-- Three-year agreement designates FCS as CDP's global sustainability business process outsourcing partner and scoring provider across a greater global footprint

IRVINE, California and LONDON, March 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstCarbon Solutions (FCS), a pioneer in environmental and sustainability business solutions, and CDP today announced an expanded global scoring partnership, designating FCS as CDP's global sustainability business process outsourcing (BPO) partner under a three-year agreement.

FCS has been a CDP scoring partner since 2011, scoring over 6,400 company disclosures and providing guidance to help organizations track and improve environmental performance. FCS' participation in CDP scoring activities has grown consistently over the course of the partnership, as they have added the Nordic, Benelux, India, and Australia/New Zealand regions to their role as CDP's exclusive supply chain program scoring partner.

Climate change, water scarcity, flooding, pollution and deforestation present material risks and opportunities for change. Not only does CDP provide an information platform for investors to protect their long term investments and reduce the risks arising from environmental externalities, it also helps organizations implement successful supplier engagement strategies, reduce supply chain emissions, control water impact and manage risk in a changing climate.

As CDP's global sustainability BPO partner, FCS will take on an expanded role in CDP's scoring programs and initiatives and manage a greater scope of work under CDP investor-led programs.  In addition to continuing to provide scoring services for the CDP supply chain program and regional investor programs, FCS will now become the scoring partner for the S&P 500 and FTSE 350 climate change disclosures – analyzing how market-leading companies are accelerating progress toward a lower-carbon future. FCS will also take on scoring disclosures for the CDP Southeast Asia region. As a result of its expanded role, FCS expects to score a total of 3,500 disclosures in 2014 alone.

CDP investor initiatives – backed in 2014 by more than 767 institutional investors representing an excess of US$92 trillion in assets – give investors access to a global source of year-on-year information that supports long-term objective analysis. This includes evidence and insight into companies' greenhouse gas emissions, water usage and strategies for managing climate change, water and deforestation risks.

"As one of our key partners, FCS has been a valuable asset to our investor and supply chain members and to CDP," says Nigel Topping, executive director at CDP. "Now, this enhanced partnership positions them as our go-to solutions provider for any company looking to outsource environmental data collection from complex worldwide operations, and enhance the efficiency of this process. This will enable companies to spend more time on taking action to reduce emissions."

"With a growing number of investment groups and customers requiring transparency in environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG), it becomes even more critical for organizations to participate in standards such as CDP to document their commitment to climate resiliency," says Robert Francisco, President at FCS. "Our sustainability expertise along with our analytical capabilities aligns very well with CDP's mission to help organizations measure, disclose and improve their climate change strategies, and we're pleased to take a greater role as part of this mission and provide even more innovative services to suppliers, investors and member organizations."

In conjunction with the new partnership, FCS will retain its status as CDP gold consultancy partner and silver software partner. FCS will also provide consultation on the development of CDP's scoring processes and IT capabilities, and will again serve as lead scorer for CDP's on-demand scoring services.

About CDP
CDP is an international, not-for-profit organization providing the only global system for companies and cities to measure, disclose, manage and share vital environmental information.  CDP works with market forces, including 767 institutional investors with assets of US$92 trillion, to motivate companies to disclose their impacts on the environment and natural resources and take action to reduce them.  CDP now holds the largest collection globally of primary climate change, water and forest risk commodities information and puts these insights at the heart of strategic business, investment and policy decisions.  Please visit www.cdp.net or follow us @CDP to find out more.

About FCS
FirstCarbon Solutions (FCS) advances sustainable practices around the world and helps organizations responsibly grow and operate. As a CDP partner scoring more than 6,400 CDP disclosures globally, FCS has unique experience managing climate change, water and resource efficiency risks and opportunities. With 30+ years of environmental, sustainability and energy consulting experience, and offices around the world, FCS helps clients save time, reduce costs, optimize resource use, and drive operational efficiencies. Please visit http://www.firstcarbonsolutions.com/solutions/by-focus/cdp to find out more.

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SOURCE FirstCarbon Solutions