Kyushu University study shows climate disclosure scores hide individual company gains
Researchers from Kyushu University analyzed a decade of CDP data to show how expanding corporate reporting masks progress among consistent firms.
New entrants lower overall averages
Kyushu University researchers examined ten years of climate scores collected by the nonprofit CDP. They found that adding newer companies with lower ratings pulled down the general average significantly. This trend obscured the actual improvements made by organizations that have reported data for many years.
Consistent firms show real gains
The analysis revealed that companies assessed in both 2016 and 2025 achieved much larger score increases than the overall average suggested. Professor Alexander Ryota Keeley noted that changing populations of assessed firms can hide individual progress. Investors and rating providers now have a clearer method to track these specific changes.
Study published in October 2026
The findings were released on Oct 14, 2026, in the journal Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management. The report offers a better way to interpret broader trends as environmental reporting expands globally.
Reported by one outlet
Only one outlet has published this. Nothing here has been checked against a second report, so read it as that outlet's account and follow the link below for the original.
Reported by
1 independent outlet. Headline as published. Links open the original report.