Strategies to Improve Your CDP Value Chain Score

Many companies assume that improving their CDP value chain score means persuading more suppliers to complete the CDP questionnaire. It is an understandable conclusion. If the problem is poor visibility into the supply chain, asking more suppliers to disclose appears to be the obvious solution. But more disclosure does not necessarily produce a meaningfully better score.

CDP’s Supplier Engagement Assessment evaluates how well a company understands and manages climate issues across its supply chain. It looks beyond the volume of supplier responses to assess whether the company has measured its Scope 3 emissions, prioritised material suppliers, embedded climate considerations into procurement and taken credible action to reduce emissions.

The practical question is therefore not: How do we get more suppliers to complete CDP? It is: How do we demonstrate that we understand our value chain and are using that understanding to drive action?

What affects your CDP value chain score?

The Supplier Engagement Assessment considers five broad areas:

• Supplier engagement
• Scope 3 emissions and assurance
• Risk management processes
• Governance and business strategy
• Targets

Supplier engagement is important, but it is only one part of the assessment. CDP also looks for evidence that companies can identify their most significant upstream impacts, calculate relevant Scope 3 categories, set measurable targets and integrate climate performance into commercial processes.

That means a company could collect hundreds of additional supplier disclosures without addressing some of the most important weaknesses in its score. For example, more questionnaires will not automatically provide a complete Scope 3 inventory, a methodology for prioritising suppliers, third party assurance over emissions data, or clear accountability within the purchasing function. Disclosure can support these activities, but it is not a substitute for them.

Why asking for more disclosure is often the wrong first step

Supplier disclosure programmes can consume significant time while producing highly uneven results. Some suppliers respond comprehensively, while others provide partial information, outdated reports or answers that are difficult to compare. Many do not respond at all. Companies can then find themselves spending the reporting cycle chasing suppliers rather than improving the systems and processes that actually drive emissions reductions.

The issue is not that supplier disclosure has no value. The issue is that requesting more of it is unlikely to be the highest impact action once a company already has enough information to identify its major emissions sources. In many cases, the data needed to improve performance already exists. It is simply fragmented across sustainability reports, disclosures, target registries, assurance statements and company websites. This is where DitchCarbon can help by turning that information into consistent, decision ready data.

A practical strategy for improving your CDP value chain score

1. Measure your upstream Scope 3 emissions

Start by calculating all material upstream Scope 3 categories, particularly purchased goods and services. The initial calculation does not need to depend entirely on supplier questionnaires. Companies can combine supplier specific information with company level emissions, product carbon footprints and appropriate estimates. DitchCarbon provides emissions and climate performance data across over 2 million organisations, helping build a representative baseline without waiting for every supplier to respond.

2. Identify which suppliers actually matter

Not every supplier requires the same level of engagement. Segment suppliers according to factors such as contribution to Scope 3 emissions, spend, carbon intensity, and existence of emissions reduction targets. DitchCarbon can help companies identify high emitting suppliers and distinguish between businesses that are already taking credible action and those that require further engagement.

3. Set a measurable supplier engagement target

General commitments are difficult to assess. A stronger target defines exactly what the company expects to achieve. For example, you might target that suppliers representing 70% of relevant Scope 3 emissions will set science based targets by 2030. The target should be measurable, time bound and connected to the company emissions inventory.

4. Move beyond information requests

Asking for data is not the same as helping a supplier reduce emissions. A mature programme may include training, peer benchmarking, or category specific reduction recommendations. CDP treats supplier engagement as a broader process that continues outside the disclosure cycle. Showing suppliers what comparable peers are doing can provide the evidence needed to support the business case for action.

5. Embed climate performance into procurement

The strongest programmes connect climate data to commercial decisions. This includes using climate performance in supplier selection, tender evaluations, and contract renewals. DitchCarbon can supply consistent company and product level carbon information directly into procurement systems, allowing climate performance to become part of routine decision making.

6. Improve data quality and assurance

More data is not automatically better data. A smaller amount of comparable, recent and third party assured information is more valuable than hundreds of unverified responses. Companies should prioritise third party assured supplier emissions and product carbon footprints over industry averages where possible.

7. Demonstrate progress, not just process

A good CDP response should show what the engagement programme has achieved. Useful evidence includes the percentage of supplier emissions covered by engagement or the number of priority suppliers with science based targets. DitchCarbon maintains ongoing information on company emissions and targets, allowing organisations to monitor whether suppliers are making measurable progress.

You may already have enough data to improve your score

Many companies approach their CDP value chain score as a disclosure problem, but it is more often a data usability and implementation problem. The information required to identify emissions hotspots and establish targets frequently already exists. DitchCarbon collects and structures publicly available emissions, targets, and climate commitments for over 2 million organisations. This allows you to build Scope 3 baselines and benchmark suppliers without requiring another questionnaire.

The objective is action, not questionnaire volume

Supplier disclosure should be targeted at genuine data gaps. A more effective sequence is to use existing data to understand the value chain, identify the suppliers that matter, set measurable targets, and embed climate performance into procurement. This approach is more likely to improve both the CDP value chain score and the company actual climate performance.