An Overview of Carbon Disclosure Project Reporting
Your search for the best CDP Reporting Consultancy firm ends here. Enterclimate offers CDP Disclosure services for a compliant Carbon Disclosure Project Reporting. Before that, you must understand the requirement for CDP Reporting. There are various reasons, including CDP climate change reporting and questionnaires linked to it, and the most prominent is CDP ESG Reporting.
CDP, formerly known as the ‘Carbon Disclosure Project’, is a non-profit organization that started in London, in 2000, addressing the GHG emission concerns for investors focusing on climate change. This involves CDP Reporting, which uses questionnaires to collect information on GHG emissions. Businesses preparing CDP disclosure should first assess their emission hotspots through professional carbon footprint calculation consulting to ensure accurate Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 reporting.
With CDP Reporting, companies gain clarity to achieve net zero carbon emissions, to cope with climate change risks, safeguard natural resources, and prevent deforestation, which drives more awareness. The Carbon Disclosure Project reporting requirement has grown over the past two decades. 500+ business owners trust us for CDP reporting. Now, it’s your turn.
Eyeing the Best CDP Reporting Services in India?
Our expert consultants ensure 100% error-free CDP reporting.
Book a 1:1 Virtual MeetingWhat is the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP)?
A Carbon Disclosure Project is a global non-profit organization operating in 90 countries. It is investor-focused, covering private and public sector companies. Also, it provides a system to evaluate the environmental impacts, considering climate change, forests, water security, and plastics.
The Carbon Disclosure Project enables companies to disclose environmental data through CDP reporting. This promotes transparency for a sustainable economy, to cope with climate change, and to achieve a zero-emission future.
Why does CDP Reporting Matter for Businesses?
A business’s progress depends largely on how effectively it manages environmental risks. This mandates the CDP climate change reporting that helps businesses in maintaining transparency, while improving ESG positioning across companies, government, and public sector organizations.
CDP reporting becomes more effective when supported by structured ESG reporting services, helping businesses communicate environmental performance to investors and stakeholders. At Enterclimate, we help businesses with CDP reporting.
CDP Questionnaire Reporting 2026 Updates
The CDP questionnaire reporting 2026 is revised to bring environmental disclosure transparency and strictly align with the global sustainability standards: TNFD, GRI 303, and GHG Protocol Land Sector and Removals Guidance.
The updated framework provides questionnaires focusing on key environmental areas, including climate change, water, forests, and nature-related disclosures. It helps to identify risks and opportunities. The CDP disclosure submission dates are set between April 2026 and November 2026. Look for the major CDP Questionnaire 2026 updates given below:
- The CDP questionnaire reporting is going to be more refined and structured. It will bring clarity to view sector-relevant questions, provide clear instructions, and provide glossaries.
- CDP incorporates upgraded digital tools and AI assistant support to close CDP disclosures more quickly. It aims to simplify data input, navigation, and reporting workflows for companies working on CDP climate change reporting.
- The questionnaire for CDP aligns more closely with the global sustainability frameworks.
- Task Force on Nature Related Financial Disclosures (TNFD): The TNFD framework provides a more comprehensive approach for natural resource concerns associated with water, land, and biodiversity.
- Global Reporting Initiative (GRI 303): It focuses on water withdrawal by different sources (effluents).
- GHG Protocols Land Sector and Removals: It provides formal accounting rules for land emissions and Co2 reduction. The guideline for the Land Sector and Removal was introduced on January 1, 2026, and will be effective by January 1, 2027.
Is CDP Reporting Disclosure Necessary?
CDP disclosure is not mandatory, but a company can voluntarily disclose its carbon emissions. It requests disclosures from companies and investors that expand beyond the regions, cities, and states.
How does CDP Reporting Work?
CDP requests a company to complete an online questionnaire based on the sectors. After the form is complete, CDP evaluates the responses and assigns a CDP score from A/A- to D/D-. The CDP score is based on how the company fulfils environmental sustainability requirements with transparency. This score is shared with stakeholders requiring the carbon disclosure project reporting. The company is informed about the review of CDP reporting, which creates an opportunity for it to improve its environmental impact.
What are CDP Scores?
