What are the scope 3 emissions solutions for 2026?

At the recent Scope 3 Innovation Forum in Washington, DC, experts from across a range of industries participated in a series of interactive roundtable discussions. The sessions covered a range of challenges facing decarbonisation, from internal alignment, to supply chain engagement and sustaining momentum.

Adopting a “common sense approach”: the business case for decarbonisation

Sustainability teams can’t make the business case alone; success depends on allies across functions including procurement, marketing and operations. Participants highlighted that strong partnerships with finance teams are also critical, as they are often key decision-makers or blockers.

Business cases are challenging to build but essential for progress – and both risk-based and opportunity-based arguments must be balanced to be effective. Building the business case should be an ongoing, consistent practice, not a last-resort justification.

High-hanging fruit: empowering difficult suppliers

Participants agreed that there is no one-size-fits-all approach, so taking a degree of flexibility with suppliers is essential. For example, some suppliers may not have the resources to meet targets immediately, and so finding alternative pathways might be necessary.

A collaborative approach is key – working with suppliers helps maintain momentum while keeping expectations realistic. Recognising and showcasing supplier sustainability efforts can encourage continued progress. Participants also noted that evaluative tools, such as scorecards and reporting platforms, are imperfect and often require piloting to find the best fit.

All concluded that clear communication with suppliers is critical to alignment and trust, whilst internal communication with leadership and buyer teams strengthens consistency and decision-making.

Future-proofing regenerative agriculture

Financial incentives remain one of the biggest barriers to scaling regenerative practices, so participants agreed that a stronger market demand for regenerative products is essential for generating long-term success.

Farmers need clear cost incentives and visible financial benefits to build trust, but there are also internal mechanisms too: farmer-to-farmer learning helps demonstrate success and build confidence whilst regional farmer networks can accelerate adoption and scaling. A balanced support system is critical to sustaining momentum in regen ag.

Beyond carbon: nature and biodiversity in climate strategy

To break free from carbon tunnel vision, business must acknowledge that biodiversity is complex and cannot be quantified as easily as carbon – it is not something that fits neatly into spreadsheets or simple metrics. Many participants agreed that elevating biodiversity requires tactical approaches within companies and with clients.

One example is storytelling, communicating in a tangible way that helps link carbon action to broader nature impacts.

Embedding climate ambition in your workforce

Participants agreed that companies need to simplify and translate climate language, for example, avoid using the term “scope 3” and use category-specific targets instead. Carbon considerations need to be embedded into existing decision-making processes, as opposed to new, unnecessary governance structures that make current systems overly complex; climate should be integrated into innovation pipelines, investment decisions and CAPEX committees.

To encourage this process, employees must identify and engage the real decision-makers within the organisation. Internally, companies can run targeted training for implementers with broader engagement initiatives to keep carbon top of mind.

Science-based targets: what’s working, what’s not and what’s next?

Participants agreed that the main concerns with SBTs is building supplier capacity and the data collection requirements that are creating fatigue across organisations. Navigating evolving SBTi standards is complex for both internal and external stakeholders, making it difficult to maintain momentum.

Continued progress relies on supporting the work already underway whilst simultaneously adapting to change.

What’s next?

Amidst an uncertain landscape, these roundtable discussions highlighted the importance of partnership and adaptability in the journey to net zero. Organisations must work with and speak the language of their supply chains to sustain momentum and scale change sustainably.

We’ll be continuing these conversations at our Scope 3 Innovation Forum EU, taking place in Amsterdam on 16th-17th June. Join us as we bring together 200+ leading brands and key stakeholders to identify the main areas of opportunity and innovation in tackling scope 3 emissions across supply chains.