Over 300 companies including AstraZeneca, Danone, Firmenich, HP, Mars and Mitsubishi Electric have today been named on this year’s ‘A List’ by CDP - a major increase on last year, despite the unprecedented challenges posed by COVID-19.

The number of companies achieving a triple A across climate, forests and water, the highest rating CDP provides, has also grown to 10, up from six last year, the previous record. Symrise, Mondi, Fuji Oil Holdings and KAO Corporation are among the new triple A Listers.

The A List contains companies that are leading on environmental transparency and action, based on their annual disclosure through CDP’s climate change, forests and water security questionnaires.

This year has seen a major increase (45 per cent up on last year) in the number of companies achieving an A score, with increases across all three themes that CDP assesses. Along with the high levels of disclosure, this shows growing environmental awareness among the business world in 2020.

For climate scores this is largely because more companies are choosing to be transparent by disclosing data – in itself an important step, driven by increased market pressure for transparency. The growth in companies scoring an A for tackling deforestation and water security points to increased action in these areas, as the higher levels of disclosure does not fully account for the increase. Forests is particularly notable as the number of companies on the A List doubled from a low base (16 compared to eight last year).

Dexter Galvin, global director of Corporations and Supply Chains at CDP, said: “This week marks exactly five years since global leaders shook hands on the Paris Agreement. It’s encouraging that 70 per cent more companies are now reporting on their environmental action than in 2015, and that, this year, over 300 have reached the A List.”

The A List companies hail from around the globe, with most coming from Europe (132), Asia (100) and North America (61). The top countries for A List headquarters are Japan (66), US (58), UK (21), Germany (19) and France (18). Last year Japan overtook the US and Asia overtook North America for the first time, with this solidifying further this year.

Around half of the A List (over 150 companies) are either new or returning, demonstrating that concrete environmental action continues apace this year despite 2020’s economic challenges.

A List here.

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