About CDP
The Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum is CDP’s partner in Türkiye since 2010. CDP works to change the way businesses operate to reduce the effects of climate change and protect natural resources. CDP holds the world's largest corporate climate change, water, and forest risk data. At CDP, we leverage the power of measurement and transparency in information to enhance environmental risk management.
CDP, a London-based international non-profit organization, facilitates the reporting of public companies on how they use natural resources and natural capital, how their activities impact the regeneration of limited resources, and how they manage risks in this area to investors. CDP makes company reports comparable and aims to develop international reporting standards in this field. Recognized by Harvard Business Review as the world's most influential green NGO, CDP believes in the necessity of private sector responsibility in addressing climate change and provides a platform for companies to transparently disclose their climate change policies, deforestation and biodiversity efforts, plastics and water strategies to encourage them to fulfill this responsibility.
As of 2023, CDP acts on behalf of 746 investors managing assets worth $136 trillion, calling on the world’s leading companies to disclose their environmental policies. Launched in London in 2000, CDP operates the world’s most widespread environmental reporting system and holds the largest corporate climate change, water, plastic, city sustainability, and forest risk data. Through CDP, which was initiated to collect and share information that would enable companies, investors, and governments to take action against the threat of climate change, over 23,000 entities voluntarily disclose data on greenhouse gas emissions, climate change strategies, and sustainable water use to the public and investors. The data collected on behalf of investors is used in business, investment, and policymaking processes through analyses and reports prepared by CDP.
CDP has been increasingly influential in business and policy processes worldwide, not only through its core programs but also by leading campaigns and environmental movements in recent years. It collaborates with other leading global environmental organizations such as GRI, the UN’s environmental organizations and initiatives (like UNPRI and UNEP), Caring for Climate, WWF, WBCSD, CDSB, Integrated Reporting, WRI, and ISSB, providing guidance and support to all initiatives and organizations, particularly as an authoritative voice on environmental matters. In Türkiye, the environmental data for the Sustainability Index is also collected based on CDP data. Through its partnership with the Global Reporting Initiative, CDP has aligned environmental questions directly with CDP’s own questions, aiming to reduce the reporting burden on companies. In 2018, CDP data was aligned with TCFD data, and as of 2022, efforts have begun to align CDP’s questionnaires with ISSB Standards.
A New Era Began in CDP Reporting System
In 2024, CDP implemented a new reporting framework through a cutting-edge technology platform that significantly enhanced reporting and accelerated climate action. The CDP Questionnaires became more efficient, user-friendly, and less complex. As the global economy entered a new phase of mandatory reporting, this new framework helped companies to better prepare for and more easily respond to future requirements.
1) Questions across all CDP themes were integrated into a single, unified questionnaire. This integration reduced the likelihood of redundant information requests on climate change, deforestation, and water.
2) A simplified system was introduced to reduce the time required for responses.
3) The CDP Questionnaire was aligned with the ISSB S2 Climate Standards, enabling organizations to be better prepared for mandatory reporting processes and to engage in climate action beyond national regulations.
4) CDP also introduced a specialized SME questionnaire tailored to the impacts of small and medium-sized enterprises. Additionally, CDP built a modern, purpose-driven, and scalable technology platform designed to enhance the user experience. These improvements covered the management of reporting, disclosure, and access to CDP data.
The Future of CDP: Supporting Reporting Processes for a Net-Zero and Nature-Positive Future
In 2021, CDP launched a new strategy, expanding its scope to cover all planetary boundaries. CDP's activities continue to grow, now encompassing new areas such as biodiversity, plastic waste, and oceans.
● In 2021, six introductory questions on biodiversity were added to the climate change questionnaire, based on the IUCN Biodiversity Planning and Monitoring Guidelines.
● Five to nine questions related to plastic pollution, depending on the sector, were integrated into the Water Security Program questionnaire, drawing on the foundation of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Global Commitment.
CDP is increasingly aligning with global standards and frameworks such as TCFD, ISSB, and TNFD to offer a global, independent, mission-driven, and comparable environmental reporting mechanism. CDP plans to provide data alongside a mechanism that will enable non-state actors to report the actions needed for the transition to a nature-positive economy within the 1.5°C limit. By 2025, CDP aims to have an integrated questionnaire that covers not only climate change, water security, and deforestation but all related environmental factors.
● Climate-related risks and opportunities (TCFD – following the current alignment process)
● Nature-related risks and opportunities (in alignment with TNFD and other standards such as Science-based Targets for Nature and the Global Biodiversity Framework). This will include water resources (freshwater and oceans), land, and biodiversity. CDP's existing Deforestation and Water Security questionnaires already cover some of the information that TNFD will recommend companies disclose.
