Frequently Asked Questions


CDX (Compliance Data Exchange) is:

  • Compliance: CDX enables participating companies to comply with the most well-known global legal requirements and definitions such as REACH (incl. Annex XIV and XVII, REACH SVHC, REACH O5A), EU RoHS (with full support of exceptions), EU POP Regulation, California Proposition 65, TSCA, Batteries, Packaging, ELV / GADSL, HKC, AD-DSL ,CEPA (Schedule 1 Toxic Substances and Chemicals Management Plan - Flame Retardants) and Responsible Material Reporting (Conflict Minerals, as well as Cobalt and Mica).
  • CDX supports IPC-1752A, IPC-1754, IEC62474 which support compliance with many national regulations such as EU RoHS, South Korea RoHS, China RoHS, UAE RoHS and others.
  • Data: CDX can help you efficiently gather, store, and report detailed product content information for use in compliance and material reporting to various government agencies worldwide.
  • Exchange: CDX addresses the data throughout the entire supply chain, not just immediate suppliers and customers. With CDX, information is aggregated through all levels of the supply chain in a comprehensive manner while protecting intellectual property.

CDX is a centrally operated and supported service by DXC technology (DXC) that allows for standardized creation and exchange of Material Data Sheets (product structures, MDSs), as well as Conflict Minerals Declarations (CMDs) and Extended Materials Declarations (EMDs) throughout the supply chain. CDX provides a robust repository employing respected chemical, material, and legislative support agencies to ensure CDX companies have the resources for accurate reporting.
The CDX features a centralized and secure cloud-based application optimized for manufacturers in virtually any industry and requires little or no IT infrastructure to implement as it is accessible by anyone with a link to the public internet.
A user can register for CDX (using a self-service process) and begin reviewing and using some basic features without signing a license contract.
The CDX platform allows companies to promote material compliance and environmental sustainability via the creation, exchange and maintenance of One Level Declaration, Partial Declaration or Full Material Declaration (FMD) Material Data Sheets (MDSs) throughout the entire supply chain.The CDX platform allows companies to promote material compliance and environmental sustainability via the creation, exchange and maintenance of One Level Declaration, Partial Declaration or Full Material Declaration (FMD) Material Data Sheets (MDSs) throughout the entire supply chain.

CDX helps identify what is in your products, how supplied ingredients were produced, and what impact these have upon your business operations.
Toxic heavy metals and other hazardous substances in products come into contact with people during product use, and enter the environment via improperly disposed products, contaminated water, incineration processes, and garbage. These harmful substances are then ingested by humans directly or enter the food chain via absorption in the air, water, minerals, plants and animals. To protect the health of people, the use and disposal of products containing these substances is regulated. In some cases, the use of these substances is restricted, while in other cases there is a complete ban on the use or uncontrolled disposal.
Implementing strategies to reduce, reuse and recycle (RRR) these substances has produced broader visibility into social responsibility concerns pertaining to product manufacture, such as fair labour and responsible material sourcing practices. These social responsibility concerns have spurred additional legislation and new customer reporting obligations.
The most well known environmental and social regulations are listed here. A large and growing quantity of national and international legislation exists, with significant new and revised legislations appearing in many nations several times per year.

