---
term: "Catena-X"
aliases: ["Catena-X data space", "Catena-X PCF"]
category: Framework
updated: 2026-09-08
canonical: https://verdatir.com/glossary/catena-x
publisher: Verdatir (https://verdatir.com)
---

# Catena-X

> The automotive industry's open data ecosystem for secure, standardised data exchange along the supply chain, including a rulebook and data model for product carbon footprints and other sustainability data.

Catena-X is a collaborative data ecosystem created by the automotive industry to let manufacturers, suppliers and service providers exchange data across company boundaries while retaining sovereignty over their own data.

## Sustainability use cases

Among its first use cases is the exchange of product carbon footprints along the supply chain. Catena-X defines a PCF rulebook and data model aligned with the PACT Pathfinder Framework, so that a component's footprint can travel from a tier-n supplier to the vehicle manufacturer in a consistent, machine-readable format. Further use cases cover digital product passports, traceability and circularity.

## How exchange works

Participants connect through certified connectors and data-space services that enforce access policies and usage conditions. Data stays with its owner and is shared under agreed terms rather than copied into a central database.

## Why it matters beyond automotive

Catena-X is one of the most developed examples of an industry data space for sustainability data, and its models influence other sectors and the design of digital product passports.

## Where Verdatir fits

Verdatir's framework-alignment layer supports the Catena-X PCF data model alongside PACT, so that supplier data can be validated before it enters the data space and traced after it leaves.

## Sources

- [Catena-X Automotive Network](https://catena-x.net/)