CARBON DISCLOSURE PROJECT
CDP is a not-for-profit charity that runs the global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities, states and regions to manage their environmental impacts. The world’s economy looks to CDP as the gold standard of environmental reporting with the richest and most comprehensive dataset on corporate and city action.
Founded in 2000, CDP was the first platform to leverage investor pressure to influence corporate disclosure on environmental impact. Now with the world’s largest, most comprehensive dataset on environmental action, the insights that CDP holds empowers investors, companies, cities, and national and regional governments to make the right choices today to build a thriving economy that works for people and planet in the long term.
CDP runs the global environmental disclosure system. Each year CDP supports thousands of companies, cities, states and regions to measure and manage their risks and opportunities on climate change, water security and deforestation. We do so at the request of their investors, purchasers and city stakeholders.
How companies can take action?
Companies are responsible for some 70% of global emissions. They will make or break the transition to a climate safe, deforestation free, water secure world. From the reporting of environmental risks and opportunities to setting targets and taking part in global initiatives and campaigns, companies have the power to drive meaningful action towards a sustainable future for all.
In a year of ever-increasing environmental concerns around the world – from extreme weather to unprecedented losses to nature – the need for transformational, urgent and collaborative change is more critical than ever.
CDP holds the largest environmental database in the world, and this year scored nearly 15,000 companies on their climate change, forests and water security disclosures.
These 330+ companies are leading the way in environmental transparency and performance on climate change, deforestation and water security.
What is leadership?
By scoring companies from A to D-, we take them on a journey through disclosure to awareness, management, and finally to leadership. Our scoring measures the comprehensiveness of disclosure, awareness and management of environmental risks and best practices associated with environmental leadership, such as setting ambitious and meaningful targets.
The bar on what qualifies as climate, forests and water leadership is regularly lifted in line with emerging environmental science, feedback from stakeholders, and market needs. Although companies that achieve an A are among the most transparent when it comes to disclosure and performance on climate change, deforestation or water security, they are not at the end of their environmental journey.
What is a CDP score?
A CDP score provides a snapshot of a company’s disclosure and environmental performance. Bold environmental action must begin with an accurate, transparent assessment of environmental impact and progress, which CDP scoring makes possible. Our scores show organizations and their stakeholders where they are on the road towards operating in line with a 1.5-degree, deforestation-free and water-secure future. By disclosing over consecutive years, they can understand the trajectory of their environmental journey.
We use our scoring methodology to incentivize companies to measure and manage environmental impacts through one or more of our climate change, forests and water security questionnaires. Disclosure drives action and by scoring companies from D- to A, we take them on a journey from disclosure through awareness and management, and finally to leadership. It is important to note that companies that achieve an A score are not at the end of their environmental journey – they are among the most transparent when it comes to disclosure and performance on climate change, deforestation or water security.
Climate change
We believe that improving corporate awareness through measurement and disclosure is essential to the effective management of carbon and climate change risk. We request information on climate risks and low carbon opportunities from the world’s largest companies on behalf of over 680 institutional investor signatories with a combined US$130 trillion in assets and 280+ major purchasers with over US$6.4 trillion in procurement spend.
