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Regime 01 · Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism

CBAM is live. Your 2026 data sets your 2027 bill.

The definitive regime began on 1 January 2026. There is no longer a reporting rehearsal — embedded emissions are now a regulated financial input. The supplier data you secure, or fail to secure, this year determines the certificates you surrender in September 2027. Default values are deliberately punitive; actual verified data is the cost-control lever.

View CBAM toolkits Request the free checklist
1 Jan 2026Definitive regime live
1 Feb 2027Certificate sales open
30 Sep 2027First declaration & surrender
50 t / yrMass-based threshold
from €100Penalty / tCO₂e not surrendered

The compliance clock

Where the regime stands now.

Under the Omnibus Simplification Regulation (EU) 2025/2083, the surrender deadline moved from the originally legislated 31 May to 30 September, and the quarterly minimum holding requirement is 50 per cent of year-to-date embedded emissions from 2027. The cash obligation arrives in 2027 — but the data obligation is already in force.

Oct 2023Transitional periodQuarterly reporting; no financial obligation. Now ended.
Jan 2026 · nowDefinitive regimeAuthorised-declarant status required; verified data collection begins.
31 Mar 2026Authorisation deadlineApply for declarant status to keep importing above 50 t.
1 Feb 2027Certificates openEU central platform begins selling CBAM certificates.
30 Sep 2027First declarationDeclare and surrender for all 2026 imports.
to 2034Full CBAMFree EU ETS allocation phased to zero; full liability bites.

Who this concerns

If you import — or supply — carbon-intensive goods, you are in the net.

EU importers

Authorised declarants for steel, aluminium, cement, fertilisers, hydrogen and electricity above the 50-tonne threshold.

Non-EU exporters

Producers whose installation-level emissions data determines whether their EU customers pay actual or default-value rates.

Procurement & CFOs

Teams that must price embedded-carbon cost into supplier negotiations and budget cycles.

Compliance & legal

Functions accountable for declarant registration, record retention and verification readiness.

The 2026 data trap. Where a supplier cannot provide verified installation data, conservative default values apply — typically well above actual emissions. Every quarter of unstructured supplier engagement now is a quarter of avoidable cost crystallising for the September 2027 surrender.

CBAM instruments

Five ways in, from a free checklist to the full system.

Each is a self-contained compliance asset — authored intelligence, not a blank template. Instant download, transparent sterling pricing.

Lead magnet · Free

CBAM Exposure Checklist

Importers & exporters testing whether they are in scope.

  • In-scope goods & CN-code prompts
  • Reporting-obligation decision tree
  • 10-point readiness self-score
FreePDF
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Forthcoming · Excel

CBAM Data & Evidence Tracker

Importers consolidating supplier emissions data before a full toolkit.

  • Embedded-emissions workbook
  • Supplier evidence register
  • Quarterly reporting calendar
  • Default-value fallback logic
£297Excel + guide
Register interest
Sector dossier

CBAM Steel Compliance Dossier

Steel importers & non-EU steel exporters exposed to the default-value trap.

  • Default-value vs actual-data cost comparison
  • Steel CN-code scope mapping
  • Supplier emissions-data request templates
  • The 2027 liability-clock timeline
£497Sector dossier
Get the dossier
Sector dossier

CBAM Aluminium Sector Dossier

Aluminium importers & producers inside the carbon-border net.

  • Aluminium CN-code scope (unwrought, bars, foil)
  • Embedded-emissions data structure
  • Supplier-engagement pack
  • Quarterly reporting calendar
£497Sector dossier
Get the dossier
Full toolkit

CBAM Compliance & Supplier-Data Toolkit

Importers consolidating embedded-emissions data across multiple suppliers.

  • Embedded-emissions data workbook
  • Supplier evidence register
  • Default-value fallback logic
  • Board briefing & risk register
£697Full toolkit
Buy the toolkit
Most complete

CBAM Compliance Command Pack

Importers & exporters wanting the entire CBAM system in one acquisition.

  • The complete CBAM instrument set, combined
  • Cross-sector scope mapping
  • Full supplier-data collection system
  • Board pack & financial-exposure model
£997Command pack
Get the Command Pack

From toolkit to mandate

Need the numbers interpreted for your board?

A CBAM exposure call translates your import portfolio into a defensible certificate-cost estimate under three EU ETS price scenarios, and tells you where supplier engagement saves the most.