CDP sent our customer's request to our Indian subsidiary. Should the parent answer instead?

Either can answer. CDP prefers one consolidated response from the parent, which can see every request sent to its subsidiaries and merge them into its own response. Until it merges, the subsidiary can answer by itself. Decide early: merging wipes any answers the subsidiary has entered, and it can no longer respond on its own.

How CDP links the two

• CDP maps parents and subsidiaries using DUNS numbers and Dun & Bradstreet data. If the link is wrong or missing, tell CDP support.
• A requested parent sees its subsidiaries' requests on a Subsidiaries tab in the Portal. It needs at least one active request of its own to see and manage them.
• Requests a subsidiary delegates move up to the ultimate parent, including those of a subsidiary's own subsidiaries.

What merging does

• The subsidiary can no longer respond to those requests itself.
• Anything it already entered is lost. If merged in error, CDP support can recover it.
• If the parent has finished its questionnaire setup, it must re-submit it.
• If the parent has already submitted, it must reopen with 'Edit submission' before merging.

Which way to go

• Parent answers: the group already discloses to CDP, or several customers ask different group companies. One response, one set of numbers.
• Subsidiary answers: the customer buys from the Indian plant and wants its figures, or the parent has no CDP request of its own and cannot see the subsidiary's.
• A parent can choose which subsidiaries to answer for and leave the rest to respond independently.

Before anyone types an answer

1. Agree inside the group who responds, so no one's work is wiped by a merge.
2. If the parent responds, make sure the Indian plant's energy and emissions are inside the consolidated figures.
3. Tell the customer which entity is answering for its request.

What Senseible does here

Senseible builds Scope 1 and 2 for each Indian plant from its own fuel invoices and electricity bills, so the same figures can go into the subsidiary's response or the parent's consolidated one.

• Supplier evidence for buyers
• What to do with a CDP supply chain request
• Two customers, one CDP response

Sources: CDP Help Center, KA-01034: Guidance on requesting parent or subsidiary companies, CDP Help Center, KA-01090: Understanding and managing your requests as a disclosing company

Last reviewed 2026-11-03. CDP updates Portal steps each cycle; check KA-01090 before merging.