helping them introduce no-deforestation commitments for the first time—or accelerate previously vague plans into actionable climate goals.

Widespread Sectoral Involvement

Companies from agriculture, food, forestry, retail, and even apparel and construction have embraced FLAG targets. These firms span every corner of the value chain—from producers to traders, processors, and retailers—with a majority based in Europe but many active globally.

High-Risk Companies Taking Responsibility

Notably, 27 of the 149 FLAG adopters also appear in the Forest 500 report, a list of companies most linked to tropical deforestation. FLAG mandates are pushing these firms to confront land-use emissions directly, especially in their supply chains.

Innovation Needed in Forest Solutions

Despite encouraging progress, companies remain under-engaged in certain areas. WWF found limited corporate reporting on agroforestry, silvopasture, or improved forest management—all critical to long-term land-sector decarbonization.

More guidance is on the way, including updates from the GHG Protocol and upcoming pathways from SBTi specific to timber and wood fiber. But WWF urges firms not to wait: the time to act on forest-based solutions is now.

Read the full report: The First 100+ FLAG Targets: Forests, Land and Agriculture Under the Science Based Targets initiative

Source: World Wildlife Fund (WWF)