Preparing Data Early for CDP Submission

CDP is one of the most widely used voluntary sustainability disclosure structures for companies, cities, states and regions, with a record of over 20,000 companies around the world disclosing their environmental data. As more organizations turn to CDP to enhance transparency and drive sustainability efforts, it’s important to be well-prepared for the submission process. This blog will guide you through key steps for preparing your data early for a seamless and successful CDP submission, helping you avoid last-minute stress and increase your chances of achieving a high score.

Why Early Preparation for CDP Submission Matters

With the goal to turn transparency into action, the CDP works to drive sustainable decisions across the world. Companies disclosing to CDP can experience increased competitive advantages. This can include an enhanced brand reputation, stronger trust with investors and stakeholders, as well as being positioned as leaders in sustainability.

The CDP disclosure period kicks off in April with the release of the questionnaire and scoring methodology. This year, CDP has updated the key dates for the 2025 disclosure cycle:

• Week of April 28 | Portal opens for Requesters
• Week of 16 June | Response window opens for Disclosers
• Week of 15 September | Scoring deadline

For the latest updates, visit the CDP website.

This recent update provides companies a bit more time to prepare. However, there are still some very necessary steps that companies must take to ensure a successful and smooth CDP submission prior to the portal opening for disclosers. One of the key areas is understanding the requirements and implementing a data collection and management strategy early. This will ensure you meet all reporting requirements, avoid last-minute rushes, and maximize your company’s chances for a high score.

To help organizations navigate the CDP reporting process, we’re hosting a webinar on May 8^th, 4pm GMT on “How to Prepare for CDP Reporting in 2025.” This session will provide expert insights, from CDP and Cority, on best practices for early data preparation, avoiding common pitfalls, and maximizing your CDP score. Stay connected with us on LinkedIn to be the first to know when registration opens!

Here are some key tips that companies should follow for seamless CDP reporting.

1. Understand What CDP Requires

The CDP has been collecting disclosures and conducting analyses for over two decades and each year, the questionnaire updates based on the latest sustainability focus areas and requirements. For example, the 2024 disclosure involved consolidating three existing questionnaires into one CDP Corporate Questionnaire that aligned with the new high-quality disclosure frameworks and standards (i.e. the IFRS S2). Respondents were tasked to take a more holistic approach in their responses. For example, the focus on Risks and Opportunities expanded to also include the assessment of Environmental Impacts and Dependencies. Deforestation remained a key focus, but with the expanded scope of other natural ecosystems.

Prior to beginning disclosures, it is vital that companies read through the specific requirements set out by the CDP and what areas they are focusing on for 2025. This will also provide a view into broader trends in the sustainability landscape and where companies should likely be putting more focus.

2. Organize Your Data Collection Process

Ahead of the disclosure period, companies can take a proactive approach to ensure their data is complete and verifiable for seamless reporting. The scope of sustainability impacts nearly every facet of a company’s performance. As such it’s essential to assemble a cross-functional team that includes members from sustainability, legal, risk, finance, operations, and logistics. These teams likely have insights and data necessary for CDP disclosures, making their involvement in the process essential.

3. Learn from Past Submissions

After submission, the CDP assigns a score based on the company’s environmental performance and its alignment with global goals, such as the Paris Agreement. The scoring methodology is used to support and encourage companies to continue their sustainability and emissions reductions strategies. The CDP also highlights areas of improvement and opportunity for companies to focus on for future disclosures.

Ahead of the 2025 reporting period, companies who have reported to the CDP before are encouraged to look back at previous submissions to find the areas of improvement and what to work on. For companies that are reporting for a first time, the CDP has also provided guidance for first-time users, advising on what information is being requested, how to measure progress, and additional resources.

4. Conduct a Pre-Submission Review

Prior to submission, companies should also ensure they conduct a deep review of all the information collected, ensuring they have completed each section. Part of this review involves undergoing a mock-scoring process. This involves companies completing a draft of their submission and evaluating it against CDP’s scoring methodology. Companies can leverage this to see how they would score from a D- to an A (i.e. to a leadership position).

Here, companies can also find it beneficial to engage with an external advisory service who are experts in preparing organizations for disclosures. These advisors can support with calculating a predicted CDP score, highlighting short and long-term opportunities, and project managing the entire drafting and submission process.

5. Leverage Technology for Efficiency

Leveraging technology solutions can be key in the preparation for disclosures. Software providers with direct API integrations and partnerships with external disclosure platforms like CDP, can streamline the process by collecting data through the CDP templates and allowing the company to export it into the required format for submission. This saves manual administrative time, while also ensuring completeness and consistency in the data.

Cority and CDP

Cority’s Sustainability Cloud solutions and advisory services are designed to help organizations meet the requirements of CDP reporting. As a Gold accredited solution partner, Cority is proud to support CDP and align with its mission to provide a global disclosure system for investors, companies, and cities to manage their environmental impacts. We have over a decade of experience in providing advisory services to our customers. Our suite of dedicated tools  operationalizes the CDP reporting process – including GHG Protocol aligned data collection, an API to automate the disclosure process and more. Learn more about our partnership here.