Introduction

The 2025 CDP A List results offer a clear snapshot of how global companies are responding to rising expectations around environmental transparency, accountability, and action. As climate risk, water security, and deforestation increasingly shape financial performance and supply chain resilience, CDP scoring has become a critical benchmark for investors, customers, and regulators alike. In 2025, participation reached a new high, yet the proportion of companies achieving leadership level scores remained limited. This gap highlights both progress and the growing rigor of CDP’s assessment framework. For companies preparing for the 2026 disclosure cycle, the 2025 results provide valuable insight into what strong performance looks like and where common shortcomings remain.

What the 2025 CDP A List Reveals

The 2025 disclosure cycle saw more than twenty two thousand companies submit environmental data through CDP, with close to twenty thousand receiving scores. Despite this broad participation, fewer than nine hundred companies achieved placement on the Corporate A List. This outcome underscores the selective nature of leadership scores and reinforces that disclosure alone is no longer sufficient to demonstrate environmental leadership.

Metric	2025 Result
Total companies disclosing	Over 22,100
Companies scored	Nearly 20,000
Companies on Corporate A List	877

Regionally, companies headquartered in Europe and parts of Asia continued to show strong representation on the A List, reflecting sustained regulatory pressure, investor scrutiny, and mature sustainability governance frameworks. At the same time, companies from North America and emerging markets increased their presence among disclosing organizations, signaling a widening recognition of CDP’s relevance even where regulatory requirements remain fragmented.

Another defining feature of the 2025 results was the limited number of companies achieving Triple A status across climate change, forests, and water security. This outcome highlights how difficult it is to demonstrate comprehensive environmental leadership across multiple impact areas. Many organizations perform well in climate disclosure but lag in water risk assessment or forest related supply chain engagement. The 2025 results therefore reveal a growing expectation for integrated environmental management rather than isolated initiatives.

How CDP Scoring Has Become More Demanding

CDP’s scoring methodology continues to evolve, with a stronger emphasis on data quality, governance, and demonstrated action. Scores are determined across four levels: Disclosure, Awareness, Management, and Leadership. Companies reaching the A or A minus level are expected to show not only transparent reporting, but also evidence of robust risk management processes, board level oversight, and measurable progress against targets.

At the leadership level, companies typically demonstrate the following:

• Board level oversight of climate, water, and forest related risks
• Clear executive accountability for environmental performance
• Comprehensive emissions inventories across Scopes 1, 2, and relevant Scope 3 categories
• Consistent methodologies applied across regions and business units
• Integration of environmental risks into enterprise risk management processes
• Evidence of progress against stated targets rather than ambition alone

In the 2025 cycle, greater weight was placed on the completeness and consistency of reported data. Inconsistencies across responses, unclear methodological explanations, or partial coverage of operations often limited companies’ ability to progress beyond the Management level. CDP also placed increased emphasis on value chain engagement, particularly for Scope 3 emissions and supply chain deforestation risks.

Verification and alignment with recognized frameworks played a growing role as well. Companies that demonstrated third party verification of emissions data and alignment with science based targets or emerging global disclosure standards tended to perform more strongly. These shifts indicate that CDP scoring is increasingly aligned with investor grade expectations for reliability and comparability.

What Distinguished 2025 A List Companies

Companies that achieved A List status in 2025 shared several common characteristics regardless of sector or geography.

At a high level, A List companies consistently demonstrated:

• Strong governance with clear board oversight and executive accountability
• Mature environmental data management systems
• Verified and decision grade metrics
• Evidence of real world action across climate, water, or forests
• Clear, internally consistent CDP responses Strong governance was a consistent differentiator. This included clear board oversight of environmental issues, defined executive accountability, and integration of environmental performance into enterprise risk management.

Leading companies also demonstrated maturity in data management. They reported comprehensive emissions inventories, including Scope 3 categories relevant to their business models, and provided transparent explanations of assumptions and methodologies. Many had invested in internal systems to centralize environmental data collection across business units and regions.

Another defining feature was evidence of action beyond target setting. A List companies showed progress through capital investment in low carbon technologies, supplier engagement programs, water stewardship initiatives, or deforestation free sourcing commitments. These actions were supported by measurable outcomes rather than high level ambition alone.

Finally, leaders communicated their strategies clearly. Their CDP responses were internally consistent, well structured, and directly addressed questionnaire requirements. This clarity reduced ambiguity for scorers and strengthened confidence in the credibility of reported information.

Strategic Takeaways for the 2026 Disclosure Cycle

The 2025 results offer several practical lessons for companies aiming to improve their performance in the 2026 CDP cycle. Early preparation remains essential. Companies that begin data collection late in the reporting cycle often struggle with completeness and internal validation, increasing the risk of lower scores.

Improving data governance should be a priority. Establishing clear ownership for environmental data, standardizing methodologies across regions, and investing in digital reporting tools can significantly enhance data quality. Third party verification should be viewed as a strategic investment rather than a compliance exercise, as it strengthens credibility with both CDP and external stakeholders.

Companies should also deepen their approach to value chain engagement. Scope 3 emissions, water related supply chain risks, and forest impacts are areas where expectations are rising fastest. Proactive supplier engagement, data collection pilots, and risk prioritization frameworks can demonstrate leadership even when full data coverage remains challenging.

Alignment with global standards is another key consideration for 2026.

Focus Area	2026 Priority Action
Data governance	Centralize and standardize methodologies
Verification	Expand third party assurance
Scope 3	Strengthen supplier data engagement
Governance	Enhance board oversight structures
Standards alignment	Map CDP responses to global frameworks

Alignment with global standards is another key consideration for 2026. As sustainability reporting frameworks continue to converge, companies that align CDP disclosure with science based targets and emerging financial reporting standards will be better positioned to respond efficiently to multiple stakeholder requests.

Conclusion

The 2025 CDP A List highlights a clear message for global companies. Environmental leadership is defined by rigorous data, strong governance, and demonstrable action across climate, water, and forests. While participation in CDP continues to grow, achieving leadership level scores requires sustained effort and strategic integration of environmental considerations into core business decision making.

For organizations preparing for the 2026 disclosure cycle, the opportunity lies in using CDP not simply as a reporting exercise, but as a tool to strengthen internal systems, manage risk, and build long term resilience. Companies that act on the lessons from 2025 will be better positioned to meet rising expectations and to translate environmental transparency into competitive advantage.

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