CDP Rating and Disclosure 2025: What Companies Need to Know

CDP rating, CDP disclosure, and the corresponding questionnaires for 2025 are currently pertinent topics for sustainability officers in SMEs and corporations. Ahead of the upcoming reporting cycle of the non-profit organisation CDP (formerly 'Carbon Disclosure Project'), we provide insights into the CDP Disclosure Cycle 2025, including deadlines and timelines, the benefits of CDP disclosure, and the complexity of the process. This article provides a comprehensive overview and offers decision-makers in sustainability practical guidance.

What is the CDP Rating?

The CDP Rating is a standardised assessment of a company's environmental performance, based on the information provided in the annual CDP questionnaire. Companies participating in the CDP programme receive a score at the end of the cycle on a scale from A to D (with A being the highest score). This 'Level of Engagement' scale consists of four stages: A (Leadership), B (Management), C (Awareness), and D (Disclosure). An F is awarded if a company has not provided sufficient data or has not responded to the request at all. The scores reflect the extent to which a company demonstrates transparency and advances in climate protection, water, and forest management and other environmental areas. An A-Rating indicates that the company is considered a leader – it has demonstrated comprehensive transparency and is implementing concrete measures. A B-Rating signifies systematic management of environmental issues, C indicates a basic awareness, and D shows that while some data has been disclosed, there is little strategic integration.

The underlying idea of the CDP Rating is to establish a globally uniform standard for environmental transparency. CDP is an independent non-profit organisation that has been collecting data on climate, water, and forest risks from companies for 20 years. Each year, CDP invites thousands of companies worldwide – often at the request of investors or major customers – to complete a detailed questionnaire on climate change, water security, and deforestation. The responses are evaluated by CDP and lead to the rating. For participating companies, the CDP Rating has become an important KPI in sustainability evaluation: investors, business partners, NGOs, and the media increasingly pay attention to this score. A high CDP rating (preferably A or B) signals transparency, responsibility, and progress in sustainable corporate management.

CDP Disclosure 2025: Deadlines and Process of the Disclosure Cycle

The CDP Disclosure Cycle 2025 follows a fixed annual schedule that companies should be familiar with. The key stages and deadlines are documented in the official timeline1:

• End of March 2025 – Publication of the questionnaire: CDP makes the CDP Questionnaire 2025 and accompanying guides available online in PDF format. From this point, companies can prepare their content.

• End of April 2025 – Scoring methodology published: In the week around 28 April, CDP publishes the 2025 Scoring Methodology as a PDF. It transparently explains how the responses will later lead to the score. At the same time, from the end of April, CDP Requesters – such as major customers or investors – can prepare their lists of participation requests.

• By 9 June 2025 – Deadline for requests: CDP Requesters must submit their final lists of companies they invite to disclose by the week of 9 June. For companies, this typically means receiving official invitations to participate by early June, either from investors or customers.

• 16 June 2025 – Start of the response phase: In the week of 16 June, CDP's Online Response System for 2025 opens. From this day, companies can fill out and submit their questionnaire directly in the CDP portal. The completion time for the CDP questionnaire spans the summer months. Many firms use this phase from June to September to intensively gather and internally coordinate data.

• 15 September 2025 – Scoring Deadline: To receive an official score from CDP, the questionnaire must be completed and submitted by mid-September 2025. The week of 15 September marks the main deadline for entering the scoring process. All answers should be finalised in the portal by this cut-off date.

• 17 November 2025 – Final deadline for disclosure: Companies that miss the September deadline or choose to disclose without scoring have until the week of 17 November to submit their answers. These later submissions will not be considered for the 2025 rating by CDP but can still be used to demonstrate transparency to stakeholders. At the same time, this is also the deadline for any corrections or additions to an already submitted response2.

The CDP Scores 2025 and the coveted A Lists are expected to be published towards the end of 2025. Companies will then learn their score and can compare it with the previous year. Important: Only those who fully disclose by the September scoring deadline will be considered for a rating. Other disclosures will be published on the CDP website but not scored.

Benefits of CDP Disclosure for Companies

Given the considerable effort involved, many companies ask: Is CDP disclosure worthwhile? The answer is yes, because participating in CDP offers multiple advantages:

• Comparability and Benchmarking: The CDP score allows companies to compare their performance in climate protection and environmental management with competitors. The CDP Rating has become a de-facto standard by which stakeholders can gauge progress. Almost all major companies – for instance, nearly the entire FTSE100 stock index – now participate in CDP, making the score a credible benchmark3.

• Investor Expectations and Access to Capital: Investors regard environmental transparency as a sign of forward-looking management. A good CDP rating can, therefore, facilitate access to investments and credit.

• Reputation and Customer Relationships: A good CDP score boosts reputation with customers, partners, and the public. More and more major customers – particularly within supply chain initiatives – are urging their suppliers to participate in CDP. Especially in light of current uncertainties surrounding national and international supply chain laws, CDP ratings may gain importance. Companies without disclosure risk poor performance in sustainability ratings or even losing business relationships when clients demand transparency.

• Internal Benefits and Regulatory Preparation: The CDP questionnaire covers all relevant environmental aspects (from greenhouse gas inventories to risks & opportunities to corporate strategy). Completing it compels a company to structure data and processes and identify gaps. It assists in creating a clearer internal picture of one's sustainability performance, which in turn reveals efficiency potentials.

  
  

Effort and Challenges in the CDP Process

Despite its benefits, the effort involved in CDP participation should not be underestimated. The process is complex and time-consuming – especially if a company is participating for the first time or does not yet have a mature ESG data management system:

• Extensive Questionnaire: The CDP Questionnaire 2025 is very detailed. For large companies ('Full Corporate Questionnaire'), it includes up to 13 modules with hundreds of individual questions, covering topics such as climate, forests, water, biodiversity, plastics, and corporate governance (see official CDP questionnaires for 2025 4). Even for experienced sustainability teams, this represents a significant workload: data must be collected from various departments, documented, and formatted as required. Answering can occupy multiple personnel for weeks or months.

• Internal Coordination: Since the CDP questionnaire touches many corporate areas (from CO₂ accounts to risk management to governance and strategy), cross-departmental coordination is often necessary. The sustainability team needs to gather information from, for instance, environmental technology, finance, production, and possibly senior management.

• Data Depth and Verification: CDP requires not just qualitative statements but especially quantitative metrics and evidence. Ensuring the quality of the answers (plausibility checks, alignment with previous submissions, avoiding contradictions) is a challenge. Additionally, CDP may validate responses on a random basis – i.e., incorrect or inaccurate answers could lead to point deductions or inquiries.

• Tight Deadlines: The aforementioned deadlines impose significant time pressure on companies. Particularly the months of July and August – when many employees are on summer vacation – fall into the critical data entry phase. Proactive resource planning is therefore crucial, so the CDP disclosure does not get overshadowed by other projects. For globally operating corporations, there is also the consideration of different time zones and languages when subsidiaries worldwide are providing data.

Despite the effort, thorough participation pays off – in a better score and in the learning curve for the organisation. Many companies improve their sustainability management through the CDP process: data flows are enhanced, responsibilities clarified, and sustainability issues anchored in management thinking.