The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) is an independent not-for-profit organisation aiming to create a lasting relationship between shareholders and corporations regarding the implications for shareholder value and commercial operations presented by climate change. Its goal is to facilitate a dialogue, supported by quality information, from which a rational response to climate change will emerge.

CDP provides a coordinating secretariat for institutional investors with a combined $57 trillion of assets under management. On their behalf it seeks information on the business risks and opportunities presented by climate change and greenhouse gas emissions data from the world's largest companies: 3,000 in 2008. Over 8 years CDP has become the gold standard for carbon disclosure methodology and process. The CDP website is the largest repository of corporate greenhouse gas emissions data in the world.

CDP leverages its data and process by making its information requests and responses from corporations publicly available, helping catalyse the activities of policymakers, consultants, accountants and marketers.

Supply Chain
Increasingly focus is shifting from companies' own emissions to their supply chains, where, for many sectors, the majority of greenhouse gas emissions are generated. Corporations require better information to develop and deliver robust and effective carbon management strategies and incorporate climate change into supply chain decisions. Using the CDP process, which is the established global system for carbon reporting, purchasers are now able to better understand the indirect emissions held within their individual and shared supply chains.

In October 2007 CDP set up the Supply Chain Leadership Collaboration (SCLC) with the aim of leading the way in creating a standard for supply chain reporting of emissions, risks, opportunities and strategies.

Funding
CDP is funded by a variety of organisations, national governments and agencies, charities and companies. These include: DEFRA (UK), Environmental Protection Agency (US), VROM (Netherlands), NUTEK (Sweden), DOEN Foundation (Netherlands), Esmée Fairbairn Foundation (UK), Nathan Cummings Foundation (USA), Oak Foundation (Switzerland), WWF (Germany, India and UK), Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP), Merrill Lynch, Pictet Asset Management and AXA.