Net Zero Company Benchmark

Climate Action 100+ Benchmark: The Year Ahead

As 2025 progresses, the Climate Action 100+ (CA100+) Net Zero Company Benchmark remains a key tool for aligning diverse perspectives around concrete corporate actions that support global climate goals. 

The Benchmark serves as an entry point for investor stewardship, by helping assess company progress and commitment to Net Zero. Its broad, sector-agnostic approach complements the specific insights of companies and investors, encouraging innovative transition strategies.  

By driving transparency, accountability and investor engagement, Climate Action 100+ continues to lead the way in supporting corporate climate action. Since its launch, the Benchmark has been pivotal in defining and promoting corporate climate leadership. In its first year, few Climate Action 100+ focus companies had set net-zero targets. Yet today, 80% of companies have made some form of commitment.  Since the inception of the Benchmark, the concept of a ‘transition plan’ has evolved significantly, with growing sectoral and regional nuance in assessments. 

While progress is evident, new challenges arise in 2025. Many companies are looking to not only disclose, but also refine and implement credible transition plans. The net-zero transition remains complex, particularly for high-emitting, hard-to-abate sectors where financial constraints, infrastructure lock-in, and policy uncertainty create significant hurdles.  

Looking beyond 2025, Climate Action 100+ aims to better understand how stakeholders use the Benchmark and gain insight into its clarity, practicality for companies and value to investors. These insights will guide our efforts to refine the Benchmark and align it with similar tools across the broader landscape of transition plan assessment. 

Upcoming Milestones in 2025

Opportunities to provide feedback and ideas on the future direction of the Climate Action 100+ Benchmark

Climate Action 100+ is collecting insights on how the Benchmark compares with other transition plan assessments in order to focus its scope to where it can be of most value for investor engagements with focus companies. As part of this, we are designing a company and investor feedback mechanism so we can incorporate key stakeholder perspectives. 

If you have more immediate feedback to share on the strategic direction of this project, you can reach out to us at [email protected]. 

2025 Benchmark Assessments

This year’s Benchmark assessments include only minor updates to maintain consistency and track company progress. You can view the full Benchmark framework overview here.

Key dates to note: 

• May – June: Companies can review and provide factual feedback on their preliminary assessments under the Transition Pathway Initiative (TPI) framework during a four-week review period. 

• October 2025: Final Benchmark assessments will be published on the Climate Action 100+ website. 

As Climate Action 100+ evolves, continued investor and corporate engagement is essential to enabling meaningful climate action. This year’s assessments and consultation will help shape a more streamlined and impactful Benchmark moving forward. 

The Climate Action 100+ Net Zero Company Benchmark assesses the performance of focus companies against the initiative’s three high-level goals: emissions reduction, governance, and disclosure on and implementation of net zero transition plans. Four sets of company assessments against the Benchmark have been released since March 2021.

By accessing the Benchmark, you agree to be bound by the data usage terms and conditions and company review and redress processes.