  • ELV - The European Union End of Life Vehicle (ELV) directive was the first modern environmental legislation of its kind and was originally aimed at the reduction of heavy metal contamination in waste arising from the repair and disposal of automotive vehicles. The scope has since expanded. ELV is primarily addressed in the International Material Data System (IMDS), which DXC has developed specifically for the Automotive industry. IMDS use is prohibited for most non-Automotive usage and supports only Automotive-relevant legislations, giving rise to the need for CDX.
  • REACH - The European Union Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) is one of the broadest and most complex of the environmental regulations. The scope includes investigation of all chemicals and impacts virtually every industry. The aim is to identify all chemicals in use, ban the use of substances of very high concern (SVHC), and replace SVHCs with technically and economically feasible alternatives.
  • RoHS - The European Union Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive was modelled after ELV and restricts the use of specific hazardous substances in most products containing electrical and electronic components.
  • California Proposition 65 (The Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986) - Leveraging substance lists developed for REACH, this California law prohibits businesses from knowingly discharging listed substances into drinking water sources, or onto land where the substances can pass into drinking water sources. It also prohibits businesses from knowingly exposing individuals to listed substances without providing a clear and reasonable warning.
  • TSCA - The Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 (TSCA) is administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in order to assesses and regulates new and existing chemicals such us asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), certain flame retardants and others, in the prior to entering the United States.
  • Conflict Minerals - Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Act requires companies that use tin, tungsten, tantalum and gold (3TG) in their products or in the production of their products to disclose that information annually with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Non-SEC filers in all regions of the world who are part of the supply chain for these filers are typically required contractually to support their customers. New Conflict Mineral legislations are currently being defined in the EU.
  • Cobalt/Mica - Mica - For years now, human rights advocates and others have documented human rights abuses and violations of international laws concerning mining practices. The importance of responsible sourcing raised an interest to expand the scope of the current 3TG conflict minerals reporting to include Cobalt and Mica. Global demand for cobalt and mica is rising significantly due to the new products introduced to the market. Cobalt is used in lithium-ion batteries for automobiles, smartphones, and electronics, where mica is a group of 37 types of minerals in layered structures and is used in cosmetic or paint applications. While these minerals have many benefits and much value, Cobalt and Mica are at risk of being sourced in conflict areas and their extraction results in health hazards and human rights violations.
  • AD-DSL - A list of product-related substances of concern present in Aerospace and Defence products, which provides the basis for collecting data for various declarations of compliance that have a direct impact on the Aerospace and Defence industry.

Clear identification and reporting of materials used in the supply chain is needed to comply with these legislations. Identification of all substances, and not just those currently legislated, provides a measure of efficiency and protection against future legislative changes and additions. Without standardized, secure processes and independently hosted cloud-based tools it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to exchange defined data throughout a global supply chain. With CDX, you can collect and provide information about the materials contained in your products or used during your production process through the entire supply chain. You can analyse the data in terms of environmental compliance and have complete trust that this data is handled safely and confidentially.
Knowledge of product content and supply chain procurement practices offer business opportunities to develop strategies designed to provide more efficient ways to obtain, manufacture and employ their products and supply chain, thus reducing costs, waste, and risk. A growing number businesses and consumers prefer or choose exclusively to purchase from environmentally friendly and socially responsible product providers.
While the compliance legislations often provide the initial impetus to investigate product and supply chain topics, the collateral benefits often drive investigation into advantages far beyond regulatory compliance.

The CDX Responsible Materials Declaration (RMD) Manager supports the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) and assists you in the data collection process for Conflict Minerals and Extended Materials declarations. It supports and leverages all released versions of the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) reporting templates (CMRT and EMRT) yet provides options for more complete and flexible information gathering.
The CDX Conflict Minerals Declaration (CMD) Manager aggregates internal and multi-tier supplier CMDs to faster and easier meet your due diligence responsibility of downstream entities under the EU Conflict Minerals regulation explicitly specifying any Conflict Afflicted High-Risk Area (CAHRA) and the obligations under the U.S. Dodd-Frank Act Section 1502.
The CDX Extended Materials Declaration (EMD) along with Conflict Minerals Declaration (CMD) will assist you in the declaration process and roll-up of information received from supplier companies, to give you full control over your company's supply chain and to improve company transparency, increase investors and customer interest, and meet the market’s growing Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) expectations.
The CDX RMD Manager also leads the industry in providing the most complete smelter information available. This includes standard smelters, RMI Conflict-Free smelters, those registered in CDX, alleged smelters, and distributors and other facilities.
CDX RMD Manager helps you manage your CMDs and EMDs in a variety of ways depending upon your situation, including importing and exporting the RMI Excel CMRT and EMRT, import and export of IPC-1755 RMI CMRTs, , and sending and receiving CMDs and EMDs to and from other companies registered in the CDX.

