By Abhishek Shetty | Mon Feb 27 2023 | 3 min read

Table of Contents

What Is the IMDS System?

The International Material Data System (IMDS) is the global database used by automotive OEMs and suppliers to report and manage material data across the entire vehicle lifecycle. Originally developed to support the EU End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) Directive, IMDS is now an essential part of compliance for automotive manufacturers worldwide.

Every part used in a vehicle—down to its chemical substances—must be accounted for in IMDS. This ensures recyclability, tracks restricted substances, and enables proactive risk management across the automotive supply chain.

> Note: IMDS reporting is not only expected by EU OEMs but increasingly required by global automakers, including Toyota, GM, BMW, Stellantis, Honda, Ford, and Volkswagen.

What Is GADSL and Why Does It Matter

The Global Automotive Declarable Substance List (GADSL) defines substances that must be declared or are prohibited/restricted in automotive parts. GADSL is maintained by a global consortium of OEMs, suppliers, and industry groups.

  • Declarable substances must be reported in IMDS if present above threshold levels (typically 0.1%).
  • Prohibited or restricted substances must not be used unless exempted or justified.

Many substances on the GADSL are also regulated under:

GADSL updates typically occur annually, but tracking and implementing changes in supplier declarations is a continuous task.

Why IMDS & GADSL Is Critical

The automotive industry faces heightened regulatory scrutiny amid growing environmental and circular economy mandates. IMDS and GADSL help manufacturers ensure:

  • Legal compliance with ELV Directive and similar global rules
  • Safe removal of restricted substances
  • Full traceability of materials for end-of-life recycling
  • Risk mitigation from non-compliant suppliers

What Do You Need for IMDS Compliance?

To submit a valid IMDS declaration, companies must gather and verify:

  • Product BOM (Bill of Materials)
  • Material composition of each part
  • Weight and substance-level breakdown
  • Tree structure format:
    • Component
    • Material
    • Substance

Each part must be mapped down to its raw substance level, and all data submitted via the IMDS platform to the target OEM.

IMDS and the ELV Directive – A Perfect Compliance Match

The IMDS system was created to help automotive OEMs and suppliers comply with the EU End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) Directive (2000/53/EC). This directive requires that vehicles be at least 85% recyclable and 95% recoverable by weight. To meet these requirements, OEMs need full transparency into the material content of every component.

Here’s how IMDS supports ELV compliance:

How IMDS Supports ELV Directive Compliance.PNG

IMDS ensures that every nut, bolt, cable, and solder joint can be assessed for reuse, recycling, or safe disposal—driving true circularity.

IMDS 15 and PCF Reporting: Now Live

IMDS Release 15.0 was implemented on 5–6 July 2025, introducing Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) reporting into the system. The PCF methodology is aligned with the Catena-X PCF Rulebook (Recommendation IMDS 027). Subsequent releases have followed rapidly: IMDS 15.2 went into production on 21 January 2026, introducing changes including the exemption of ceramics and glass (classification 7.2) from Biocidal Products Regulation information, and removing the ability to use a generic "rest" portion for SVHC and GADSL-listed substances. IMDS Release 15.3 went live on 11 May 2026, adding enhanced search and analysis features including a new Chemical Presence Type filter.

IMDS Reporting: Step-by-Step Process for Suppliers

  1. Register with IMDS
    • Get a Company ID via the IMDS portal
    • Assign administrators and data entry users
  2. Collect Material Data
    • Establish a structured BOM (tree format)
    • Verify composition from suppliers
    • Ensure thresholds for declarable substances are not exceeded
  3. Generate Material Datasheets (MDS)
    • Create the IMDS entry using validated data
    • Reference existing MDS or create new ones if needed
  4. Submit and Track
    • Send the IMDS entry to the designated customer or OEM
    • Address rejections or requests for clarification

CAMDS The Chinese Equivalent to IMDS

If you're manufacturing for China, you’ll also need to consider CAMDS (China Automotive Material Data System), developed by CATARC.

