CDP · Voluntary disclosure
CDP reporting: how disclosure and scoring work
CDP reporting is voluntary: no UK law requires it, but investors and corporate customers ask for it, and over 23,100 organisations disclosed through CDP in 2025.
The 2026 scoring deadline has passed, the final response deadline is the week commencing 26 October, and the 2027 cycle starts about three months earlier than this one.
This guide explains the questionnaire, the scoring, the dates and the fee, and where CDP sits beside UK reporting duties.
What CDP is
A disclosure system, not a regulator
CDP, formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project, runs a global environmental disclosure system: organisations answer a structured questionnaire, and CDP scores eligible responses.
It is also one of the sustainability frameworks a UK company can find itself reporting against at once, alongside the sustainability reporting standards covered on our sister site.
The 2025 figures are CDP’s own: more than 22,100 companies disclosed, almost 20,000 were scored, and 899 made the 2025 Corporate A List.
With over 1,000 cities, states and regions added, CDP’s count reaches 23,100 organisations; the two figures measure different things, not different years.
CDP does not publish a UK-only participation count or UK average score on its public pages, so this page gives none.
CDP at present operates as a UK registered charity, no. 1122330.
On 11 June 2026 it announced a split into a commercial company, CDP, backed by Permira, and a charitable CDP Foundation, subject to approvals including from the Charity Commission.
CDP says the 2026 disclosure cycle continues as planned.
The questionnaire
What CDP asks, and what it scores
Every full-questionnaire respondent answers the climate change questions; forests and water apply on request or where other conditions are met.
| Theme | What it covers | Scored in 2026? |
|---|---|---|
| Climate change | Governance, risks and opportunities, strategy and transition planning, Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, targets and performance | Yes |
| Forests | Deforestation risk in seven commodities: timber, cattle, soy, palm oil, rubber, cocoa and coffee | Yes |
| Water security | Water accounting, risk exposure, governance and targets | Yes |
| Plastics | Supplementary questions | No |
| Biodiversity | Supplementary questions | No |
| Ocean | New in 2026 | No |
The emissions answers are built on the GHG Protocol, so a company that already reports under Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting has the start of its Scope 1 and 2 data.
SMEs can use a shorter questionnaire, scored for climate change only; CDP says the new SME A score is not equivalent to the full corporate A score.
Financial services respondents received public forests and water scores for the first time in 2026, and there is a new aviation sector.
CDP scoring
Four levels, eight grades
CDP scores from D- to A through four consecutive levels, in its own words taking a company “from Disclosure through Awareness and Management, and finally to Leadership”.
Disclosure and Awareness are simple percentages of the available points.
Management and Leadership are weighted by scoring category, with sector-specific weightings.
Essential criteria are hard gates: failing an Awareness-level criterion limits the final score to a D, and failing Management-level criteria caps it at a C.
The thresholds in the table are the ones CDP applied to the 2025 cycle, and CDP calls them provisional.
Third-party tables with different bands circulate widely; they contradict CDP’s own document, so do not rely on them.
Late responders are marked “not scored”, and organisations that do not respond at all are shown as “did not disclose”.
CDP says neither it nor its scoring partners verify any individual response.
A CDP score is not assurance, and using it in marketing may need CDP’s written consent.
Provisional thresholds, 2025 cycle
| Level | Lower grade | Upper grade |
|---|---|---|
| Disclosure | D- (1–49%) | D (50–80%) |
| Awareness | C- (1–44%) | C (45–80%) |
| Management | B- (1–44%) | B (45–75%) |
| Leadership | A- (1–69%) | A (70–100%) |
Source: CDP Full Corporate Scoring Introduction 2026, Table 1
The disclosure cycle
2026 now, 2027 sooner
CDP has pulled the 2027 cycle forward by roughly three months, so the preparation window for next year starts this winter.
| Milestone | 2026 cycle | 2027 cycle |
|---|---|---|
| Request lists open | — | 24 February 2027 |
| Response window opens | Week of 15 June 2026 | 14 April 2027 |
| Scoring deadline | 16 September 2026 | 23 June 2027 |
| Final response deadline | Week commencing 26 October 2026 | 25 August 2027 |
| Scores to disclosers | Week of 30 November 2026 | September 2027 (CDP’s aim) |
| Public score release | Week of 30 November 2026 | November 2027 (CDP’s aim) |
A response submitted after the scoring deadline can still be edited until the final deadline, but is not scored.