With CDX you can send a request for a Material Data Sheet (MDS) or a Responsible Materials Declaration (CMD/EMD) to your suppliers. These companies can be registered in CDX or they can be companies that have not registered in the CDX.
Your supplier can respond to the request by registering in CDX, entering the MDS or CMD/EMD information and sending the MDS or CMD/EMD back to the requesting company. Please note that there is no cost for your supplier to use CDX to create and send an MDS or CMD/EMD to their customers. A CDX license is needed to request and receive MDSs or CMDs/EMDs from suppliers and integrate them into your own MDS or CMD/EMD.
The fact that providers submit their data directly to CDX eliminates the risks associated with electronic mail, makes their information safer and more secure, and ensures that it is not lost.
For material data reporting, import and export in accordance with the IPC1752A standard are also available.
For Responsible Materials Declaration (CMD/EMD), if your supplier does not register in CDX but chooses to send you an Excel CMRT/EMRT, you can easily import the CMRT/EMRT into CDX and assign to your request.
Whether you receive supplier MDS/CMD/EMD information through the CDX system or you have imported your supplier’s CMRT/EMRT, you can then use that supplier information and aggregate it into your own MDS/CMD/EMD. This saves manual effort, time and money while providing a better insight, higher quality data and quicker access to information for compliance reporting. CDX places the responsibility of providing accurate, meaningful material and source information upon the supplier, instead of the customer.

There are many benefits for your suppliers when they use CDX. If creating Material Data Sheets (MDSs) for a product or material, they can create one MDS and use it to respond to requests from multiple customers. In the same way, one Responsible Materials Declaration (CMD/EMD) can be sent to multiple customers (if a customer in CDX). A supplier code can be added to each customer’s response without creating a new MDS or CMD/EMD. CDX also provides active warnings and checking, permitting the supplier to fix issues once rather than addressing them repeatedly for each customer.
If your supplier has customers who are not in CDX, they can export the RMI Excel CMRT/EMRT to send to their customers who are not in CDX. If their import existing CMRT/EMRT into CDX, they only have to import once and then use that imported CMRT/EMRT to respond to multiple customer requests. In order to ensure the best data quality, suppliers can perform CDX system checks and validations before the MDS or CMD/EMD is sent to the customer.
CDX may also be used by your suppliers to send MDS or CMD/EMD requests to their own suppliers to collect the information they need for their own declarations.

If your company is new to CDX, you can navigate to the CDX information page at https://www.cdxsystem.com. From the top right corner of the page, click on the “CDX Login” button. This will take you to the CDX Login page. On the left side, click on “Register your company”. The page will display the registration fields where you need to enter your company information and the Company Administrator information. A Video Tutorial is also available here or on the CDX information page to walk you through how to register your company. Additional information on how to register in CDX can be found in the CDX User Manual, which is also available in the system’s Help menu.
If your company is registered in CDX, you can contact your Company Administrator who will create a CDX User ID for you. If you do not know your Company Administrator, or you do not know if your company is registered in CDX, you can contact the CDX Service Desk at cdx-servicedesk@dxc.com.

Once you have received your ID and password and login in to accept the Terms of Use and change your initial password, you are ready to begin using CDX. At this point, we recommend that you complete the CDX training and/or read the User Manual as the system will not prompt you step by step.
One of your first steps is to notify your suppliers that you are now using CDX and that you expect them to register. With the CDX e-mail process, you can send requests to companies currently not registered in CDX, to ask them for submission of their Material Data Sheets (MDSs) and/or Extended Material Reporting (CMD/EMD). That company will receive an e-mail with the request information, along with an invitation to register in CDX. This allows them to manage their submissions directly within the CDX system.