CAMDS The Chinese Equivalent to IMDS.PNG

Most global suppliers now maintain dual submissions in IMDS and CAMDS to ensure full global market access.

Top IMDS GADSL Compliance Challenges in 2025

Top IMDS & GADSL Compliance Challenges in 2025.PNG

How Regilient Solves IMDS & GADSL Compliance at Scale

Regilient automates the most painful parts of your compliance process:

  • Supplier collaboration workflows
  • IMDS & CAMDS-ready data formats
  • Built-in GADSL screening engine
  • Auto-validation against ELV and REACH thresholds
  • Version tracking and audit trail
  • Integrated compliance across ELV, REACH, Prop 65, and more

With Regilient, your engineering and compliance teams stay aligned and audit-ready, without chasing suppliers or wrestling with spreadsheets.

Streamline IMDS compliance across your supply chain

Book a free consultation with Regilient to see how our platform automates GADSL screening, supplier data collection, and IMDS/CAMDS integration in one seamless workflow.

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IMDS and GADSL Compliance

What is IMDS and why does the automotive industry rely on it?
The International Material Data System (IMDS) is the global database automotive OEMs and suppliers use to report and manage material data across a vehicle's entire lifecycle. Originally built to support the EU End-of-Life Vehicle Directive, it is now expected by OEMs worldwide, including Toyota, GM, BMW, Stellantis, Honda, Ford, and Volkswagen. Every part in a vehicle, down to its individual chemical substances, must be accounted for in IMDS, enabling recyclability tracking, restricted substance screening, and proactive supply chain risk management.
What is GADSL and how does it relate to IMDS reporting?
GADSL (Global Automotive Declarable Substance List) defines substances that must be declared or are prohibited or restricted in automotive parts Declarable substances must be reported in IMDS when present above threshold levels, typically 0.1% Prohibited or restricted substances cannot be used unless a specific exemption applies GADSL is updated at least once a year, and suppliers must reflect changes in their IMDS declarations promptly GADSL overlaps significantly with REACH SVHCs, RoHS restricted substances, and California Prop 65 chemicals
How does IMDS support EU End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) Directive compliance?
The ELV Directive requires vehicles to be at least 85% recyclable and 95% recoverable by weight, which means OEMs need full transparency into every component's material content to demonstrate compliance. IMDS delivers that transparency by mapping every part, down to individual substances, so recyclability, recoverability, and restricted substance status can all be assessed and documented for each vehicle.
What is the step-by-step process for submitting IMDS data as a supplier?
Suppliers follow four stages to complete a valid IMDS declaration: Register with IMDS and obtain a Company ID, assigning administrators and data entry users Collect material data, building a structured bill of materials in tree format and verifying composition with sub-tier suppliers Generate a Material Datasheet using validated data, referencing an existing MDS or creating a new one where needed Submit the entry to the target customer or OEM and address any rejections or clarification requests that follow
How does CAMDS differ from IMDS for manufacturers selling into China?
IMDS is the globally used material data system, while CAMDS (China Automotive Material Data System), developed by CATARC, is China-specific and serves a similar purpose under different regional regulatory requirements. Most global suppliers now maintain dual submissions in both systems to preserve full market access across regions. The two systems track comparable data but are not interchangeable, so a supplier compliant in IMDS is not automatically compliant in CAMDS without a separate submission.
How does Regilient support IMDS and GADSL compliance for automotive suppliers?
Regilient's agentic sustainability platform automates the most demanding parts of automotive material compliance through: Supplier collaboration workflows built for IMDS and CAMDS-ready data formats A built-in GADSL screening engine with automatic threshold validation Auto-validation against ELV and REACH thresholds simultaneously Version tracking and full audit trail generation Integrated compliance spanning ELV, REACH, RoHS, and Prop 65 within a single supplier data set This keeps engineering and compliance teams aligned and audit-ready without chasing suppliers or managing declarations through spreadsheets.