What are the compliance requirements for CBAM?

Compliance with the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) requires importers to follow a structured set of reporting and carbon-pricing obligations when bringing certain goods into the EU. These requirements ensure that imported products reflect their true carbon footprint and align with the EU’s broader climate objectives.

Under CBAM, importers must first declare the quantity of goods imported and provide detailed information on the embedded greenhouse gas emissions associated with their production. This reporting must follow EU-defined methodologies and often requires emissions data from manufacturing facilities in the country of origin. Where verified data is unavailable, importers may need to rely on EU default values, which can increase the calculated emissions and associated costs.

Once emissions are reported, companies must purchase CBAM certificates that correspond to the embedded emissions of the imported goods. These certificates function similarly to EU ETS allowances and must be surrendered on a regular basis. Failure to purchase or surrender the required certificates can lead to significant financial penalties.

CBAM also requires robust record-keeping, data traceability, and transparent documentation to support audits and regulatory reviews. Companies must maintain detailed records of emissions calculations, certificates purchased, and data received from suppliers. Given the complexity of data collection across global supply chains, establishing reliable digital systems is essential for maintaining compliance and avoiding errors.

How Sustamize simplifies CBAM compliance

Sustamize provides companies with the data and tools needed to meet CBAM requirements efficiently and accurately. Our solutions support:

• high-resolution CO₂e data for embedded emissions calculations,
• automated mapping and calculation via tools like the Matcher and Assembler,
• standardized methodologies aligned with CBAM rules,
• streamlined supplier data collection and integration,
• audit-ready reporting workflows for quarterly declarations.

By centralizing emissions data and automating key steps, sustamize helps businesses reduce administrative burden, improve accuracy, and minimize compliance risks.

Need help managing your CBAM obligations?

Contact our team or request access to sustamize’s carbon data and reporting tools to build a reliable, efficient, and compliant CBAM workflow.