Chile's Climate Change Framework Law (Law 21,455)

Law 21,455, the Climate Change Framework Law, is the statute that organises Chile's climate policy. It was enacted on 30 May 2022 and published in the Official Gazette on 13 June 2022. Article 1 sets out its purpose: to move towards low-emission development until Chile reaches and maintains greenhouse gas emissions neutrality by 2050, to adapt to climate change by reducing vulnerability and building resilience, and to meet the international commitments Chile has taken on.

For a company, the point is that this law does not stop at principles. It creates binding instruments, distributes responsibilities across ministries and, in article 41, opens the door for greenhouse gas reporting to become an obligation for establishments that already file environmental information.

The mitigation target: neutrality by 2050

Article 4 states the mitigation target in a single sentence: by 2050 at the latest, neutrality of greenhouse gas emissions must be reached. The Ministry of the Environment reviews the target every five years using the instruments created by the law itself.

That target is translated into figures through the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), the instrument Chile uses to communicate its commitments under the Paris Agreement. The NDC update approved in 2025 committed to a national emissions budget not exceeding 480 MtCO2e between 2031 and 2035, with a maximum of 90 MtCO2e in 2035, while keeping neutrality by 2050.

The climate management instruments

Title II of the law sets out the full architecture. It is worth knowing, because every instrument eventually turns into concrete measures aimed at productive sectors.

National instruments

• Long-Term Climate Strategy (ECLP), article 5: sets general guidance over a 30-year horizon. It contains the national emissions budget for 2030 and 2050, the sectoral emissions budgets for 2030, and the removal and storage levels needed to sustain the target.
• Nationally Determined Contribution, article 7: sets the milestones and interim targets for mitigation and adaptation.
• Sectoral Mitigation Plans, article 8: the set of actions needed to stay within each sectoral emissions budget. They are drawn up by the Ministries of Energy, Transport and Telecommunications, Mining, Health, Agriculture, Public Works, and Housing and Urban Planning.
• Sectoral Adaptation Plans, article 9: covering, among other areas, biodiversity and water resources.
• National Climate Change Action Report (RANCC), article 10: tracks progress on the measures.

Regional and local instruments

• Regional Climate Change Action Plans, article 11.
• Municipal Climate Change Action Plans, article 12.
• Strategic Water Resource Plans for River Basins, article 13.

What the law requires of companies

The law is aimed mainly at the State, but four provisions reach the private sector directly.

Article 45 closes the loop: anyone failing to comply with article 41 is sanctioned by the Superintendency of the Environment (SMA) under its organic law.

Article 41 and why it pays to move early

Article 41 is the provision with the greatest potential impact on how a Chilean company manages data, because it turns emissions reporting into an annual filing inside a platform many companies already use for other environmental declarations. Its rollout depends on a regulation: in August 2025 the Council of Ministers for Sustainability and Climate Change approved an update to the RETC regulation that incorporates the reporting of greenhouse gases and short-lived climate forcers, with the intention of channelling it through the HuellaChile platform. Track its progress before you consider your internal calendar settled.

In the meantime, the practical way to be ready is the same one any serious framework demands: an emissions inventory covering scope 1, scope 2 and scope 3, traceable back to the source document.

How it relates to other Chilean rules

Law 21,455 is the umbrella, not the detail. Day to day, a company deals with other rules that carry concrete duties and their own calendars:

• CMF rule NCG 461, which governs the integrated annual report of supervised entities.
• The green tax on stationary sources under article 8 of Law 20,780.
• The EPR Law, Law 20,920, on waste management and extended producer responsibility.

For the full map, read our guide to environmental and sustainability regulation for companies in Chile. For a regional comparison, Mexico's counterpart is the General Climate Change Law.

Frequently asked questions

When did Law 21,455 come into force?

It was published in the Official Gazette on 13 June 2022, after being enacted on 30 May 2022.

What carbon neutrality target does the law set?

Greenhouse gas emissions neutrality by 2050 at the latest, a target the Ministry of the Environment reviews every five years.

Does the law require companies to measure their carbon footprint?

Not as a general rule. Article 41 requires annual emissions reporting from establishments that already file through the RETC Single Window, and leaves the exact scope of sources and emissions to a regulation. The article 30 certification behind HuellaChile is voluntary.

Who enforces it?

The Superintendency of the Environment sanctions failures to report under article 41 and supervises the technical bodies that verify article 30 certifications.

At Manglai we help Chilean companies build an emissions inventory with the traceability that verification and annual reporting demand. Start with our carbon footprint solution.