CDP scores determine the positioning of an entity and its stakeholders for addressing climate change, water security, and deforestation by disclosure. This helps companies track their environmental performance.
The method of CDP scoring is based on the CDP reporting type and the key environmental concerns. There are four categories that depict the level of an entity based on how it meets environmental sustainability.
Look for the scoring methodology for CDP reporting explained below with clarity:
Score A: Leadership: It is granted as per the company’s good performance in best practices for climate change.
Score B: Management: It depicts how skillfully an entity manages the environmental impacts.
Score C: Awareness: It highlights how much an entity is aware of the environmental issues that they are trying to mitigate.
Score D: Disclosure: It shows how much an entity is active, or willing to disclose the data with its relevance, by delivering the CDP reporting on environmental issues.
How is the CDP Score Calculated for each Category?
The CDP score from A to D is evaluated as per different scopes. See below to know how:
Leadership Score (A/A-): The CDP score is granted for the best environmental practices. It is the highest score that shows a company follows proper environmental actions, verifies disclosure, and ensures sustainability.
To achieve this score, a company must
- Verify direct and indirect emissions through third-party approval.
- Follow board-authorized climate transition strategies.
- Connect with stakeholders and suppliers on climate actions.
- Obtain approval of the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) to reduce emissions.
Management Score (B/B-): It shows that an entity is able to manage the negative environmental impacts to meet goals, apply strategies, and adhere to internal policies.
To achieve this score, an entity must
- Define targets to reduce emissions.
- Fulfil sustainability and environmental policies.
- Properly record the emission reduction initiatives and findings.
Awareness Score (C/C-): The score indicates the level of understanding a company has of the climate change effects on its business operations and supply chain.
To improve this score, a company must:
- Start to evaluate the Scope 3 emissions.
- Identify the climate-related risks and benefits.
- Explain emissions data by business unit, source, or location.
Disclosure Score (D/- D): It is the level at which an entity submits the CDP questionnaire response. It gives complete information for transparency in the CDP reporting.
To attain this score, an entity must:
- Fill the CDP questionnaire response.
- Provide data on Scope 1 and 2 emissions.
- Ensure the emission data is accurate and climate-related.
What are some of the Best Ways to Improve CDP Scores?
Some of the best ways to improve your CDP score and reach Category A: Leadership, you must follow the given pointers below when starting with CDP disclosures:
- Get help from a sustainable CDP reporting consultant.
- You must know the CDP scoring method to determine the requirements of data and category type.
- You can use the previous CDP scores to address the gaps. Companies can use environmental due diligence to identify climate, compliance, and operational risks before they affect CDP scores or investor confidence. It helps to find out the strict actions for disclosure.
- You can collect the emission data for all scopes (1, 2, 3) for full disclosure.
- You must set SBT targets on the current CDP report for your organization.
- You need to distinguish your progress/goals from those of other companies to find out how you can improve your CDP score.
- Get approval from the board members, stakeholders, and staff. This ensures that everyone is well aware of disclosure requirements and how these companies support achieving Score A and B.
What is the process of CDP Reporting?
The disclosure process for CDP reporting is easy and quick to complete in simple steps, as follows:
- Step 1: Register your company on the CDP platform and select questionnaires on key environmental issues. It includes climate change, water security, plastics, and forests.
- Step 2: A company must fill out the CDP climate change questionnaire form requested by the investors for accurate data.
- Step 3: The CDP organization must receive the questionnaire and gather all data, then submit the response for verification.
- Step 4: After verification, the companies receive a CDP score, based on which they must find opportunities for improvement.
- Step 5: The companies use the CDP score to evaluate performance, connect with stakeholders, and use the insights for broader sustainability goals and gain stakeholder trust.
Facing Investor Disclosure Pressure?
Build transparent CDP reports before stakeholders question climate gaps.
Start CDP DisclosureWhat are the Types of CDP Membership?
There are three types of CDP memberships, including supply chain, reporters, and capital market signatories. Each membership has its own set of benefits and fee structure. Look below to understand each membership:
CDP Membership Supply Chains:
Membership is applicable to companies that require assistance in evaluating emissions in their supply chain. It allows direct requests for disclosure from the suppliers while supporting them. Companies under this membership get:
- Useful and accurate information from the suppliers.
