Rethinking Corporate Net Zero - with Robert Höglund

In this episode of The CDR Policy Scoop, Sebastian Manhart and Eve Tamme are joined by Robert Höglund, Manager of the Milkywire Climate Transformation Fund and co-founder of CDR.fyi, to unpack a new way of thinking about corporate net-zero targets.

Recorded in early February, the conversation explores Robert’s proposal for conditional net-zero targets - a framework that distinguishes between emissions companies can realistically control and those that depend on broader systemic change. The discussion examines why today’s net-zero paradigm often obscures these realities, particularly for hard-to-abate sectors, and how this lack of clarity risks undermining credibility and action.

The episode dives into the practical challenges of operationalising conditional targets, including questions of agency, financial feasibility, governance, and accountability. Sebastian and Eve probe whether this approach simplifies or complicates an already crowded standards landscape, and whether it risks creating loopholes - or instead forces companies to be more honest about what reaching net zero actually requires.

The discussion also explores how this reframing could affect near-term demand for carbon removal, particularly through operational net-zero claims for Scope 1, Scope 2, and business travel, and whether conditional targets could unlock more realistic and durable corporate engagement with removals over the next decade.

Links:

• Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and Website
• Sebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and Website
• Robert Höglund: LinkedIn, Website and Substack on this topic

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