CDP (organisation)

CDP (organisation) is an international non-governmental entity focused on environmental disclosure and corporate transparency. Founded in 2000, it engages companies, cities, states and regions to report climate-related data and manage environmental risks. The organisation operates across multiple jurisdictions and collaborates with a wide array of stakeholders including investors, corporations, and policy institutions.

History

CDP was established in 2000 following initiatives that involved financial institutions and environmental groups responding to international calls for corporate disclosure by actors such as United Nations Environment Programme, World Bank, and International Finance Corporation. Early engagement drew on frameworks developed by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Kyoto Protocol, and networks linked to Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth. In its formative years CDP expanded reporting modalities inspired by standards from Global Reporting Initiative, Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures, and the Carbon Disclosure Standards Board. Growth during the 2000s intersected with campaigns led by Ceres, Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change, and investor coalitions including AXA and BlackRock. The 2010s saw alignment with initiatives such as Paris Agreement, Sustainable Development Goals, and collaborations with market actors like London Stock Exchange Group, MSCI, and S&P Global. Recent milestones include partnerships with public sector bodies like European Commission, United Nations, and large philanthropic foundations such as Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation.

Mission and Activities

The organisation's mission centers on facilitating disclosure of environmental data by engaging entities such as Amazon (company), Microsoft, Apple Inc., Toyota, and BP plc to improve transparency on greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, and deforestation. Activities include administering disclosure questionnaires modeled on reporting practices from CDSB, integrating metrics compatible with TCFD guidance, and producing scorecards used by investors like Vanguard and State Street Corporation. It convenes workshops with stakeholders including World Resources Institute, WWF, and Conservation International to advance methodologies akin to those from ISO technical committees and Science Based Targets initiative. The organisation runs programmes targeted at subnational actors, collaborating with C40 Cities, ICLEI, and national governments such as United Kingdom, France, Japan, and Brazil to aggregate city-level data and inform policy dialogues involving G20 and COP processes.

Organisational Structure and Governance

Governance comprises a board of trustees and advisory councils drawing expertise from institutions like Harvard University, London School of Economics, Oxford University, and think tanks such as Chatham House and Brookings Institution. Executive leadership interacts with standards bodies including International Organization for Standardization and academic partners such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University. Operational divisions work with legal teams versed in frameworks like EU Emissions Trading System rules and coordinate data science units that reference practices from Open Data Institute and DataKind. Advisory groups include representatives from investor networks like PRI (Principles for Responsible Investment), corporate partners such as Unilever, and non-profit collaborators including Natural Resources Defense Council and Sierra Club.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding sources combine philanthropic grants from entities such as Bloomberg Philanthropies, Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund, and multilateral contributions from European Investment Bank alongside corporate sponsorships from firms like Goldman Sachs and PwC. Partnerships include data-sharing agreements with market data providers like Refinitiv, Thomson Reuters, and Bloomberg L.P., and alignment initiatives with CDSB and Global Reporting Initiative. It engages auditors and consultancies such as KPMG, EY, and McKinsey & Company for methodological support, and collaborates with standards setters including IFRS Foundation and International Accounting Standards Board. Grant-funded projects have included work with UNEP Finance Initiative and research collaborations with universities including Imperial College London and Yale University.

Impact and Criticism

Impact assessments cite increased uptake of disclosure practices among corporations such as Shell plc, ExxonMobil, and major financial institutions including HSBC and Deutsche Bank, and enhanced investor decision-making by asset managers like BlackRock and State Street using disclosed datasets. The organisation's scorecards have influenced corporate commitments similar to those from RE100 and Science Based Targets initiative. Critics from NGOs including Friends of the Earth and commentators in media outlets such as The Guardian and Financial Times have raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest relating to corporate funding and perceived leniency in scoring. Academic critics from University of Oxford and London School of Economics have debated methodological transparency and comparability versus standards from TCFD and GRI. Regulators and policymakers in jurisdictions like European Union and United States have called for greater interoperability with mandatory reporting regimes including Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and Securities and Exchange Commission rule proposals.

Category:Non-governmental organizations