Case study Nilfisk

Nilfisk Strengthens Climate Disclosure to Achieve Its First CDP ‘A’ Rating

In Nilfisk, a global leader in professional cleaning equipment, sustainability is seen as part of its commercial value creation. As climate expectations from customers continue to rise, Nilfisk recognizes the importance of ensuring that its climate disclosures fully reflect the progress, ambition, and governance underpinning its sustainability journey.

To strengthen its CDP Climate response, by ensuring that reporting processes are efficient and lean, and to align with evolving best practices, Nilfisk partnered with SE Advisory Services in 2021.

CDP

Improving CDP Disclosure

Nilfisk has already worked with implementing meaningful climate initiatives across its operations, including emissions management, energy efficiency, and governance improvements.

However, translating this progress into a high-scoring CDP submission required:

  • Strong alignment with CDP’s evolving scoring methodology
  • Consistency and clarity across emissions, energy, and climate risk data
  • Structured articulation of climate strategy, governance, and targets
  • Confidence that the final submission reflected best-in-class disclosure expectations

Nilfisk sought a partner that could review its draft response and provide forward-looking guidance to maximise scoring potential and build a repeatable reporting process.

Since 1906, Nilfisk has been on a mission to produce and sell professional cleaning products of the highest quality worldwide. Today, Nilfisk offers an extensive range of premium cleaning solutions and is a trusted aftermarket service provider to both the professional and consumer markets.
A global company operating in more than 40 countries, Nilfisk employs approximately 4,700 people, with products sold in over 100 countries. Sustainability is embedded as a core pillar of the business, with a strong commitment to decarbonizing operations across Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions to lead the industry in sustainable cleaning products.

Partnering with Schneider Electric on CDP has helped us steadily improve both our climate reporting processes and results. Together we have ensured a lean submission process while documenting progress. The CDP Climate ‘A’ rating is an important milestone for Nilfisk to reach, reflecting our commitment to sustainable business

Malene Thiele, VP Global ESG & Sustainability, Nilfisk

Our Approach

As a Gold CDP Accredited Provider, SE Advisory Services supported Nilfisk through a comprehensive CDP Supported Review covering Climate Change and Water Security.

The engagement followed a structured, multi-stage approach:

Identify

  • Reviewed Nilfisk’s previous CDP responses, scorecards
  • Conducted a detailed gap analysis based on CDP’s scoring methodology
  • Identified priority focus areas to improve both information quality and score

Prioritise & Map

  • Provided forecasted scores and recommendations for improvement
  • Worked closely with Nilfisk’s teams to refine climate governance, and risk narratives
  • Held regular working sessions to review progress and address open questions

Report

  • Reviewed drafts and provided targeted recommendations ahead of submission
  • Overlooked final submission in CDP’s reporting platform
  • Delivered a final gap analysis and estimated score

CDP Accredited Provider Gold 2026

The result

  • Nilfisk achieved its first-ever CDP Climate ‘A’ rating for 2025, a significant milestone in its sustainability journey.
    Beyond the score itself, the engagement delivered and created lasting value:
  • Improved transparency and confidence in climate disclosures
  • Clearer alignment between climate strategy, governance, and disclosures
  • A scalable foundation for future CDP submissions and broader sustainability reporting
  • Nilfisk is recognised among global climate leaders for its commitment to transparency, ambition, and continuous improvement.

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