- Companies make informed decisions with actions using the supplier’s data. Companies managing waste-heavy supply chains can strengthen disclosure quality through timely EPR compliance in India and responsible lifecycle reporting.
- Supports and gives training to the companies to connect with the suppliers.
- Give companies proper guidance on how to communicate and inform stakeholders regarding their CDP supply chain membership and action plans.
CDP Membership Reporter Services
Reporter services by CDP is a paid membership. It assists companies to improve their environmental reporting, enhance sustainability disclosures, and manage climate risks. With the help of a CDP reporting consultant, a company gets guidance, insights, and benchmark performance support.
- CDP reporting services offer support to companies on disclosures and draft reviews.
- Allow management of environmental and climate risks.
- Structured reporting assistance with a dedicated account management team.
- Compare sustainability performance, current updates on ESG development, reporting strategies, and environmental trends.
Capital Market Signatories
The capital market signatories are investors, asset managers, banks, and financial institutions. For these signatories, the CDP program helps to check the companies that ensure environmental compliance, are exposed to climate risks, not disclose the data, and focus more on enhancing sustainable performance.
From the capital market, CDP membership investors can:
- Look for the environmental data that covers emissions, climate risks, ESG performance, and sustainability disclosures.
- Use comparison tools to improve the CDP score and conduct risk analysis to catch weak points.
- Push companies to improve their ESG targets and adopt science-based targets.
What are the Key Challenges in CDP Reporting?
There are several key challenges in CDP reporting that organizations go through during implementation. See the pointers given below:
- Data Quality & Integration Challenges
Organizations often ignore the consequences of maintaining, integrating, and fragmenting data. It results in exceeding the inconsistent records, causing delays in implementation and impacting CDP performance.
- Overly Complex CDP Implementations
Organizations often attempt enterprise-wide CDP deployment, multiple integrations, and alterations. All these cause delays, increase costs, and impact stakeholders’ trust.
- Low Adoption in the Business Team
CDP is complex to design, which limits its usability for non-technical teams. This results in low adoption, operational dependency, and underutilized customer data capabilities.
- AI Readiness Limitations
There are several CDP reporting frameworks for better workflows. But it did not integrate real-time AI capability. It has a few feedback loops and machine learning infrastructure, which were required for AI-driven decision-making.
- Vendor Lock-in CDP Dependency
Organizations rely heavily on CDP, and find difficulty in switching to other premium packages, which increases costs, affecting their productivity and limiting flexibility too. It compels the organization to pay for unnecessary tools and complex integrations.
- Duplicity Across Systems
CDP structures are prone to creating duplicity in company data across various platforms. It happens mostly in reverse ETL syncing, with difficulty maintaining compliance, rising privacy risks, and extreme challenges in data management.
CDP’s ROI Metrics
Organizations that perform a long sales cycle most of the time struggle to determine the CDP ROI in an accurate manner. It directly impacts the conversion, retention, and engagement due to the company data.
CDP vs BRSR vs ESG Reporting: Find the Differences
CDP, BRSR, and ESG Reporting are sustainability disclosure frameworks. Yet, all these differ on the basis of several factors given in the structured table below:
| BASIC OF DIFFERENCE | CDP REPORTING | BRSR REPORTING | ESG REPORTING |
|---|---|---|---|
| Objective | Climate Risk transparency | Regulatory sustainability compliance | ESG performance communication |
| Purpose | Environmental and Climate risk disclosure | Regulatory sustainability disclosure for Indian listed companies | Broad sustainability and governance reporting |
| Full Form | Carbon Disclosure Project | Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting | Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) |
| Area of Focus | Climate change, emissions, water security, forests | ESG compliance and business responsibility | Overall sustainability performance |
| Applicable Companies | Global companies, suppliers, investors | Top 1000 listed Indian companies | Companies, investors, stakeholders globally |
| Mandatory or Voluntary | Most voluntary, sometimes investor-driven | Mandatory for specified Indian listed companies | Mostly voluntary, depending on the framework |
| Main Audience | Investors, buyers, supply chains | SEBI, investors, stakeholders | Investors, regulatory authority, and customers |
| Reporting Scope | Environmental disclosures only | Environmental, social and governance disclosures | Broad ESG performance and risk reporting |
| Key Standards | CDP questionnaires, TCFD, TNFD | SEBI BRSR framework | GRI, SASB, IFRS, TCFD, etc. |
What are the Deadlines for the CDP Reporting?
