The 7 steps to get a good CDP score

The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) is a widely recognised framework used to assess the environmental performance of companies, cities and regions worldwide.

Through a structured questionnaire, CDP assigns scores ranging from A to F based on organisations’ performance in key environmental areas such as climate change, deforestation, water management, plastic waste and biodiversity.

Today, a CDP score has become a powerful value lever for stakeholders, particularly investors and major corporate clients.

In this article, we share practical, expert-backed advice to help you succeed in the CDP questionnaire and aim for the highest possible score.

The 7 Steps to Achieving a Strong CDP Score

To achieve a strong CDP score, it is important to remember that it is not just a rating.
CDP primarily rewards organisations that fully integrate environmental issues into their policies, strategy and day-to-day operations.

Here are the 7 key steps to maximise your CDP score:

1. Conduct an environmental baseline assessment
2. Define your environmental strategy
3. Manage and structure your data
4. Draft policies and supporting evidence
5. Implement concrete actions
6. Complete the CDP questionnaire
7. Communicate your results

Conduct a Baseline Assessment and Identify Risks, Opportunities and Impacts (IRO)

The first step is to carry out a comprehensive baseline assessment to understand the scale and nature of your environmental impacts.

This analysis helps you identify:

• your strengths,
• your weaknesses,
• and your priority areas for improvement.

It is also essential to assess and integrate environmental risks, opportunities and associated costs into your strategy. Doing so enables better decision-making, reduces financial risk and strengthens business resilience.

Identifying where your organisation has the greatest impact allows you to focus efforts and resources effectively. Key actions include:

Define Your Strategy

To succeed in the CDP questionnaire and achieve a high score, it is essential to define a clear environmental strategy upfront.

Your strategy should outline:

• your commitments,
• your objectives and timelines,
• planned investments,
• governance and allocation of responsibilities.

A clear strategy, supported by engaged teams, is a key success factor.

Objectives play a central role: they set direction and help steer progress. They must be quantified, time-bound and scientifically grounded.
For example: reducing CO₂ emissions by 20% by 2030.

Throughout this process, involve your stakeholders. This demonstrates your commitment to building a coherent, company-wide strategy.

To strengthen your approach, we recommend:

• conducting sector benchmarks,
• relying on recognised frameworks (GHG Protocol, SBTi, etc.).

Draft Policies and Formalise Supporting Evidence

Policies are foundational documents. They define how your organisation addresses environmental challenges.

They serve both:

• internal teams, by providing a clear strategic framework,
• external stakeholders, by reinforcing transparency and credibility.

To draft an effective environmental policy:

• clearly define the scope (sites and activities covered),
• formalise clear commitments and quantitative objectives based on a reference year and scientific data,
• explain governance, responsibilities and implementation processes,
• describe review and update mechanisms.

Finally, make sure to document evidence for every action implemented.
This level of formalisation is essential to secure points and improve your CDP score.

Implement an Action Plan

All actions should be directly aligned with the objectives defined earlier.

Once actions are identified, prioritise them based on:

• impact (contribution to objectives),
• feasibility.

Each action should include:

• a clear owner,
• governance,
• timelines,
• intermediate milestones,
• potential dependencies.

Manage and Monitor Your Data

Tracking key performance indicators is essential to measure progress.

Selecting the right environmental indicators enables you to:

• monitor progress against objectives,
• guide decision-making,
• demonstrate continuous improvement — a core expectation of CDP.

Your organisation must be able to collect, consolidate and report reliable, consistent data across assessed topics.
Rely on recognised standards such as the GHG Protocol or SBTi to ensure methodological robustness.

Climate indicators (examples):

• Total emissions (Scopes 1, 2 and 3)
• Total energy consumption
• Share of renewable energy
• Carbon intensity (per employee or per €M revenue)
• Carbon offsets

Plastic waste indicators:

• Total waste generated
• Recycling and recovery rates
• Waste intensity per €M revenue

Water indicators:

• Total water consumption
• Volume of wastewater discharged
• Share of treated or reused wastewater

Indicators should be selected based on your specific impacts, risks and opportunities.

Complete the CDP Questionnaire

Respond to each question clearly, transparently and in a structured manner.
Rely on verifiable data and clearly explain the methodologies used for data collection and analysis.

Submit and Publicly Communicate Your Results

Once your score is available, communicate it.

Transparency is a core pillar of CDP.
Regularly publish your data, share objectives and progress, and engage stakeholders to strengthen trust and credibility.

Going Further: Becoming a CDP Leader (Score A)

Rely on Recognised Frameworks

Using internationally recognised frameworks strengthens the credibility of your environmental approach and provides external legitimacy.

Examples include:

• GHG Protocol – measuring and reducing greenhouse gas emissions
• SBTi – setting Paris-aligned decarbonisation pathways
• ISO 14064 – quantifying and verifying emissions

Continuously Drive Improvement

CDP values organisations committed to continuous improvement.
This approach helps adapt to regulatory changes, anticipate stakeholder expectations and identify new opportunities for progress.

A key challenge is building a robust management system capable of tracking environmental performance over time.

Build a Detailed Transition Plan

Going further often means developing structured transition plans, particularly for climate.

A climate transition plan details the actions taken to align with the Paris Agreement, aiming to keep warming well below 2°C and ideally below 1.5°C.

It formalises:

• quantified objectives,
• clear milestones,
• a credible long-term trajectory.

CDP: Save Time with a Dedicated Tool

Using a dedicated CDP reporting tool centralises the entire process: indicators, policies, actions and evidence.

You save time on questionnaire formalisation and can focus on what truly matters: implementing concrete actions.

A reporting tool also enables data reuse across other frameworks, improving overall efficiency and consistency.

Conclusion

CDP is far more than a simple assessment tool.
It is a strategic opportunity to demonstrate environmental commitment, strengthen credibility and anticipate future regulations.

By aiming for a high score, organisations enhance their reputation, attract responsible investment and reduce compliance risks.

Transparency, structure and concrete action are the keys to success.
CDP invites organisations to actively contribute to planetary protection while strengthening long-term competitiveness.

The 7 Steps to Achieving a Strong CDP Score – Key Takeaways