CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) is the world's largest environmental disclosure platform. Over 24,000 companies respond annually. If you received a request to respond — usually from a customer in your supply chain or an investor — your response is scored from A to D- and made partially public.
A first-time response won't get you an A. That's fine. The goal is to submit a credible response that demonstrates you're taking emissions seriously, show year-over-year improvement, and avoid the mistakes that land you in D territory.
Scoring is cumulative: you must satisfy the requirements of each level before progressing to the next. D-level scores mean incomplete disclosure. C-level means you've disclosed emissions but lack governance structure. B-level means management systems are in place. A-level means you're actively leading on reduction.
The CDP Climate Change Questionnaire has 12 sections (C1–C12). Not all are weighted equally. Here are the sections that have the most impact on your score:
Board-level oversight of climate issues. Who is responsible? How often do they review it? This section establishes that someone at the top is accountable.
Emission reduction targets — do you have them? Are they science-based? What progress have you made? This is where first-timers often lose points because they have emissions data but no formal targets.
Your actual Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 numbers. This is the core of the questionnaire. Incomplete or inconsistent data here tanks your score regardless of what you write elsewhere.
Scope 1 by source type, Scope 2 by location, Scope 3 by category. The more granular your breakdown, the higher you score. Reporting a single total with no breakdown signals low data maturity.
How climate change affects your business strategy. Risks, opportunities, and scenario analysis. First-timers often skip this — but even a qualitative narrative about physical and transition risks scores better than leaving it blank.
| Data Point | Source | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Scope 1 emissions (tCO2e) by source | Fuel purchases, fleet records, refrigerant logs | Required |
| Scope 2 emissions (location + market-based) | Utility bills (kWh by facility) | Required |
| Scope 3 (at least Cat 1, 6, 7) | Procurement spend data, travel booking data | Expected |
| Emission factors used + sources | EPA, DEFRA, IEA (with year) | Required |
| Base year + rationale | Internal decision (usually first year of measurement) | Required |
| Reduction targets | Internal target-setting or SBTi commitment | Expected |
| Board/C-suite climate responsibility | Org chart, committee mandates | Expected |
| Energy consumption (MWh) | Utility bills | Recommended |
| Revenue (for intensity metrics) | Financial statements | Recommended |
| When | What | Time Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1–2 | Gather Scope 1+2 activity data. Select emission factors. Calculate totals. | 10–20 hours |
| Weeks 3–4 | Scope 3 screening: identify material categories. Run spend-based estimate for Category 1. | 15–25 hours |
| Week 5 | Draft governance narrative (C1), strategy section (C3), targets (C4). | 8–12 hours |
| Week 6 | Enter data into CDP Online Response System. Internal review. Submit. | 6–10 hours |
Total: approximately 40–65 hours for a mid-market first-time response. This can be compressed to 3–4 weeks with dedicated resources, or spread over 6–8 weeks alongside other work.
Emberglow's portal pre-fills CDP sections C1, C4, C6, and C7 from your workspace data. We've built the crosswalk so you don't have to.
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