Beyond Reporting: How Nordic Companies Build Value Chains That Deliver on Net Zero

Navigating today’s sustainability and climate landscape is challenging, to say the least. For companies striving to meet their climate obligations, it is easy to get lost in reporting requirements and frameworks.

This autumn, the SBT Nordic Forum, hosted by 2050 Consulting, has focused on how companies can move from climate targets to action, particularly in the value chain.

This article summarizes some of the most relevant insights and learnings from the forum’s recent sessions. The discussions touched on integration as a driver of results, the central role of value chains, and the importance of credible data—along with concrete examples and reflections on both challenges and solutions.

From Discussion to Insight: What We Learned
Across the sessions, several key lessons emerged on how Nordic companies are turning frameworks into action and building value chains that deliver real climate results:

1. Integration as a driver of results

By designing targets, risk processes, and transition plans that answer to different frameworks, companies do not only reduce duplication but can also improve both compliance and business strategy. The transition plan is key in this work. It is where climate ambition meets governance, financing, and supplier engagement.

2. Value Chains are the engine of real change

Whether in textiles or telecom, most emissions and risks lie in Scope 3. Real transformation requires mapping the value chain, prioritising hotspots, and engaging suppliers. Engagement is key when it comes to upstream work, as requirements alone will not take you far. They need to be accompanied by support, innovation, and shared incentives. Collaborative platforms like the Value Change Initiative are essential for scaling credible interventions and closing data gaps.

3. Building Trust Through Credible Claims

Reliable, auditable data is the foundation for trust, both internally and externally. But it is also where most companies struggle. Building a “fact bank” that supports CSRD reporting, CSDDD due diligence, and SBTi progress tracking can be a powerful tool in achieving both increased compliance and more transparent communication. As regulations tighten, those who can prove their claims and show real progress will be the most successful in maintaining stakeholder confidence.

The Nordic Advantage
Collaboration, peer learning, and openness in sharing both challenges and solutions create leverage to influence global value chains. By maintaining leadership on sustainability agendas, Nordic companies can put pressure on global players within their supply networks. With each step from compliance to collaboration, and from reporting to action, Nordic companies are converting frameworks into real engines for net-zero transformation.

Join the SBT Nordic Forum: Where Ambition Meets Action

• Stay ahead of the curve: Get early access to regulatory updates, sector pilots, and practical tools for value chain transformation.
• Accelerate your impact: Learn from Nordic leaders who are redefining Scope 3, supplier engagement, and credible reporting.
• Shape the agenda: Share challenges, exchange solutions, and help steer the Forum’s future focus.
• Build business value: Go beyond compliance with strategies that turn climate ambition into innovation, resilience, and competitive advantage.

You are welcome to join SBT Nordic Forum and contribute to this dialogue.

Contact us for more information!