How do I answer CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) questions 7.11 and 7.11.1 on how Scope 3 changed from last year?

In 7.11 pick Increased, Decreased, Remained the same overall, first year, or no Scope 3 data. Then 7.11.1 asks per calculated category for direction, one primary reason, the change in tonnes and the percentage change. The number fields take positive values only, so direction goes in its own column.

Question 7.11

• Options: Increased, Decreased, Remained the same overall, This is our first year of reporting, We don't have any Scope 3 emissions data.
• Total Scope 3 here means the sum of the categories reported in 7.8.
• If the total went up because you calculated more categories this year, CDP says to select Increased and explain in the next question.

Question 7.11.1, one row per calculated category

• Only categories marked Relevant, calculated or Not relevant, calculated in 7.8 appear.
• Direction: Increased, Decreased, No change, or First year of reporting this category. For No change, explain why in the Please explain column.
• Primary reason: the factor behind the largest change in that category. The list includes change in output, change in supplier or distributor, change in material efficiency, acquisitions, divestment, change in methodology, change in boundary, unidentified and other.
• Change in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) and percentage change: the change divided by the category's emissions the previous year, times 100. Enter both without a minus sign; the tonnes field accepts 0 to 999,999,999,999 and the percentage field 0 to 999.
• Figures are gross, before any deduction for offset credits, avoided emissions or sequestration (the sequestration and transfer wording is CDP's). The Please explain box takes up to 2,400 characters.

Choosing the primary reason

CDP asks for the single factor that drove most of the change. Adding a category is not on the drop-down list as its own reason. My reading: a category added this year fits First year of reporting this category, and the explanation column is the place to say it was newly calculated. If you cannot tell why a figure moved, CDP offers Unidentified, which is better than a guess.

Example: two categories

• Category 1: 400 tonnes last year, 460 this year. Direction: Increased. Change 60 tonnes, 60 / 400 x 100 = 15%. Primary reason: change in output.
• Category 4: 120 tonnes last year, 108 this year. Direction: Decreased. Change 12 tonnes, 12 / 120 x 100 = 10%. Primary reason: change in supplier or distributor. Type 12 and 10, not -12 and -10.
• Total: 400 + 120 = 520, then 460 + 108 = 568. Answer in 7.11: Increased.

Tonnes are example numbers. The direction is carried by the Direction column, not by a sign.

What Senseible does here

Senseible reads fuel invoices and electricity bills into monthly records, so the litres, kilowatt hours and months are in one place to copy from. It does not enter your answers in the CDP portal, and refrigerant top-ups need your own service records.

• CDP 7.8.1: restating Scope 3
• CDP 7.8: evaluation status options
• CDP 7.10.1: reasons for a Scope 1 and 2 change
• CDP and EcoVadis carbon questions, answered from bills

Sources: CDP, Full Corporate Questionnaire Module 7 reporting guidance (April 2025 edition)

Last reviewed 2026-11-06. Wording is from CDP guidance for its 2025 corporate questionnaire. Check the version your customer sent. The advice on a newly added category is my reading.