A large number of investors and customers are asking companies to disclose their sustainability information through the voluntary reporting platform CDP. If you’ve received a disclosure request, you need to be ready to share details about your sustainability risks and impacts — including your scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. Following a set of key steps will help streamline the process and set you up for success.
Companies around the globe are under growing pressure to disclose their environmental data through CDP. If you’ve received a CDP disclosure request for the first time, navigating what to report and how to report it can feel overwhelming. This guide walks you through the process with actionable steps, tips, and insights to help you respond confidently and effectively.
What is CDP??
CDP is a voluntary sustainability reporting system.?
CDP, originally known as the Carbon Disclosure Project, operates a global environmental disclosure system used by investors, customers, and regulators to evaluate companies’ environmental impact. In 2024, more than — including some of the largest in the world — submitted reports to CDP.?
Stakeholders use CDP to formally request data from companies on climate, water, forests, and biodiversity. CDP now works with representing $142 trillion in assets, making disclosure a growing expectation across markets.
How Does CDP Reporting Work??
Stakeholders request data from reporting companies.
When your company receives a disclosure request from CDP, you’ll be asked to complete one or more standardized questionnaires. CDP reviews your answers and assigns a score based on completeness, transparency, governance, risk management, and actions taken.
GHG emissions disclosure is central to the climate questionnaire. You’ll be asked to report scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. Companies must also describe their data sources, calculation methodologies, and whether the data has been externally assured.
2025 CDP Reporting: Key Dates
Here are a few key dates to keep an eye on during this reporting season:
- Week of March 31 - Questionnaire and guidance published?
- Week of April 28 - Scoring methodology published?
- Week of June 16 - Response window opens?
- Week of September 15 - Scoring deadline
- Week of November 17 - Deadline to submit unscored responses and all amendments
Practical Steps for Preparing Your First CDP Report?
Transparent, complete answers are key.?
CDP disclosure is quickly becoming an expected business norm. If investors or customers are asking you to disclose (or competitors are already doing it), it’s best to respond as transparently and thoroughly as possible.?
Below are practical steps you can take to streamline the process and ensure confident disclosure.
Step 1: Register and Get to Know the Reporting Requirements?
After signing up on and completing the , you should make sure you understand what you’re being asked to disclose (and who is asking for it). CDP provides customized questionnaires and guidance for three groups of reporting organizations: , , and . It also offers guidance on its scoring methodologies. Time spent up front familiarizing yourself with your reporting requirements and scoring will make the rest of the disclosure process more efficient.?
Step 2: Define Your Organizational Boundaries?
Before you begin to gather data, you need to get clear about your organizational boundaries, for example, by asking whether your organization is part of a parent company or a subsidiary. This will determine who is in financial control of assets, who “owns” GHG emissions, and the scope of emissions within your boundaries. This is also a good time to establish a clear governance strategy and reporting roles. Sustainability disclosure often calls for deep cross-functional collaboration and buy-in across teams. Starting with a shared understanding of purpose and responsibilities will ultimately make your CDP reporting more efficient.?
Step 3: Identify Your Data Needs
In addition to scope 1 and 2 emissions, CDP will ask you to disclose global scope 3 emissions, broken down by each of the fifteen categories, with explanations for any exclusions. While calculating scope 1 and 2 emissions is usually straightforward, scope 3 can be more complex. You should be prepared to show your calculation methodology and share whether or not your scope 3 data has undergone assurance (for more details, see our CDP Scope 3 Guide).
The quality of your CDP data will likely improve with time. Remember that CDP scores are largely based on the completeness of responses, so you should disclose what you can, even if you haven’t yet taken action in a particular area.?
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Step 4: Implement a Centralized Data Management System?
Calculating emissions is complex, and data is often scattered throughout different departments within an organization. To create a single source of truth as you complete your CDP questionnaire, you’ll need a centralized data management system. Automated carbon accounting software will facilitate data exchange and ensure your calculations are reliable and transparent.?
Step 5: Engage Teams and Gather Data?
One of the steps that slows carbon accounting down the most is data collection. Calculating emissions typically requires you to reach out to other functions (like finance, facilities, logistics, and HR) to get data. A good understanding of your organizational structure — and strong relationships — will make this step easier. Most importantly, you need to be able to articulate the business value of CDP disclosure and why you’re collecting emissions data.?
Step 6: Calculate Emissions?
Automated carbon accounting software is crucial for streamlined and accurate CDP reporting. Your software should allow you to easily trace data and see the accounting frameworks, formulas, and emissions factors that were used to arrive at your footprint, as well as data logs that show when information is added, modified, or deleted, and who made the change. Platforms that integrate CDP’s framework will further improve efficiency and accuracy. For example, 麻豆原创 Sustainability Reporting includes a one-click export feature that will populate answers directly into the CDP questionnaire.?
Step 7: Submit Your Questionnaire
After you’ve gathered information and calculated emissions, you can begin filling out the questionnaire. Different contributors on your team will be able to input information, but only one disclosure lead will be able to submit the final questionnaire.?
It’s important to avoid skipping questions. 麻豆原创 Director of Climate Solutions Mike Galeski (formerly of CDP) explains: “The worst thing you can do for scoring is leave a question blank. CDP is judging you on whether you answer the question and the level of detail. They’re mostly assessing the level of transparency in your response, although to achieve a very high score, you’ll need to demonstrate you’ve taken action as well.”?
For 2025, the scoring deadline is the week of September 15. You’ll have the chance to edit your responses up until the amendment deadline, the week of November 17.
An Opportunity to Build Business Value
Responding to CDP isn’t just about compliance or reputation—it’s an opportunity to understand your environmental footprint and identify areas for improvement. CDP data can inform decarbonization strategies, reduce operational risks, and strengthen investor and customer confidence.
A well-executed CDP disclosure also sets a foundation for future compliance with emerging regulations like Europe’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and California’s SB 253 and SB 261. A foundation of credible, transparent carbon data will allow you to report to CDP with confidence and help your company stay resilient in the face of growing climate-related risks.
