CDP to cut staff by 20% in impact-focused restructure

Climate disclosure platform CDP has announced a global restructure that will see its workforce reduced by around 20% in support of a leaner, technology-enabled operation.

The nonprofit is making organisational changes to “adapt to economic challenges, while ensuring its future sustainability and ability to innovate in a fast-evolving ecosystem”, a CDP spokesperson told CSO Futures.

In addition to reducing its workforce, CDP is creating four new functions – product, growth, operations and customer success – to better service customers and accelerate the next phase of its strategy. 

In June 2024, CDP swapped its online questionnaires with a new, ISSB-aligned reporting platform unifying questions around climate, forests, water, biodiversity and plastics. The restructure will now continue to improve operational efficiencies and remove duplication of efforts, allowing CDP to direct more of its resources toward innovation and impact.

“The restructure announced today will enable CDP to invest in the resilience and innovation of tomorrow – reflecting our commitment to our partners and stakeholders across the ecosystem.” said Sherry Madera, Chief Executive Officer at CDP. 

“We are relied upon to deliver consistent, comparable data that enables faster, smarter decisions – for sustainable business and the wider economy. We proudly support organisations to take action that protects the planet – and the bottom line.”

More than 20,000 companies report through CDP

An estimated 22,700 companies reported on their climate and nature impacts through the platform last year – up by 8% from 2023.

Since its founding in 2000, CDP has managed the world’s most comprehensive database of self-reported environmental data, sharing the information with others to enable benchmarking and indices after each disclosure cycle.

CDP data has also helped highlight the most effective decarbonisation levers for companies, such as ESG-linked pay incentives and internal carbon prices.

“Disclosing through CDP is not ticking a box – it surfaces critical information that drives both economic performance and environmental protection,” the platform said in a statement reaffirming its steadfast commitment to “providing an independent disclosure system to the world”.

Read also: Disclosures for growth – CSO Futures data webinar with CDP and Fidelity International

CDP’s 2025 priorities

For 2025, CDP’s priority is ensuring a stable annual disclosure cycle that delivers business-critical information requested by over 700 financial institutions and 300 of the world’s largest supply chain owners. The organisation will also engage directly with market participants to validate its future direction.

“We remain focused on our mission, our partners and our people – supporting a whole of economy approach to planet and profit,” added Madera. “It is with deep gratitude that we thank our CDP team and recognise their valuable contributions in pursuit of our bold vision.”