CDP describes the 2027 response window as a month shorter than in previous cycles.
Starting data collection before the request lists open is the practical consequence.
- NowClose out 2026
Finish edits before the week of 26 October.
- Dec–FebPrepare 2027 data
Emissions, targets, governance and risk evidence.
- 14 Apr 2027Window opens
- 23 Jun 2027Scoring deadline
The admin fee
What CDP charges UK organisations
CDP charges an administrative fee to organisations requested by its capital markets signatories, self-selected companies and public authorities, according to its Help Centre.
The fee is a condition of participating in CDP’s own system, which is why it can be stated here with its source and year.
Your internal time and any outside help are separate costs, and no public source measures them.
On-demand extensions to deadlines exist, for a further fee set by CDP.
CDP admin fee, 2026 — UK
| Option | Fee |
|---|---|
| Enhanced | £5,985 |
| Foundation | £2,450 |
| Essential | Not offered in the UK |
CDP in the UK
Where CDP sits beside UK reporting duties
| CDP | UK legal duty | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Voluntary, requested by investors and customers | Set by statute or FCA rules |
| Climate disclosure | Climate change questionnaire | TCFD-aligned rules |
| Energy and emissions | Scope 1, 2 and 3 answers | SECR |
| Sustainability standards | Maps to ISSB-based disclosure | UK SRS |
| Verification | CDP verifies nothing; it asks whether you obtained verification | No UK sustainability assurance duty |
A CDP response does not discharge any UK legal duty, but it draws on the same data.
The climate questionnaire follows the structure of the TCFD recommendations, which the ISSB built into IFRS S2.
The FCA’s final rules in PS26/19 require listed companies in scope to report against UK SRS on a comply-or-explain basis from 2027, which will make the underlying data work more valuable, not less.
Targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative, of which CDP is a founding partner, feed the targets questions; see our science based targets guide.
Defra’s guidance on measuring and reporting environmental impacts is a sound starting point for the non-climate data.
Our sister reference site uksrs.org.uk covers the statutory side, including SECR in depth.
Doing it well
Habits that move a score
Build the answer from evidence
- Start before the response window opens — for 2027, that means this winter.
- Get board-level oversight on record, because governance is scored.
- Read CDP’s scoring methodology for your sector before drafting.
- Obtain third-party verification of emissions data if you can.
- Say where data is estimated and how you will improve it.
Lose points you already earned
- Leave questions blank — mark them not applicable and say why.
- Copy last year’s answer without updating it.
- Give figures that disagree with your annual report.
- Ignore Scope 3: estimate it and explain the method.
- Miss the scoring deadline — later edits are not scored.
If you are unsure how CDP fits with your other obligations, book a free 15-minute call, or register directly on the CDP platform.
Further reading
The wider disclosure ecosystem
These organisations are part of the landscape CDP sits in; they are context, not sources for any figure on this page.
The Climate Disclosure Standards Board developed environmental reporting material that the ISSB says it builds on.
The UN’s Race to Zero campaign gathers net zero commitments from businesses and others.
The Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change publishes investor guidance on climate.
The We Mean Business Coalition and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development run business climate initiatives.
The Carbon Trust offers footprinting and certification services of its own.
Frequently asked
Questions people ask
What is CDP reporting?
CDP reporting means answering CDP’s environmental disclosure questionnaire, usually because an investor, a customer or a public authority has asked you to, or by choosing to disclose. CDP scores eligible responses on climate change, forests and water security from D- to A. It is a voluntary private system, not a legal duty.
Is CDP reporting mandatory in the UK?
