Programmes and initiatives
There are a range of different sustainability programmes and initiatives that companies operating in the automotive sector and supply chain can get involved in.
Automotive programmes
Drive Sustainability
Drive Sustainability is an automotive Partnership between 16 automotive manufacturers, facilitated by CSR Europe. Its mission is to improve the social, ethical, and environmental performance of automotive supply chains, promoting responsible practices in line with global standards. To achieve this, it seeks to set-up and promote the use of common principles, methods and tools in the automotive industry.
Drive Sustainability represents a variety of large automotive companies with global supply chains: BMW Group, Daimler AG, Stellantis, Ford, Honda, Jaguar Land Rover, Scania CV AB, Toyota Motor Europe, Volkswagen Group, Volvo Cars and Volvo Group.
Catena-X
Catena-X is the first open and collaborative data ecosystem designed specifically for the automotive industry. It connects companies of all sizes and enables sovereign, standardized, and secure data exchange across the entire value chain – from OEMs and suppliers to mid-sized companies. The goal of Catena-X is to sustainably enhance transparency, efficiency, and resilience across the industry through shared standards, providing the foundation for innovation, sustainability, and cost savings.
Global Automotive Declarable Substance List (GADSL)
Global Automotive Declarable Substance List (GADSL) is the result of the efforts of a global team from the automotive, automotive parts supplier (tier supplier) and chemical/plastics industries who have organized the Global Automotive Stakeholders Group (GASG). The GASG’s purpose is to facilitate communication and exchange of information regarding the use of certain substances in automotive products throughout the supply chain. Substances listed are – or could be potentially – regulated and restricted. GADSL is intended to communicate the use of these substances in the automotive industry to support government regulations and requests as well as providing guidance on substance restrictions. The GADSL only covers substances that are expected to be present in a material or part that remains in a vehicle at point of sale.
International Material Data System (IMDS)
International Material Data System (IMDS) is the automotive industry’s material data system. Initially, it was a joint development of Audi, BMW, Daimler, DXC, Ford, Opel, Porsche, VW and Volvo. Further manufacturers have meanwhile joined the community and IMDS has become a global standard used by almost all of the global OEMs. In IMDS, all materials used for automobile manufacturing are collected, maintained, analysed and archived. Using the IMDS, it is possible to meet the obligations placed on automobile manufacturers, and thus on their suppliers, by national and international standards, laws and regulations. IMDS is available to anyone in the automotive supply chain who needs to ensure compliance with material regulations or environmental standards – whether it be for product design, production, or recycling.