Carbon Disclosure Project: Corporate Supply Chain FAQs

Corporate Supply Chain FAQs

What is CDP Supply Chain?

CDP Supply Chain is a collaboration of Blue Chip companies that have agreed to work with CDP to produce a single information request designed to assemble valuable information in respect of suppliers' greenhouse gas emissions, reduction targets, perceptions of risks and opportunities and climate change related strategies. This information enables companies to measure their supply chain emissions and climate change associated risks.

What are CDP Supply Chain’s objectives?

The key objectives are:

To collect information that leads to action by both purchasing and supply companies in respect of climate change.
To leverage the expertise of CDP Supply Chain members to influence international standards and establish a global process for supply chain disclosure
To maximise engagement and dialogue between purchasing organisations and suppliers on climate change issues

What is the difference between the CDP information request and the CDP Supply Chain request?

The CDP information request is sent on behalf of investors to publicly listed companies. The CDP Supply Chain request for disclosure is sent on behalf of customers to their suppliers.

In what ways do the CDP and the CDP Supply Chain Questionnaires differ?

The early parts of the Questionnaires are identical but the CDP Supply Chain Questionnaire contains additional sections relevant to the customer-supplier relationship. Companies that have already completed CDP6 and are responding to CDP Supply Chain will not need to revisit CDP6 sections 1 to 4. (see below for timeline)

How does the process work?

Once your company has joined CDP Supply Chain, you will be asked to submit a list of suppliers that you would like to include in your information request. CDP [Supply Chain] will then distribute its Questionnaire to those suppliers. Members are responsible for contacting their suppliers to explain why they have requested disclosure and how they plan to use the data. Suppliers will respond on-line through a user-friendly automated system. As a member you will receive a unique login which will enable you to review responses as they come in. A report, analysing trends through the supply chain, will be produced in 2009.

Is membership open to anyone or does a company have to be invited?

Any company that wishes to engage with its suppliers and request climate change relevant information can join CDP Supply Chain on condition that it responds to CDP6, pays the sponsorship fee and signs a Memorandum of Understanding with CDP.

What are Members required to do?

Provide CDP with supplier contact data in standard format
Communicate with chosen suppliers the reasons for requesting disclosure, relevant to your own supplier engagement and climate change strategies
Encourage public disclosure
Contribute feedback to the improvement of the process

What supplier details are required?

Each member has to populate a formatted spreadsheet with details of each supplier including:

Company name and address
Whether the member requires information at a Corporation, Divisional or Plant level
Name, telephone number and email address of a contact person if the member wants CDP to administer the initial communication

Will the identity of my suppliers remain confidential?

Only CDP will have access to your supplier list. This will not be available to other members or the public.

What does 2009 membership cover?

All levels of membership offer the opportunity to select a list of your suppliers to whom you would like to send the CDP information request. Once those suppliers have been selected, CDP will administer the process and enable you to access those responses as they come in through the login system on the CDP website. A report will be produced for members on the findings.

What is the time-frame?

2008

October 31st: Deadline for companies to respond to Information Request
December: Consultation phase for Supply Chain questions

2009

January to March: Members compile supplier lists
April 1st: 2009 Supply Chain Information Request issued to suppliers
July 31st: Deadline for companies to respond to Information Request

How do I apply?

To apply to become a member or to request further information please contact membership@cdproject.net

What happens to the data received in the responses?

We ask members to strongly encourage suppliers to make their responses publicly available. Responding suppliers will be given this option after they have submitted their response on the Online Response System. They will be asked to choose whether to make their answers:

Publicly available;
Not publicly available but available to all CDP Supply Chain members; or
Available only to requesting CDP Supply Chain members.

In addition the CDP Secretariat will appoint consultancies or researchers to write reports based on company responses. Such responses will be made available to the authors of these reports. Should the responding company notify us, at the time of the submission of its response, that it does not want the information to be publicly disclosed, the data will only be used in the production of aggregate statistics.
If the responding company chooses to make its data public, it will be made available on the CDP website with effect from November 2008.

Do you specialise in product footprinting?

CDP does not specialise in product footprinting. We provide a standard platform for the disclosure of climate change relevant data between key stakeholders. The CDP Supply Chain information request includes the option for suppliers to disclose specific product footprints if requested by individual procuring companies.