Implementation walkthrough
How to disclose through CDP: video walkthrough
A walkthrough of preparing an annual CDP environmental disclosure on climate change, forests and water security, from the request to the submitted response.
Key takeaways
- CDP is an annual disclosure scored from D- to A, not a certification.
- Investors and customers request disclosures through CDP.
- Questionnaire setup decides which questions apply to you.
- Scoring runs through four levels, from Disclosure to Leadership.
- Submit before CDP's scoring deadline for the cycle.
An annual disclosure, scored rather than certified
CDP is a global non-profit that runs an independent environmental disclosure system used by companies, cities, states and regions. Each year a company answers CDP's questionnaire on how it identifies, governs and manages climate change, forests and water security, with further questions on plastics, biodiversity and, new in 2026, the ocean. CDP scores the response from D- to A and shares it with the investors, customers and initiatives that requested it, publicly or non-publicly as the company chooses at submission.
There is no certificate and no audit visit. A score is a snapshot of one reporting year, and the best performers are named on CDP's annual A List. This short film walks through how a company prepares its response.
From request to submission
Start by confirming who is asking, for what and by when: the requesting investors or customers, the themes they expect and CDP's deadlines for the cycle. Onboarding on the CDP Portal follows: registering, confirming the Submission Lead, paying the admin fee where it applies and answering the setup questions that tailor the questionnaire, which decide the reporting entity and period, the sector description and the themes and topics covered.
The full corporate questionnaire is made up of modules, Governance, Business Strategy and Environmental Performance among them, some of which apply only to certain sectors or issues. A gap analysis against the questions that apply shows where data, governance or evidence is missing, and the work then gathers the data, documents the governance and strategy behind it and drafts answers that are consistent across modules. Scoring runs through four levels for each theme, starting at Disclosure and ending at Leadership, so evidence of management and action matters as well as numbers. The response is submitted on the Portal before the scoring deadline.
Sterling's expert and experienced consultants prepare the data, the evidence and your people with you under Sterling OS™. The answers are yours, and the score is CDP's.
CDP at a glance
- Purpose
- An annual environmental disclosure that investors and customers request through CDP, scored from D- to A for climate change, forests and water security, so they can compare how companies manage environmental issues
- Relevant to
- Companies requested by CDP's capital markets signatories or by customers through CDP Supply Chain, companies that choose to disclose, and eligible smaller companies through the SME questionnaire
- Edition
- The 2026 disclosure cycle on the full corporate questionnaire, one multi-issue questionnaire since 2024; scoring deadline 16 September 2026, final response deadline the week commencing 26 October 2026
- Certification
- None. CDP scores the response against its published methodology and names the best performers on its annual A List; a score is a snapshot of one reporting year, not a certificate
- Sterling's role
- Gap analysis against the questionnaire and scoring methodology, the GHG inventory and evidence, governance, risk and target work, submission support and the next-cycle plan, then Sustain™
- Cost and timing
- Total investment for a CDP disclosure programme depends on the current maturity of your processes, the scope, locations and number of employees. The process typically takes 3 to 6 months
CDP: questions people ask
Is a CDP score a certification?
No. CDP runs a disclosure system: it scores the response a company submits against its published methodology and shares the response with the requesters. CDP describes a score as a snapshot of a company's environmental disclosure and performance, and states that scores alone do not measure how sustainable a company is; they indicate the level of action reported for the year. A certificate from an accredited body and independent verification of emissions are different instruments; each can support a CDP response, and neither replaces it.
Who can ask us to disclose through CDP?
Investors that are CDP capital markets signatories, large purchasing organisations that are CDP Supply Chain members, members of CDP's banks programme and initiatives such as RE100. A company can also disclose without being asked, as what CDP calls a self-selected company.
What happens if we ignore a CDP request?
A company requested by capital markets signatories that does not respond receives a "Did not disclose" status, which CDP describes as a failure to provide sufficient information to be evaluated. A response submitted after the scoring deadline but before the final deadline is received, but not scored.
How is a CDP score calculated?
CDP scores climate change, forests and water security on four consecutive levels: Disclosure (D- or D) for the completeness of reporting, Awareness (C- or C) for how comprehensively the company has evaluated the ways environmental issues intersect with its business, Management (B- or B) for evidence of actions associated with good environmental management, and Leadership (A- or A) for best practice in strategy and action. Nearly every question is scored for Disclosure, except the biodiversity and plastics questions.
What is the CDP A List?
CDP's annual list of the best-performing companies on climate change, deforestation and water security. The 2025 Corporate A List named 899 companies, about 5 per cent of the nearly 20,000 companies scored, and 27 companies achieved a Triple A, an A for climate change, forests and water security together. CDP states that a place is not guaranteed from year to year for a company that does not keep improving.
Keep exploring
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The complete guide
Everything on CDP
Start with the CDP page, or go straight to the guide you need.
On the CDP page
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