The company in CDX that created the CDX data remains the owner of the data it created, and only users for that company can view that data (unless your Company Administrator has granted a user from another company “Trust” access). Users of other CDX companies can only view your data if they have received it from your company. The user who receives the data may use the data provided in CDX for the purpose of creating material and substance documentation.
The data provider may indicate that the substance submitted in the CDX as confidential or may use a system wildcard if the substance is highly confidential. When these items are sent to a recipient the confidential information is not disclosed.
Additional information is found in the CDX Terms of Use (ToU) available from the CDX Login page. Before using CDX all users shall accept the CDX ToU.

When your customer has requested, a Material Data Sheet (MDS) or Responsible Material Declaration (CMD/EMD) from your company through CDX, you will receive an e-mail from CDX. If you are already registered in CDX, the e-mail will provide a link to the CDX system and to the Received Requests screen. If you are not registered in CDX, a link is provided to register and activate your company in CDX. Once you have registered and logged into CDX, you will be taken directly to the Received Requests screen and the request will appear on the screen.
You can also view your requests by accessing the CDX Inbox (from the toolbar or from the Functions menu) and selecting either MDS Request or CMD/EMD Request. You can then create your MDS or CMD/EMD in CDX to respond to the request.
Detailed information can be found in the CDX User Manual, which is also available in the system’s Help menu, or on the CDX Tutorials page at https://public.cdxsystem.com/web/cdx/supportive-material.

Once you have successfully registered in CDX system, you may begin entering data for your MDS or CMD/EMD. You can select MDS >> New or CMD/EMD >> New from the Menu or select the “New” button from the Toolbar. You will then be presented with the appropriate screen to begin entering your data.
Detailed information can be found in the CDX User Manual, which is also available in the system’s Help menu, or on the CDX Tutorials page at https://public.cdxsystem.com/web/cdx/supportive-material.

There are three (3) types of User profiles in CDX: Company Administrator, Standard User and Read-Only User.

  • Company Administrator
    Company Administrators have all the privileges to administer the MDSs/CMDs/EMDs, Org Units, Users and contact persons of their own company in CDX. It is the Company Administrator’s responsibility to create User IDs and contact persons, assign users to Org Units, and perform password resets.
    It is strongly recommended that each CDX company have at least of two Company Administrators for backup purposes.
  • Standard User
    Standard Users can create, send or propose MDSs/CMDs/EMDs. Additionally, they can review, accept or reject MDSs/CMDs sent to their company. They can also create MDS/CMD/EMD Requests and respond to incoming requests.
  • Read-Only User
    The Read-only user can view, but not change, MDSs/CMDs/EMDs created by their own company, view published data, and view MDSs/CMDs/EMDs received and accepted by their company.

Additional information about user accounts is found in the CDX User Manual (available in the system’s Help menu).

With CDX you can manage Material Data Information as well as Responsible Materials Information. The user can change the menu view according to their personal needs. If you work only with CMD/EMD, you should setup the “CMD/EMD View”. If your focus is more on MDSs, please use the “MDS View”.
You can change the view from the Administration menu >> Change View or using the Personal settings button in the toolbar.
Additional information is available in the CDX Navigating section of the CDX User Manual (available in the system’s Help menu).

If you have forgotten your ID, you can recover it automatically by clicking on “User ID forgotten” link on the CDX login page in conjunction with your e-mail address.
If you need to reset your password, you can reset it automatically use the “Request new password” link on the CDX Login page in conjunction with your User ID and your e-mail address.
These features operate only if your e-mail address registered in CDX matches your actual current e-mail address, and your ID has not expired.
If your e-mail address has changed or your account has expired, a Company Administrator of your company can update your information. If a Company Administrator is not available, you will need to contact the CDX Service Desk at cdx-servicedesk@dxc.com.