CDP Awards 2024: Celebrating the European giants making strides in the green transition

On March 26, CDP recognised the most ambitious economic players paving the way to a greener continent at its awards in Paris.

CDP is a non-profit organisation that runs the world's leading environmental disclosure system.  Europe is home to seven of the twelve companies in the world to feature on CDP's A List for climate change, forests and water security, including Beiersdorf, Danone, Kering, Lenzig, L'Oréal, MM Group and Miquel y Costas. 

More than 24,000 companies, cities and states reported their environmental data to CDP in 2023, including listed companies that represent two-thirds of the world's market capitalisation.

“CDP is forcing us to walk the talk because there are criteria that are super transparent and demanding. Each year, we compare ourselves to other competitors, and this dramatically changed the way we approach sustainability at Beiersdorf,” said Vincent Warnery, CEO of the company, which is a leader in cosmetic products. CDP is encouraging economic players not just to reduce their own emissions but to use their capital and procurement power to drive change. A large part of many companies' CO2 emissions are referred to as “scope 3”, meaning they are indirect and can be reduced through a transformation of their value chain.

“Our scope 3 counts for around 80% of our emissions. We have more than 10,000 suppliers and we have to motivate them to reduce their emissions,” said Helmut Frieden, VP of corporate sustainability at Symrise, a CDP A List company and European leader in flavours and fragrances.

‘Move the money’

This year, CDP event’s theme was “move the money”. While achieving net-zero targets could require an annual investment of $4 trillion (€3.7 trillion) over the next 30 years, 70% of European