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Definition

CDP score

A CDP score is the letter score CDP gives an eligible response for each scored environmental issue, using the submitted answers, published scoring rules, thresholds and extra conditions called essential criteria.

What is a CDP score?

A CDP score is a letter result for each scored issue in your CDP response. The 2026 corporate scale is D/D-, C/C-, B/B- and A/A-, covering Disclosure through Leadership. The SME climate scale is SME D to SME A; an SME A is not equivalent to a full-corporate A.

Why does a CDP score matter to you?

Your requester may see the result. Under CDP's 2026 policy, scores requested by Capital Markets signatories are public. Supply Chain scores stay private unless you receive an A. A late response gets no score; a requested organization that does not respond may be marked Did not disclose.

How does a CDP score work?

CDP scores response data against question-level rules at consecutive levels: completeness, understanding, action and processes, then best-practice performance and transparency. Full responses must also meet every applicable essential criterion for the level. Links and attachments earn no points unless the methodology requests them.

What mistakes should you avoid?

  • Treating an A- as A List recognition. The CDP A List recognizes organizations with an A that also meet the applicable A List criteria.
  • Assuming one overall score covers climate, forests and water security. The full questionnaire gives separate scores for each eligible issue.
  • Trying to fix a weak answer with an external link when the question needs data in a scored field.

Is a CDP score a sustainability rating?

It measures what your response reports about environmental awareness, management and action for one issue. CDP says the score alone does not show whether a company is sustainable.

What should you check after receiving your score?

Record the issue, questionnaire type, score, year and visibility. Compare the response with that year's methodology and essential criteria, then log each question that lost points for the next cycle.

Example

Hypothetical example: Suppose an Indonesian freight forwarder receives a 2026 full-corporate climate score of B- after responding only to a Supply Chain request. The score stays private under CDP's 2026 policy because it is below A and no Capital Markets signatory requested the response.

The company reviews its category results and flags one governance question, two emissions-table rows and one target question for the next cycle: 1 + 2 + 1 = 4 priorities. This is an internal improvement list, not a recalculation of the B- score.

Where it comes up

CDP 2026 full corporate Disclosure, Awareness, Management and Leadership score levelsCDP Full Corporate Scoring Introduction 2026, Approach to Scoring, pp. 9-10CDP 2026 climate essential criteria that can cap a full-corporate scoreCDP Full Climate Change Essential Criteria 2026, Introduction, pp. 3-5CDP 2026 score privacy for Capital Markets and Supply Chain requestsCDP Full Corporate Scoring Introduction 2026, Annex I, pp. 18-19CDP 2026 SME climate score from SME D to SME ACDP SME Scoring Introduction 2026, Calculation of a final score, p. 8

Related terms

Carbon Accounting

Carbon accounting is the process of defining a company’s greenhouse gas inventory, collecting activity data, applying emission factors, and reporting Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 emissions on a consistent basis.

Scope 1 Emissions

Scope 1 emissions are greenhouse gases released directly from sources your company owns or controls, including fuel-burning equipment and vehicles, industrial processes, and refrigerant or other gas leaks.

Scope 2 Emissions

Scope 2 emissions are the indirect greenhouse gas emissions from generating the electricity, steam, heat, and cooling your company buys and uses.

Scope 3 Emissions

Scope 3 emissions are the indirect greenhouse gas emissions from goods, services, transport, product use, investments, and other upstream and downstream activities outside your company's Scope 1 and Scope 2 boundary.

Sources

  • CDP

    Full corporate scoring levels, final-score allocation, essential criteria, late-response treatment and score privacy

    2026-08-20

  • CDP

    2026 full climate essential criteria, including level caps and A List criteria

    2026-08-20

  • CDP

    SME climate scoring levels and the distinct SME A score introduced for 2026

    2026-08-20

Last verified 2026-08-20

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