Who gets the credit? (Carbon credit that is)

Time for the beginning of the year update on the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), a non-profit collaborative effort of mega-big companies trying to get a better grip on their carbon/greenhouse gas emissions.

Just as Walmart is requiring its suppliers to supply it with more environmental impact information, the CDP has launched a supply-chain research project to measure the emissions associated with some of the biggest manufacturing concerns in the world.

Each of the participants in the Supply Chain Leadership Collaboration is working with up to 50 of their own suppliers on the pilot project, which is running through the first quarter of this year. Some of the biggest consumer products companies in the world, like Procter & Gamble and Nestle, are participating. From a green tech standpoint, Hewlett-Packard and Dell have stepped forward to be part of this pilot.

To contradict what I said earlier about CDP being about the carbon footprint of big companies, the thing I like about this project is that size doesn't matter (if you pardon the expression). As you reach back into the production chains of these giants, you'll find that key suppliers aren't necessarily huge companies.

The CDP supply chain project will be rolled out formally in May 2008.