Is CDP worth it? CDP scoring, A-List trends, and how to improve your score in 2026

Most companies should not do CDP. The effort behind CDP disclosure is wildly disproportionate to the value returned. Hundreds of questions on the CDP questionnaire, months of internal coordination, data scattered across systems and inboxes, and for what? A CDP score that arrives months later with a limited explanation of what actually moved the needle.

CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) is a global environmental disclosure system used by over 23,000 companies to report climate, water, and deforestation data to investors and purchasers.

The only good reason to do CDP is if you don't need CDP. Your sustainability programme is already mature, and your data is solid. The A-list score is a byproduct of what is already being done, a confirmation of existing maturity validated through CDP's scoring methodology. This article covers what the CDP 2025 score data actually shows, why companies are leaving, and what to do if you decide to stay in.

CDP scores are getting worse: 2025 data across major indices

After CDP's 2024 methodology changes, the expectation was that the impact would persist into the following year. Processes do not change that fast, new metrics cannot be gathered mid-year, and budgets need approval well ahead of when the data is due.

That is exactly what happened. CDP climate scores across major stock indices show a sustained decline in the share of companies rated A to B- between 2021 and 2025, with particularly sharp drops in US markets.

Among DOW 30 companies, the share maintaining scores between A and B- dropped from 80% to 27% in four years. Among the S&P 500, from 53% to 38%. European indices held up better, but even the CAC 40 fell from 90% to 88%. Companies are maintaining poorer scores than two years ago or dropping out of the assessment altogether.

The methodology changes are only part of the story. The value companies receive in return for the effort is not proportional. CDP has been slow to acknowledge its own role in the score disruptions, reluctant to work with technology companies that could reduce the submission burden, and the tangible return for participation, particularly for companies that do not reach the A-list, remains limited. For most disclosers, months of work yield a score, a benchmarking position, and not much else.

Companies will keep leaving unless one of two things shifts: either the value of participating increases enough to justify the workload, or the total cost in time, coordination, and internal resources decreases enough to make it manageable.

The CDP A-List paradox: fewer disclosers, more A-listers

The broad middle of CDP scoring collapsed. But at the very top, the opposite happened. Over the past three years, the total number of companies disclosing through CDP has declined while the A-list has more than doubled.

The A-list rate doubled from 1.7% to 4.4% in two years. If both metrics were moving together, the lines would track roughly in parallel. Instead, indexed to a 2023 baseline, they diverge by 127 points in opposite directions.

There are two possible explanations. Weaker companies opted out, which naturally raises the average among those remaining, and CDP may have become more generous with A scores, given that A-list status is the primary tangible benefit companies receive from the process. Alternatively, the companies that kept disclosing genuinely improved by learning the scoring system over multiple cycles.

Judging by the broader score decline across major indices, the realistic reading is a combination of both.

How to improve your CDP score if you stay

If you keep doing CDP year after year, you eventually figure it out. You learn the scoring levels, you learn which questions actually carry weight, and you learn what evidence CDP considers sufficient versus what it ignores. You memorise the tier-blocking questions and how "Awareness" connects to "Management" points. You realise that how you frame what you already do is as important as what you are doing.

That learning process typically takes multiple cycles. There are three things that matter most. Understanding the CDP scoring criteria and methodology is the foundation. From there, improvement comes down to three areas:

Which questions carry the most weight. CDP's modules do not contribute equally to your final score, and spending equal time on every question is one of the most common mistakes. The 2024 scoring changes introduced heavier penalties for gaps in GHG verification coverage, missing methodology-specific terms, and incomplete quantitative metrics, all of which carry into the 2026 cycle.

How you frame what you already do. Most companies that score below their actual performance level have a framing problem. They describe what they do in internal language rather than in the language CDP's scoring criteria reward. Two companies with identical programmes can receive very different scores based entirely on how their responses align with CDP's terminology and evidence requirements.

Where tier-blocking gaps are hiding. CDP scoring is sequential. If a Disclosure-tier requirement is not met, Awareness-tier points in the same module are blocked. If Awareness is incomplete, Management and Leadership points are inaccessible. One missing element at a lower tier suppresses the score across an entire module

Free CDP Gap analysis: find where you’re losing points

We built a CDP scoring analysis tool (or CDP gap analysis tool) that maps responses against CDP's scoring criteria and shows exactly where points are being lost. A heat map shows performance across all modules and tiers, each module can be reviewed in detail to see which tier requirements are met and which remain incomplete, and at the question level the tool highlights specific gaps with guidance on what is needed to improve. The output is a prioritised improvement roadmap with realistic timelines.

The trials are free and open now. Some dedicated CDP practitioners have already tested it and found gaps they did not know they had. For anyone wondering why, in a year where A scores are being handed out more generously than ever, your team still received a B or a C, this is where to start.

button "Try the free CDP scoring analysis" - https://www.besirius.io/analyze-your-cdp-scores - #5F5DDF

For additional practical guidance, the CDP Success Toolkit 2025 outlines how to plan and structure CDP submissions.

CDP 2026 submission timeline and scoring deadlines

CDP has published the disclosure timeline for 2026. The scoring deadline is the week of September 14, and scores are published the week of November 30.

If you want to use the free CDP scoring trial to review your responses before submission, the earlier you do it the more time you have to act on the gaps. Running the analysis now on your 2025 responses will show you exactly what to prioritise for 2026 while the questionnaire and methodology are being finalised.

For teams evaluating whether CDP disclosure is worth the investment in 2026, running the analysis before the September deadline is the clearest way to decide.

Frequently Asked Questions

— Is CDP mandatory?

CDP disclosure is voluntary. However, over 640 investors and 270 major purchasing organisations request disclosure through CDP, making it effectively required for many companies in global supply chains. Companies that do not respond to a request receive an F score, which is publicly visible.

— Why are so many companies dropping out of CDP?

The 2024 methodology changes caused widespread score declines that persisted into 2025. Many companies concluded the effort no longer matched the return. For companies scoring B or below, months of work yield a letter grade and not much else.

— Can you improve your CDP score in one cycle?

Yes. Many companies improve by one or two letter grades in a single cycle by identifying tier-blocking gaps and reframing existing responses to align with the scoring criteria. How you describe what you already do matters as much as what you are doing.

— How can beSirius help with CDP scoring?

The beSirius CDP scoring analysis maps your existing responses against CDP's scoring methodology and shows exactly where points are being lost. It highlights tier-blocking gaps, missing evidence, and framing issues at the question level. The output is a prioritised improvement roadmap you can act on before submission. Trials are open now.

— How is CDP scoring calculated?

‍CDP scoring uses a tiered methodology across Disclosure, Awareness, Management, and Leadership levels. Each module is scored independently, and gaps at lower tiers block points in higher tiers. The 2024 methodology introduced heavier penalties for missing GHG verification coverage and incomplete quantitative metrics, which carry into 2026.

— When are CDP scores released in 2026?

‍CDP 2026 scores are expected to be published the week of November 30, 2026. The scoring deadline is the week of September 14, 2026. Running a gap analysis on your 2025 responses before submission gives the most time to act on improvements.

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If you are going to do CDP this year, do it with a clear picture of where you stand.

The free CDP trials are open now!