CDP Programs
Investor-Led Programs
- Climate Change Program
Mitigating climate change is essential for a sustainable economy. Since 2002, CDP has been a leading institution in making environmental data transparent and accessible for business decision-making. CDP believes that increasing corporate awareness of carbon and climate change risk management is achieved through measurement and reporting. On behalf of 746 institutional investor signatories, representing a total of $136 trillion in assets, CDP requests the world’s largest companies to report on their climate risks and low-carbon opportunities.
The data collected from companies is assessed according to CDP's scoring methodology, one of the world's most trusted rating methodologies, and companies that make it to the A List globally are recognized. In 2023, a record number of companies reported, with nearly 400 companies making it onto the A List for Climate Change, Deforestation, and Water Security Programs. Five companies from Türkiye successfully made it onto both the Climate Change and Water Security Global A Lists. In the Climate Change Program, 18 companies are listed on the Global A List.
You can find more information about the CDP Climate Change Program here.
More information about CDP Türkiye Climate Change can be found here.
- Water Security Program
Water security is vital for mitigating climate change and for companies to protect their net profits. CDP's work on water security facilitates company reporting on this issue and helps them leverage the power of their customers and investors to reduce their environmental impacts. The data collected by CDP enables decision-makers to reduce risks, capitalize on actions taken, and lead towards a more sustainable world. In 2015, with the support and collaboration of Garanti Bank, the CDP Water Program Forum was launched in Türkiye. CDP believes that the private sector needs to take responsibility for water issues and encourages action by providing a platform for reporting water usage and impacts on water resources.
In 2023, among the 60 companies from Türkiye that responded to the Water Security Program, 5 companies made it onto the Global A List.
You can find more information about the CDP Water Security Program here.
More information about CDP Türkiye Water Security Program can be found here.
- Deforestation Program
Deforestation is a significant risk for businesses. CDP works in collaboration with companies and investors to manage this risk and facilitate the transition to a low-carbon economy. Deforestation and forest degradation account for 10-15% of global greenhouse gas emissions, making efforts to prevent deforestation a major contribution to achieving international climate change goals. CDP’s deforestation program activities are conducted on behalf of over 746 signatory investors managing $136 trillion in assets, aiming to understand how companies address deforestation risks.
You can find more information about the CDP Deforestation Program here.
You can find more information about the CDP Türkiye Deforestation Program here.
- Plastics
The increasing production of plastics each year poses serious threats to global ecosystems, economies, and societies. Enhancing transparency around plastic footprints is crucial for enabling companies to develop strategies to reduce plastic usage. Strong corporate disclosures are seen as a fundamental step in addressing plastic pollution.
Companies can report their plastic-related activities, impacts, risks, and opportunities through the CDP platform. These disclosures will provide a solid foundation for companies to take steps towards reducing plastic pollution and achieving sustainability goals.
You can find more information about the CDP Plastics Program here.
CDP Supply Chain Program
CDP works with buyer organizations and suppliers to reduce climate, water, and forest risks. These efforts to identify and manage risks related to climate change, deforestation, and water involve over 280 buyer organizations and more than 47,000 suppliers. CDP Supply Chain member companies, by achieving collaboration and transparency in their value chains, can manage risks with their suppliers, capitalize on opportunities, and ensure the continuity of their business operations.
You can find more information about the CDP Supply Chain Program here.
CDP Cities Program
The role of cities in transitioning to a sustainable economy is undeniable. CDP plays a crucial role in encouraging cities to report, understand, and act on their environmental impacts. CDP also provides cities with a global platform to measure, manage, and report their environmental data. As of 2023, CDP works with over 1,200 cities, helping them manage their carbon emissions, enhance their resilience, protect themselves from the impacts of climate change, and provide better working and living spaces for their citizens. These cities have demonstrated significant progress towards building a sustainable economy by reporting over 8,000 urban sustainability actions that effectively combat climate change. As we approach a tipping point in the dissemination of environmental action, cities are a vital part of the ongoing sustainability transformation process.
You can find more information about the CDP Cities Program here.
CDP and the Sustainable Development Goals
At CDP, we are pleased to contribute to the global collaboration needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
To learn more about how CDP supports the monitoring of the SDGs, you can click on icons below.
CDP Türkiye
Through CDP Türkiye, companies have the opportunity to share their climate change policies with international institutional investors. CDP Türkiye’s mission includes facilitating dialogue among companies, assisting consulting firms with visibility, supporting policies aimed at reducing the effects of climate change, advancing environmental risk management to the corporate governance level, educating and informing responding companies about potential benefits, and sharing best practices.
CDP monitors Türkiye's future environmental initiatives through our platform. For the past decade, we have strengthened our close relationships with relevant ministries, and with the momentum gained from the Paris Agreement, we continue to leverage our experiences and CDP's unique corporate environmental data, with the support of Sabancı University, to make more effective use of these resources.
