The 7 steps to get a good CDP score

The CDP is a recognized framework for evaluating businesses, cities and regions on their environmental performance. 

Through an integrated questionnaire, The CPD assigns a score from A to F to companies on their performance in terms of climate change, deforestation, water management, plastic waste and biodiversity.

This assessment values businesses with their stakeholders, especially investors. 

In this article, we are going to share with you all the tips from our experts for pass your CDP questionnaire and get the best score.

If you want to better understand what CDP is, we invite you to read this article.

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The 7 steps to get a good CDP score

To obtain a good CDP score, keep in mind that it is not only a score, but an award given to companies that fully integrate environmental issues into their policies, strategies, actions, etc.

To get a good score, we advise you to have a person dedicated to the project to monitor and adjust your performance on environmental topics.

We have listed all of them below the essential steps to get the best possible score.

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Take stock of the situation and identify its risks, opportunities and impacts (IRO)

The first step is to Make an inventory to understand the extent of your impacts on the environment, water, etc.

This analysis phase makes it possible to realize its impact and makes it possible to identify strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for improvement.

You should also think about assess and integrate risks, opportunities, and associated costs in your strategy to help you make sustainable decisions and reduce financial risks.

Identifying the areas where you have the most impact allows you to effectively focus your efforts and resources. Here are actions you can take to identify these areas:

• Conduct a comprehensive audit, a carbon footprint scope 1, 2, 3, an audit of water consumption, etc.
• Analyze your operational processes, production, logistics and transport to evaluate processes consuming water, emissions for example

• Evaluate your supply chain

• Evaluate employee practices, office practices, commute to work, and business trips
• Do a life cycle analysis products and services to assess their impact on water and carbon consumption, etc.
• Conduct a comparative analysis to identify industry standards that could apply to your business and draw on industry best practices.

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Define your strategy

To pass the CDP questionnaire and obtain the best result, we recommend that you Define your strategy well environmental upstream.

Your strategy should specify:

• your commitments,
• your goals and their timeliness
• Planned investments
• governance and the allocation of responsibilities for its implementation.

A clear strategy and committed teams will allow you to move the project forward effectively!

Goals, on the other hand, are essential to set a course and adjust your strategy, they must be Encrypted and dated. For example, this could mean reducing your CO2 emissions by 20% by 2030. To have impacting goals, they must be defined in a scientific way so as not to exceed planetary boundaries.

Throughout this process, do not hesitate to involve your stakeholders.

To define a coherent strategy, we invite you to benchmark companies in your sector and best practices as well as to follow standards and standards (GHG Protocol, SBTi, etc.).

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Write policies and formalize proofs of action

A policy is a key document for a company, it will allow you to define how you will deal with these subjects.
The policy is aimed at your internal employees to share a strategic framework with them, but can also be communicated to your external stakeholders.

For an effective environmental policy, we recommend that you:

• clearly define the scope of action, the sites and activities affected by the policy,
• detail the goals of the organization, including global commitments and specific quantitative objectives for each area. Setting good goals requires a base year and using scientific data to verify that the goals are in line with global boundaries,
• Explain governance, the distribution of responsibilities and the process of implementing the policy,
• describe review mechanisms and policy updates.

Then think about formalize evidence for all actions that you are going to set up.
This formalism will help you gain points and improve your score.

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Set up an action plan

All the actions you are going to define should help you reach the goals. that you defined beforehand!

Once you have listed the actions that are relevant to your business, we recommend that you prioritize them according to their impact, that is to say, of contributing to the achievement of your goals, in relation to their feasibility.

Then, designate the manager and the governance, the deadlines and intermediate steps, and any dependencies.

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Manage your data

Monitoring and calculating your key performance indicators allows you to see evolution and your progress.
To best manage the project, we suggest to choose the right environmental indicators to monitor the achievement of your goals.

Indeed, monitoring and evaluating the impact of your initiatives helps you make informed decisions and promote continuous improvement.

Through these indicators, you must be able to show that your company is collecting and communicating consolidated data on the various themes evaluated. We recommend that you rely on references and standards in your sector to use the best possible methodology, for example the GHG Protocol or the SBTi for climate change.

