CDP: What Are the Benefits for Your Company?

The CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) is a non-profit organization that enables companies to disclose and assess their environmental performance using a standardized methodology.

Originally designed to provide investors with reliable data on climate-related risks and opportunities, CDP now covers — in addition to climate change — water security, deforestation, and more recently biodiversity and plastic waste.

A strong CDP score (from A to F) reflects a company’s level of environmental maturity and acts as a trust signal for both investors and clients.

Concrete CDP benefits: performance, risk management and reputation

1. Environmental risk management and reduction

Participating in CDP helps companies anticipate future regulatory requirements and structure a robust climate strategy.
The disclosure process encourages organizations to identify and reduce environmental impacts while strengthening compliance.

2. Financial performance and access to sustainable capital

A strong CDP score demonstrates proactive environmental risk management, reassuring investors and facilitating access to sustainable investment funds.

It is also becoming an increasingly decisive criterion in tenders, particularly for large corporations and international buyers that expect transparency and environmental maturity across their value chain.

Finally, this transparency enhances corporate visibility and can enable inclusion in responsible investment indices.

3. Reputation and differentiation

Responding to CDP signals a commitment to transparency and continuous improvement, strengthening stakeholder trust.

Companies that publicly communicate their CDP engagement often benefit from a stronger brand image and stand out through their sustainable practices.

CDP for SMEs and mid-sized companies: simplified participation, high impact

CDP is not reserved for large corporations. It now offers a simplified questionnaire for SMEs and mid-sized companies, with approximately 80 questions, enabling engagement with fewer resources.

Key benefits for SMEs and mid-sized companies:

• Meet investor expectations on transparency
• Structure an environmental strategy using a clear framework
• Prepare for upcoming regulations

Digital tools — such as Ditto — that can pre-fill parts of the CDP questionnaire help save time and prevent data fragmentation across spreadsheets and files.

How to improve your CDP score

Improving your CDP score relies on a structured, seven-step process:

1. Conduct an initial assessment (IRO): Impacts, Risks and Opportunities
2. Define your environmental strategy
3. Select relevant key performance indicators (KPIs)
4. Formalize policies and supporting evidence
5. Launch a concrete action plan
6. Complete the questionnaire transparently
7. Publish, analyze results and continuously improve

The Leadership level (Score A) is awarded to organizations that provide accurate, third-party verified reporting and demonstrate an ambitious, well-documented emissions reduction strategy.

Integrating CDP into a global ESG strategy

CDP fits naturally into a broader ESG strategy. Its rigorous approach to measurement, action and environmental risk management serves as a foundation for overall ESG maturity.

Efforts invested in CDP reporting are reusable across other frameworks (EcoVadis, ISO 14001, CSRD), ensuring consistency and saving time within the ESG approach.

CDP vs GRI, TCFD, SASB: complementarities and use cases

CDP stands out through its exclusive environmental focus and its alignment with international standards such as IFRS S2, making it a strategic tool for anticipating CSRD requirements.

CDP benefits for your company: key takeaways