The CDP questionnaire reporting opens in April, requires responses on climate change, water security, and forest protection. Signatories must respond to the questionnaire and send it by July each year. The scores are assigned by the CDP-authorized partners after performing quality checks.
Here is a framework for deadlines in CDP reporting:
- Week of 31st March: CDP questionnaire reporting and guidance is released.
- Week of 28th April: CDP scoring is released, and requesters submit company lists.
- 11th June: List submission deadline by requesters.
- Week of 16th June: Response window is officially opened. Start to upload your disclosures.
- 17th September: Deadline for granting the CDP score must be submitted by this date.
- 19th November: Final call for responses that have not received CDP scoring. Delayed submissions are acceptable but will remain unscored.
New CDP Disclosure Framework for 2026
- Week of 20th April: Questionnaire, guidance, and scoring methodology will be published.
- Week of 27th April: Requesters will submit lists for scoring.
- Week of 15th June: The CDP Questionnaire Response 2026 window will open.
- Week of 14th September: CDP score submission deadline will be approaching.
- Week of 26th October: Final call for submission of unscored responses in CDP questionnaire reporting. Responses may still be edited if required.
- Week of 30th November: CDP scores for 2026 will be available to disclosers and stakeholders registered on the CDP portal.
Missing CDP Submission Deadlines?
Avoid unscored responses with a deadline-driven CDP questionnaire report.
Free 30-min Strategy CallWhat is the Cost of Carbon Disclosure Project Reporting?
The cost of carbon disclosure project reporting in India 2026 covers a foundation fee worth US$ 2850 or an Enhanced fee worth US$ 7050. The additional reporting costs include CDP reporting consultant services and internal costs for resources. The fee structure is based on the location and reporting authority.
Why Trust Enterclimate for CDP Disclosure Services?
Enterclimate is India’s most trusted firm for CDP reporting compliance. Its experienced in-house experts offer the best CDP reporting consultation to ensure its clients across India don’t face any issues in carbon disclosure reporting. We operate PAN India and until now have served businesses across different sectors, offering 1:1 CDP ESG Reporting Consultation to those who require the CDP disclosure services.
Given below are the reasons why Enterclimate is the first choice for CDP disclosure services-
- 500+ Businesses Assisted in Improving CDP Reporting Scores
- 24-hour CDP Document Review Support Available
- 7-day CDP Gap Analysis Support
- 360-degree Evidence Review before Final CDP Submission
- Support for Large and Complex Supply Chains
- ESG Transparency and Sustainability Reporting Support
- Coverage across All 4 CDP Score Categories
- PAN India CDP Support across Multiple Sectors
FAQs on CDP Reporting
CDP Reporting is a method used by companies to disclose their environmental data, which consists of carbon emissions. In this method, businesses use the Carbon Disclosure Project Reporting framework.
No, it’s not. When it comes to CDP ESG reporting, a company’s environmental performance across water security, climate change, protect forests, and support broader ESG transparency for investors.
Yes, a company can disclose CDP without any legal request; this is known as Self-Selected Company. It allows companies to provide reports on environmental data that covers water, climate, and forest safety.
No, the CDP climate change reporting is not necessarily required for businesses, as it is voluntary for them to show their report.
A CDP reporting consultant plays a significant role in guiding businesses for the Carbon Disclosure Project Reporting. It helps in data collection, filling the questionnaire, and improving CDP scores.
A CDP climate change questionnaire is an online form where a business is required to disclose emissions, climate risks, and sustainability strategies for investors and stakeholders.
A company must register on the CDP platform, complete the questionnaire, and submit a response to receive a score, ranging from A to D.
A good CDP score is Score A and Score B. Score A is the highest CDP score that represents a leadership category. Score B represents the Management level, from which a company can work towards achieving Score A.