On climate change, here are some indicators to follow:

• Total scope 1, 2, 3 emissions
• Total power consumption
• Total renewable energy consumption
• Carbon intensity of the company per employee or per M€ of turnover
• Quantity of credits or carbon offsets
• Etc.

In this resource, you will find an exhaustive list of the indicators to follow in order to be successful in environmental reporting.

For the management of plastic waste, you can follow these indicators:

• Monitoring the management and/or recycling of waste
• Quantity of waste produced by the company
• Quantity of waste recovered and/or recycled
• Intensity of waste from company activities per M€ of turnover = Quantity of waste generated per M€ of turnover
• Etc.

To monitor indicators related to water management:

• Monitoring the management of water consumption
• Quantity of water used by the company
• Quantity of wastewater discharged
• Quantity of wastewater discarded treated/revalorized

Depending on your impacts, risks and opportunities, it's up to you to define the right indicators to follow. To help you, we are sharing with you a list of a large number of indicators to follow on the environmental part.

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Answer the questionnaire

Respond transparently and in detail for each question, by providing verifiable data and explaining methodologies used for data collection and analysis.

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Submit and publicly communicate your results

Once you've submitted and received your score, feel free to share it publicly.

Transparency is crucial for CDP.

Publish data regularly on your emissions, water consumption and sustainability initiatives. Share your goals and progress with stakeholders and engage them in your environmental efforts to build trust and commitment.

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Going further to become a leader (CDP A score)

Adhere to recognized frameworks

The importance of using recognized sustainability frameworks should not be underestimated. These frameworks provide external validation of a company's efforts to manage and reduce its environmental impact.

This is proof that the company is serious in its ecological commitment for all stakeholders!

Obtaining recognized certifications and certifications can also promote operational efficiency gains, reduce risks and open up new market opportunities. For the environmental part, here are some international frameworks:

• Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol), to measure and reduce its greenhouse gas emissions,

• Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), to set reduction targets in order to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement,
• ISO 14064, a standard for quantifying, reporting, and verifying greenhouse gas emissions and reductions.

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Always promote continuous improvement

Aiming for continuous improvement is valued by the CDP because it demonstrates a serious and lasting commitment to reducing environmental impacts. Continuous improvement allows businesses to adapt to new regulatory requirements and to the expectations of stakeholders.

By constantly improving their practices, businesses can identify new discount opportunities emissions, effective management of water resources, protection of forests, reduction of plastic waste and protection of biodiversity.

To succeed in improving over the long term, one of the major challenges is to build a solid management system. The idea is to be able to set up a clear and sustainable structure to monitor its environmental performance.

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Building a detailed transition plan

To go further, you can create detailed transition plans

For example, a global warming transition plan is a plan that details the measures your company has put in place to align with the goals of the Paris Agreement. This agreement aims to maintain “the increase in the global average temperature well below 2°C compared to pre-industrial levels” and to continue efforts “to limit the increase in temperature to 1.5°C compared to pre-industrial levels”.

This transition plan will allow you to share in detail your numerical goals and the clear steps to stay under these 1.5 degrees.

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CDP, save time with a tool

Using a dedicated tool for Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) reporting offers numerous advantages, including that of centralize all the steps of the process.

A dedicated tool allows you to effectively gather all the indicators you are monitoring, the policies put in place and the actions deployed.

You save time on formalization What does this questionnaire require to free you from bandwidth on the implementation of concrete actions to act on climate change.

The use of a tool not only simplifies the environmental reporting process, but also allows you touse this same data for other reports. You can focus more on continuously improving your sustainability performance!

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Conclusion

The CDP is much more than just an environmental assessment tool.

It is an opportunity for businesses to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability and to position themselves as leaders in the fight against climate change, the management of water resources, the protection of forests, the reduction of plastic waste, the preservation of biodiversity.

By following CDP recommendations and aiming for a high score, businesses can not only improve their brand image and attract responsible investments, but also anticipate future regulations and reduce their risks of non-compliance.

Adopt sustainable practices, demonstrate transparency and implement concrete actions are the keys to success in this process.

The CDP invites businesses to be actively involved in the protection of our planet, while strengthening their competitiveness on the global market!