Many organisations still treat their CDP submission (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) as a sustainability questionnaire to be completed once a year. In reality, CDP has become something far more consequential: a commercial signal to investors, customers, and procurement teams about how seriously your organisation manages climate and nature risk.
10 CDP submission questions we frequently hear from our clients:
1. Is CDP really more than a disclosure exercise?
Yes. CDP has evolved into a strategic signal used by investors, customers, lenders, and procurement teams to assess how effectively organisations manage climate and nature risk. CDP scores increasingly reflect strategic maturity, not just disclosure quality.
2. What is CDP actually scoring?
CDP is scoring integration, not volume. High scores are driven by evidence that climate and nature risks are embedded in:
- Governance and board oversight
- Enterprise risk management
- Strategy and capital allocation
- Performance management and targets
Well-written answers cannot compensate for weak alignment between data, governance, and decision-making.
3. Why do organisations underperform in CDP?
Most organisations underperform because they treat CDP as a data-collection or compliance task. Common issues include fragmented ownership, inconsistent narratives, weak links between risk and strategy, and disclosures that do not align with how the business is actually run.
4. Is CDP disclosure really voluntary?
Technically, yes. Commercially, increasingly no. CDP responses and scores are widely used in investment analysis, customer procurement, and supply-chain engagement. Non-response or weak performance can signal unmanaged risk and undermine external confidence.
5. How important is questionnaire choice and structure?
Critical. Selecting the wrong CDP route—or approaching the right one in the wrong way—can lead to unnecessary effort, limited scoring upside, or misalignment with investor and regulatory expectations. Organisations should set their CDP strategy deliberately, not by default.
6. How does CDP fit with ISSB, CSRD, and other frameworks?
CDP increasingly aligns with ISSB / IFRS S2, CSRD / ESRS, TCFD, and SBTi. When organisations manage CDP strategically, it can act as a central disclosure backbone, reducing duplication and supporting a “report once, disclose everywhere” approach. When managed tactically, it adds cost and complexity.
7. Do we need perfect data to score well?
No. CDP does not expect perfect data—particularly for Scope 3 emissions. What it expects is transparency, consistency, and a credible improvement pathway. Organisations with strong governance and clear methodologies routinely outperform those with better data but weaker structure.
8. Why is governance such a big factor in CDP scoring?
Recent CDP updates place significant weight on board oversight, executive accountability, and decision-making processes. Governance is no longer a checkbox—it is a core scoring lever. Without clear ownership and accountability, CDP scores typically stall.
9. How much effort should CDP reporting take?
CDP becomes resource-intensive when it is reactive. Organisations that plan early, align CDP with existing reporting cycles, and treat it as a strategic process significantly reduce internal burden while improving outcomes.
10. How does Acclaro’s approach differ from CDP “support” providers?
Acclaro does not focus on filling in questionnaires. We act as a strategic CDP advisor, helping organisations understand:
- What CDP signals to the market
- Where scoring risk and opportunity really sit
- How CDP aligns with broader reporting and regulatory strategy
- How to improve scores without increasing reputational or disclosure risk
Our work is strategy-led, score-aware, and risk-focused, ensuring CDP disclosure reflects where the organisation is going—not just what it can report today. Looking for support with your CDP submission? Take a look at our other resources on our CDP hub.
