CDP and GNFZ certification work together to deliver your climate goals
What is CDP?
CDP is a global non-profit organization that runs the world’s only independent environmental disclosure system for companies, capital markets, cities, states and regions to manage their environmental impacts. Its primary purpose is transparency in collecting standardized, comparable data about emissions, climate risk, strategies, governance, transition plans, etc., and making that available to investors, stakeholders, purchasers and regulators.
CDP uses a grading (e.g. “A / B / C / D” ) to evaluate the quality of disclosure, completeness, strategy alignment and verification. CDP does not certify that the entity is net zero. A CDP disclosure can include whether a company has a net zero target or transition plan. To obtain its top scores, CDP requires third-party verification of climate data. Currently nearly 25,000 companies now disclose environmental data through CDP. These companies represent two-thirds of global market capitalization, 93% of the FTSE100 and 85% of the S&P500.
What is GNFZ’s net zero certification?
GNFZ is a third-party net zero certification body that certifies that an entity — be it a single building, portfolio or business — has credibly committed to and progressed toward net zero emissions and ultimately net zero certification. GNFZ offers an adaptable, incremental and affordable pathway based on the GHG Protocol that meets entities where they are on their net zero progress. GNFZ credibly assesses Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, is rating-system agnostic, is approved as a net zero certification body by GRESB and prioritizes rapid decarbonization strategies that reduce operational costs.
How do CDP and GNFZ complement each other?
CDP and GNFZ provide uniquely powerful tools to demonstrate market leadership in ESG and decarbonization. GNFZ certification — and the journey to it — demonstrates credible progress toward net zero while being recognized at key milestones along the way. Disclosing with CDP allows investors and other engaged stakeholders to see the underlying data and the entities trajectory to meeting their climate goals.
GNFZ is complementary to ESG reporting and disclosure frameworks (e.g. GRI, SBTi, CDP). CDP does not provide general guidelines, collects standardized data instead. GNFZ’s certification data including emissions assessment, milestones achieved and verification can feed into CDP responses. High CDP scores strengthen credibility and GNFZ gives higher credibility to the disclosure beyond a score by certifying.
Below is a side-by-side comparison:
| Feature / Dimension | GNFZ Certification | CDP Disclosure |
|---|---|---|
| Core goal | Verify and certify progress to net zero (for buildings, businesses, portfolios) | Public disclosure of climate / environmental information, enabling transparency |
| Type of endorsement | Independent third-party certification (with milestones) | Not a certification, but a scored disclosure; higher scores = better credibility |
| Scope / Emissions coverage | Covers Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions; includes embodied carbon in buildings | Encourages reporting of Scope 1, 2, and 3 (depending on materiality) but not a guarantee of full accounting |
| Milestone / incremental path | Built in – you can enter at your current stage, and intermediate certificates are awarded. | No formal certification path, disclosure is binary (you disclose or you don’t) |
| Flexibility / alignment | Rating system agnostic – you may use different standards or frameworks to feed into the certification as long as they are credible. | Must follow CDP’s questionnaire, which is prescriptive with a fixed format and question sets that data collected for GNFZ certification helps fill |
| Verification / Assurance | As a certification, GNFZ implies verification of submitted data against criteria. However, you need to submit documentation annually to maintain certification. | For higher CDP scores (especially A), third‐party verification / assurance is required. GNFZ fulfills that criteria. |
| Credibility / signaling | Provides a more concrete “seal” or certificate that can be marketed; stronger signaling of actual progress, not just intentions | Well recognized among investors and stakeholders as a disclosure benchmark; gives visibility into transparency and plans |
| Auditability / comparability | Focused on verifying that processes and emissions reductions are real and sustained | Emphasis on standardized disclosures, which helps comparability across companies and sectors |
| Cost / effort | Requires effort to build emissions inventory, create and execute a net zero plan, maintain ongoing compliance | Effort is in collecting, documenting, and disclosing data annually; you can start with basic disclosures and scale up |
| Best for | Entities that want to prove or certify that they are on the net zero path (especially in real estate / buildings) | Entities wanting to increase transparency, meet investor demands, benchmark disclosure performance |
Summary
While CDP disclosures and GNFZ net zero certification are fundamentally different in terms of scope and function, they support each other by following a complementary process in terms of data collection, reporting, and benchmarking. The efforts are more efficient when pursued together, supported by complementary climate and environmental sustainability goals. GNFZ also enables an incremental approach tailored to your current readiness level, allowing you to scale up over time until you are prepared to disclose to CDP.
A company can use the GNFZ certification platform to validate net zero performance across its assets, then report those achievements through CDP disclosures — effectively advancing two goals with nearly the same level of effort.
Want to learn more about a complementary pathway to implement both?