No. No UK instrument requires CDP disclosure, and a CDP score has no regulatory status. Companies respond because investors and corporate customers request it. CDP’s capital markets signatories — over 540 financial institutions with more than US$110 trillion in assets — requested more than 43,000 organisations to disclose in the 2026 cycle.
When is the CDP deadline?
For the 2026 cycle the scoring deadline was 16 September 2026, and the final response deadline falls in the week commencing 26 October 2026; edits after 16 September are not scored. For the 2027 cycle CDP has brought the dates forward: the response window opens on 14 April 2027 and the scoring deadline is 23 June 2027. CDP may change dates at its discretion.
How does CDP scoring work?
CDP scores from D- to A through four consecutive levels: Disclosure, Awareness, Management and Leadership. Each level produces two grades, such as D- and D. Essential criteria act as gates: failing one caps the final score. CDP describes its scoring thresholds as provisional and reviews them during each scoring period.
How much does CDP cost?
CDP charges an administrative fee. Its 2026 fee table, which it describes as a guide, lists £5,985 for the Enhanced option and £2,450 for the Foundation option for UK organisations; the Essential option is not offered in the UK. Your own internal and advisory costs are separate and are not published anywhere.
What is the difference between CDP and TCFD?
TCFD was a disclosure framework whose recommendations now shape UK rules; CDP is a disclosure platform that collects and scores responses. CDP’s climate questionnaire follows a similar governance, strategy, risk and metrics structure, but completing it does not satisfy any UK legal climate disclosure duty.
When will 2026 CDP scores be released?
CDP says scores go to disclosing organisations in the week of 30 November 2026, with the public release later that week. Responses submitted after the 16 September scoring deadline are marked "not scored".
Is CDP still a non-profit?
At present CDP operates as a UK registered charity (no. 1122330). On 11 June 2026 it announced that it will split into a commercial company, CDP, backed by Permira, and a charitable CDP Foundation. Completion is subject to approvals including from the Charity Commission, and CDP says the 2026 disclosure cycle is unaffected.
Does CDP verify the information companies disclose?
No. CDP states that neither it nor its scoring partners verify the information in any individual organisation’s response. A CDP score is not assurance. The questionnaire asks whether your emissions data has been verified by a third party, but that is verification you obtain, not CDP’s.
Sources
Primary sources
Every figure, date and status on this page traces to the instrument’s owner. Secondary commentary is never the source for a number.
- CDPCDP — homepage and the CDP / CDP Foundation announcement
CDP’s own statement of its planned restructuring.
- CDPPress release, 11 June 2026 — CDP announces transformative investment
The Permira-backed split and the completion conditions.
- CDPCDP and CDP Foundation: the next era
Q&A: the 2026 cycle continues as planned.
- CDPData and scores — 2025 Corporate A List
899 companies on the 2025 A List, 5% of those scored.
- CDPKeeping pace: Disclosure Data Factsheet 2025
Over 23,100 organisations disclosed in 2025.
- CDPHow to disclose
The 16 September scoring deadline and the week-of-26-October final deadline.
- CDPFrequently asked questions
The D- to A scale and the 2026 admin fee table.
- CDPHelp Centre KA-01037 — the administrative fee
Which requested organisations the fee applies to.
- CDPDisclosure 2027 — key dates
The 2027 cycle, brought forward by around three months.
- CDPScores — scoring methodology and levels
Provisional thresholds, essential criteria, and the no-verification statement.
- CDPSupply chain
Corporate buyers requesting supplier disclosure.
- GHG ProtocolGreenhouse Gas Protocol
The accounting standard behind the emissions answers.
- Science Based Targets initiativeSBTi
CDP is one of the five founding partners.
- TCFDfsb-tcfd.org
The framework whose structure the climate questionnaire follows.
- IFRS FoundationInternational Sustainability Standards Board
The standards UK SRS is based on.
- DefraMeasuring and reporting environmental impacts: guidance for businesses
The government’s general guidance on environmental reporting.
- Department for Business and TradeUK Sustainability Reporting Standards: UK SRS S1 and UK SRS S2
Published 25 February 2026.