Companies often submit to both CDP and EcoVadis — but they’re not the same thing, and understanding the difference matters if you’re trying to make sense of a company’s sustainability credentials.
CDP: Climate-Focused Disclosure
CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) is a detailed, climate-specific questionnaire covering emissions data, climate risk, and targets, primarily aimed at investors and the capital markets. Companies submit data annually and receive a letter grade (A to D-) based on the completeness and ambition of their disclosure. CDP is deep but narrow: it’s almost entirely about climate and environmental data, reported at a very granular level.
EcoVadis: Broad Sustainability Scorecard
EcoVadis assesses a company across four themes: Environment, Labour & Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement. It’s used heavily by supply chains, large companies often require their suppliers to hold an EcoVadis score before being approved as a vendor. Rather than a letter grade, EcoVadis gives a score out of 100 and a medal (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum).
The Key Differences
- Scope: CDP is climate and environment only; EcoVadis covers environment plus social and governance factors
- Audience: CDP is aimed at investors; EcoVadis is aimed at procurement and supply chain relationships
- Depth vs breadth: CDP goes deeper on climate specifics; EcoVadis is broader but shallower per topic
Why Companies Do Both
They serve different audiences and different business needs. A company might need a strong CDP score to satisfy investor ESG expectations, while a high EcoVadis score is what actually wins them a contract with a large client who requires supplier sustainability vetting. Neither replaces the other, most sustainability teams treat them as complementary disclosures rather than duplicated effort.