CDP Türkiye 2023 Results
The CDP Türkiye 2023 Results were announced on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, during the CDP Türkiye 14th Climate Change and Nature Conference, Results and Awards Ceremony. The "Climate Change & Water Program 2023 Türkiye Results Report," which includes CDP Türkiye’s analyses and findings for 2023, and the CDP Global and CDP Türkiye Leaders identified according to CDP's Global Rating Methodology, were shared with the public during the event.
This year’s CDP Türkiye Conference was themed "A New Era at CDP: Transitioning from Climate Reporting to Nature Reporting." In 2024, CDP will transition to a new and integrated corporate questionnaire that consolidates all reporting themes (climate change, water management, deforestation). To encourage and facilitate the reporting journey for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), CDP has released a new SME questionnaire and continues to collaborate with leading global standards and frameworks to reduce reporting burdens and promote mandatory reporting. Notably, this includes integrating the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) climate disclosure standard, IFRS S2, into its questions. The Türkiye Sustainability Reporting Standards published by the Public Oversight, Accounting and Auditing Standards Authority (KGK) in Türkiye are also based on ISSB standards.
The opening speech of the conference was presented by Seray İmer, Sustainability Leader at Garanti BBVA. Another speaker at the conference, Ariane Coulombe, Reporting Director for CDP Europe, discussed CDP's approach and goals regarding the new era. Following this, the results of the CDP Climate Change & Water Program 2023 Türkiye Report were presented by Mirhan Köroğlu Göğüş, CDP Türkiye Country Programs Manager.
The panel titled "Transitioning from Climate Reporting to Nature Reporting," moderated by Ata Can Bertay, Director of Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum, featured Nicole Hardiman, CDP Nature Standards Leader; Verena Kraus, Senior Manager of the Nature Team at the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI); and Sevil Acar, a faculty member at Boğaziçi University and Lead Author of the IPBES Transformative Change Assessment Report.
The panel emphasized the importance of nature-based reporting that encompasses all planetary boundaries in corporate reporting in light of recent developments. Nicole Hardiman explained what this transition means for companies, focusing on CDP’s role in shaping the upcoming period. Verena Kraus discussed how financial institutions integrate nature into their business strategies and decision-making processes. Sevil Acar focused on the relationship between companies and nature, and the impact of this relationship on the environment, based on IPBES assessments.
Under the Climate Change Program, 18 out of 358 Global A companies and 10 out of 101 Global A companies under the Water Security Program are from Türkiye. Additionally, 32 companies achieved an (A-) rating in the Climate Change and Water Security categories, making it onto the CDP Türkiye Leaders list. Furthermore, 11 companies received an A rating in the CDP Supplier Engagement Rating (SER) category, positioning them among the SER leaders.
Following a video presentation featuring messages from the CEOs of CDP Global A Leaders, Hasan Özçelik, President of the Public Oversight, Accounting and Auditing Standards Authority (KGK), opened the awards ceremony.
The closing remarks of the event were delivered by Melsa Ararat, CDP Türkiye Director, and Ata Can Bertay, Director of the Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum.
CDP Global A Leaders
CDP 2023 Global A Climate and Water Leaders: Aydem Renewable Energy Inc., Brisa Bridgestone Sabancı Tire Industry and Trade Inc., Mavi Clothing Industry and Trade Inc., Migros Ticaret Inc., Yapı Kredi Bank Inc.
CDP 2023 Global A Climate Leaders: Abdi Ibrahim Pharmaceuticals Industry and Trade Inc., Adm Electricity Distribution Inc., Aydem Electricity Retail Sales Inc., Elsan Electrical Equipment Industry and Trade Inc., Gdz Electricity Distribution Inc., Gediz Electricity Retail Sales Inc., QNB Finansbank Inc., Sabancı Holding Inc., Şekerbank T.A.Ş., T. İş Bank Inc., T. Vakıflar Bankası T.A.O., Temsa Skoda Sabancı Transportation Vehicles Inc., Turkcell Communication Services Inc.
CDP 2023 Global A Water Leaders: Carrefoursa Carrefour Sabancı Trade Center Inc., Coca-Cola İçecek Inc., Enerjisa Enerji Inc., Park Cam Industry Trade Inc., T. Halk Bank Inc.
To access the CDP Türkiye Climate Change and Water Security 2023 Report, click here.
To view the presentation where the CDP Türkiye Climate Change and Water Security 2023 Report results are shared, click here.
To reach the Turkish summary of the CDP Türkiye Climate Change and Water Security 2023 Report, click here.
To access the CDP Türkiye 14th Climate and Nature Conference Press Release, click here.
To visit the CDP Global website: www.cdp.net
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