Ukrainian Companies Actively Reduce CO₂ Emissions as Part of Global Climate Initiatives

Today, as businesses strive to expand their horizons by entering new markets and integrating into global supply chains, the presence of clearly measurable climate goals and transparent reporting has become a fundamental requirement for collaboration with international partners. This is particularly relevant in the face of contemporary challenges related to climate change, which demand active measures from companies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The process of establishing science-based climate targets, or SBTs, consists of several stages. Initially, a company must determine which categories of emissions and in what volumes it produces. Emissions are divided into three main categories: Scope 1 — direct emissions from all sources owned or controlled by the company; Scope 2 — indirect emissions associated with energy consumption, such as electricity and heating in the office; and Scope 3 — the most complex category, as it encompasses all other emissions outside the company's control, such as emissions from suppliers, contractors, logistics, or even during the use of the product by customers.

For manufacturing companies, the largest share of emissions usually falls under Scope 1, as they arise from technological processes, fuel combustion, and equipment operation. At the same time, for companies that do not engage in manufacturing but operate in offices, emissions are also significant: these include emissions related to energy procurement (Scope 2), as well as emissions from the production of purchased equipment, employee travel, cloud infrastructure, or data centers (Scope 3). This is why Scope 3 is typically the largest emissions category in most companies, despite its challenging measurement.

After conducting a detailed emissions audit, a company determines its baseline year and sets emissions reduction targets in line with the 1.5°C trajectory outlined in the Paris Agreement. This trajectory relies on scientific scenarios from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which is responsible for forming the scientific assessment of climate change.

The next step involves the company submitting its targets for validation to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), where independent experts verify whether the chosen approaches and calculations meet the requirements of the methodology and climate science. Specifically, the accuracy of emissions accounting for Scope 1, 2, and 3, the choice of baseline year, and the logic of reduction scenarios are assessed. In case of any comments, the company refines its targets and resubmits them. Only after approval is the target considered officially recognized, and the company commits publicly to achieving it and regularly reporting on progress, allowing it to appear on the global initiative's website, where its goals and current status are visible.

The validation process for targets at SBTi is typically a paid service, costing several thousand dollars depending on the size of the company. However, following the onset of full-scale war in Ukraine, a support program was introduced for Ukrainian businesses, enabling them to undergo validation free of charge.

The Climate Ambition Accelerator program includes video lessons and practical facilitation sessions with international experts, experience-sharing sessions, and international sectoral sessions that help navigate each of these steps toward decarbonization. This allows Ukrainian climate responsibility leaders to effectively calculate and reduce emissions across all these categories.

One example is the company SoftServe, which began working on climate goals in response to its clients' demands. Collaborating with a global technology business that has its own climate commitments, SoftServe implemented energy audits and energy efficiency measures that reduced energy consumption in specific offices by up to 30%. In 2023, the company received ISO 14001:2015 certification, confirming compliance with international environmental management standards.

The next step for SoftServe was transitioning to renewable electricity. Most of the company's offices in Europe switched to green electricity, while in Ukraine, solar power plants were installed at four offices. From 2023 to 2025, the SoftServe team participated in the Climate Ambition Accelerator to develop climate goals in accordance with SBTi. The company signed the Climate Responsibility Declaration and has already submitted its targets for validation to SBTi in 2026. Concurrently, SoftServe began working on Scope 3 emissions, analyzing procurement and considering the carbon footprint of equipment suppliers.

Another company, N-iX, is also actively working on establishing science-based climate targets, which is a logical continuation of its overall ESG strategy. In 2024, N-iX joined the Climate Ambition Accelerator and began forming and validating its SBTs. In the initial phase, the team reviewed its approach to emissions management, analyzing their structure and modeling reduction scenarios in line with the 1.5°C trajectory.

Throughout 2024 and 2025, N-iX worked on detailing calculations, internal coordination, and preparing to submit its targets for validation. In July 2025, the company's climate target was officially approved by SBTi. N-iX committed to maintaining a net-zero level of absolute emissions for Scope 1 in 2020-2029, reducing Scope 2 by 37.8%, and Scope 3 by 87.1% by 2029, exceeding standard trajectories and demonstrating an ambitious approach.

Thus, Ukrainian companies are actively participating in global initiatives to reduce emissions, which not only meets modern market demands but also contributes to preserving the environment for future generations.