FAQ: How does the CDP framework work?

The CDP framework provides a standardised platform for cities, governments and organisations to disclose, collect and analyse environmental data, benchmarking performance, and engaging stakeholders, driving actions to move towards a more sustainable future. The CDP framework is laid out as follows:

1. Environmental disclosure: The CDP provides a standardised questionnaire for companies, cities, and governments to disclose information on their environmental impact, including their greenhouse gas emissions, water use, and deforestation. The questionnaire is designed to be comprehensive, covering a wide range of sustainability topics and providing a detailed view of a company’s environmental impact.

2. Data collection and analysis: The CDP collects the environmental data disclosed by companies, cities, and governments and uses it to create a comprehensive database of environmental information. The data is then analysed to provide insights into the environmental impact of companies, cities, and governments, tracking their progress on sustainability goals.

3. Scoring and benchmarking: The CDP uses the disclosed data to calculate a company’s CDP score, which is a rating based on its environmental impact. Companies are scored on a scale of 0-100 based on the quality and quantity of their environmental impact, and the results are used to compare the performance of different companies against their peers, helping to drive improvements in sustainability practices.

4. Stakeholder engagement: The CDP works with investors, purchasers, and other stakeholders to leverage the power of market forces to encourage companies to reduce their environmental impact and to adopt more sustainable business practices. The CDP provides stakeholders with access to the environmental information disclosed by companies, cities, and governments, and engages with them to drive market transformation towards a more sustainable future.

Ecometrica is CDP’s only gold partner across climate, water and forests and has been helping companies with their CDP disclosures since 2010.