Admin fee FAQ

In 2016, CDP introduced an administrative fee for companies responding to one or more of our investor requests on climate change, forests or water security.

The fee applies to all companies excluding those listed, incorporated or headquartered in China and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE): Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, and the three Baltic States: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Please note companies responding to customer requests only are not subject to pay the fee.

In order to support CDP’s disclosure system and mission as a not-for-profit organization, companies responding to CDP are asked to pay an administrative fee on an annual basis. The standard contribution is USD 2,725; however if companies are not in a position to pay the standard contribution or wish to contribute more, there are alternative fee options available. Fees are payable once annually regardless of how many questionnaire themes (climate change, forests and water security) a company chooses to disclose to. Please see the options outlined below:

1. Subsidized contribution -  This option does not cover the full cost of operating the CDP disclosure system for your company and is subsidized by funding from other sources.
   
   Benefits:
   • Report through CDP platform
   • Use CDP suite of tools (reporting frameworks and guidance)
   • Communications opportunities resulting from disclosing through CDP
   
   
2. Standard contribution - This option covers the full cost of operating the CDP disclosure system for your company and contributes to the ongoing maintenance and development of the platform and materials.
   
   Benefits:
   • Report through CDP platform
   • Use CDP suite of tools (reporting frameworks and guidance)
   • Communications opportunities resulting from disclosing through CDP
   • Pre-paid entry / priority registration to one regional CDP event
   
   
3. Enhanced contribution -  This option covers the full cost of operating the CDP disclosure system for your company, contributes to the ongoing maintenance and development of the platform and materials, makes an additional contribution to support CDP’s mission, and includes additional data-related features.
   
   Benefits:
   • Report through CDP platform
   • Use CDP suite of tools (reporting frameworks and guidance)
   • Communications opportunities resulting from disclosing through CDP
   • ‘CDP Supporter’ badge for use in your company’s external communications
   • Your company’s name listed as a CDP Supporter on CDP’s website
   • Pre-paid/priority registration for 2 people and company recognition at regional CDP events
   • Quote from CDP Director for use in your sustainability communications
   • Increased access to 100 company responses of your choice
   • A detailed CDP Benchmarking Report to compare your company with 10 peer companies of your choice
   • If applicable, free 1-hour consultation with relevant CDP accredited solutions provider
   • Complementary screening of your top 50 suppliers to understand environmental action in your supply chain

Benefits for the Standard and Enhanced contributions may differ in Latin American countries. Please reach out to [email protected] for details.

Below you can find answers to some commonly asked questions related to the administrative fee but please contact your local CDP office if you have any additional queries.

1. Why did CDP introduce a fee?
2. Who is subject to pay the admin fee?
3. What are the benefits to responding companies?
4. How will CDP use the fees?
5. What action is being driven by CDP responses?
6. What is the payment procedure?
7. Will the fee remain the same in future years?

Why did CDP introduce a fee?

CDP marked its 16th year in December 2016. As a not-for-profit organization we have relied on funding from a range of sources including philanthropic and government grants, sponsorship and fees for services. To deliver our services at the necessary global scale, we now require a small contribution towards our costs from both companies and investors participating in our system.

Who is subject to pay the admin fee?

In 2021, the fee will apply to all companies excluding those listed, incorporated or headquartered in China and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE): Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, and the three Baltic States: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. As reporting becomes standard business practice elsewhere we will introduce the fee in these countries/regions.

Please note companies disclosing to a CDP investor request for the first time are exempt from paying the disclosure administrative fee

What are the benefits to responding companies?

Participating in CDP provides companies with a highly visible, internationally recognized external platform for communicating their sustainability performance and strategy. CDP’s widely cited and referenced reports are used by relevant financial and business audiences around the world, and offer companies broad opportunities to promote and highlight their work to address climate change, water security and deforestation to numerous audiences.

Disclosure provides a framework that helps companies build their understanding of environmental risks and identify possible gaps in organizational processes and strategies for tackling these risks. It also enables companies to benchmark progress against peers, learn faster through shared best practice and communicate this progress to stakeholder communities. CDP’s standardized questions and ensuing reports reduce reporting burdens by facilitating disclosure to a multitude of stakeholders at once. CDP’s knowledgeable staff is available to provide expertise and valuable guidance and support on the process and benefits of disclosure.

CDP also acts as an advocate for companies undertaking the hard work of disclosure, amplifying the voices of business through global communications and showcasing leadership to peer companies, investors, media, academics, regulators and policymakers.

How will CDP use the fees?

Corporate and investor contributions will be used to maintain the disclosure system in order to support growing traffic. This includes the online platform and free disclosure support available through guidance documents, webinars and email. In addition, CDP updates questionnaires and scoring methodologies annually in a way that incorporates stakeholder feedback, streamlines the reporting process for companies and captures the most relevant and latest developments. CDP also works to further compatibility with other reporting platforms to reduce the reporting burden for companies, including GRI and DJSI.

For further information on how CDP is funded, see here.

What action is being driven by CDP responses?

The time spent by companies on their CDP responses is highly valued by a wide stakeholder group. These responses have enabled us to create the world’s largest database of corporate environmental information, covering climate, water security and forest-risk commodities. The insight from this data is paving the way to a more sustainable economy – with company feedback clearly confirming the benefits not only of the resulting data but also of the process of disclosing.

CDP’s dataset and insights are transforming the way investors approach climate change in their portfolios and track companies’ environmental performance. Investors use CDP scores and reports to construct ESG metrics that enable them to rank and compare companies, assess carbon footprints, and support company engagement.

The data is also made available widely via a number of different channels including through leading financial data and ESG research providers.

What is the payment procedure?

When submitting responses through CDP's online response system, companies will be able to pay via credit card or generate an invoice to pay via their CDP dashboard under the “Payments” block. You will have the option to make a subsidized, standard or enhanced contribution.

Only the Main User for your company can raise the invoice for the administrative fee. For more detailed instructions, please see our guidance document: How to process the administrative fee.

Will the fee remain the same in future years?

We have not increased the level of the administrative fee since 2016 when we first introduced it* but reserve the right to review it in future.

*With the exception of a slight adjustment to the cost of the subsidized fee in GBP in 2020, which was increased to align with other currencies.