The CDP on February, 11, 2013 in London announced that a record 722 investors with US$87 trillion in assets — around a third of the world’s invested capital1 — have asked more than 5,000 public companies to disclose their carbon emissions and climate change strategies through CDP. Additionally, there has been strong growth in the number of investors asking listed companies to submit water and forest information through CDP, further demonstrating that natural capital is increasingly understood to be of material value to the global market.

The news accompanies the launch of the 2013 CDP disclosure season. More than 80% of the largest listed companies used the CDP system for climate accountability in 2012. Requests will this year go to over 5,000 listed companies around the world.

CDP already holds the biggest collection globally of self-reported corporate climate data. The Forest Footprint Disclosure Project (FFD), pioneered by the Global Canopy Programme, is merging with CDP to provide companies and investors with a single source of information for the interrelated issues of climate, water and forests, making CDP the world’s most comprehensive system for natural capital disclosure.

2013 highlights:

• Record number of investors become signatories to CDP’s climate change program up 10% from last year to 722 signatories with US$87 trillion in assets (655 investors with US$78 trillion in 2012); 
• Strong growth in investor interest in the Americas, with Brazil’s Banco do Brasil Previdência the largest new signatory (assets of US$1,081 billion);
• Global spread with the first signatories from Taipei, including Cathay Financial Holding and Fubon Financial Holdings;
• Heightened investor engagement: Carbon Action, a CDP initiative to accelerate company action on carbon reduction in high emitting industries, has seen more than a fivefold increase in its investor signatories since inception in 2011. 
• Growing awareness of water as a critical business issue with signatories to CDP’s water program almost quadrupling in just three years, reaching 530, 13% up from last year, with $US57 trillion in assets (137 investor signatories in 2010);
• Twice as many investors investigating exposure to forest risk commodities. The number of signatories to CDP’s forests program has more than doubled, reaching 184 with US$13 trillion in assets.

Companies have until 30th May 2013 to report their emissions and emissions-reducing activities to CDP, and 27th June to submit water and forest information.