HuellaChile is the Chilean government's official program to measure, report and manage an organization's greenhouse gas emissions. This guide covers what it requires, how to apply and what changed in 2026. Everything below was checked against the Program's own publications, linked at the end.
Status as of October 9, 2026: the organizational module of the platform is under maintenance. The Program has scheduled its reopening for November 2, 2026. In the meantime you can move ahead with registration, data and verification.
What the HuellaChile Program is
It is run by Chile's Ministry of the Environment and has operated since 2013. Participation is voluntary and creates no binding commitments. It is open to public and private organizations.
The Program provides three things:
- An online calculation tool, hosted in the RETC single-window system (Ventanilla Única).
- Technical support by email, workshops and webinars.
- Recognition seals based on how far the organization has taken its carbon management.
There are modules for organizations, events, products and services, and municipalities. This guide covers the organizational level, which follows the NCh-ISO 14064-1:2019 standard.
Who can take part and what it costs
Any Chilean organization with a legal-entity tax ID (RUT), or one that has registered first-category business activity with the tax authority (SII), can register.
Registration, the platform and the seals are free. What you pay for is third-party verification, which each organization hires from an entity recognized by the Program.
The four seals
| Seal | What it recognizes | What you need first | External verification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quantification (Cuantificación) | You measured your footprint under NCh-ISO 14064-1:2019 | Registration in the Program | Yes |
| Reduction (Reducción) | You cut emissions through projects measured under NCh-ISO 14064-2:2019 | Quantification seal for the same year | Yes |
| Neutralization (Neutralización) | You offset at least your scope 1 and 2 emissions, under NCh 3300 | Quantification and Reduction seals for the same year | Not directly |
| Excellence (Excelencia) | Outstanding management: at least four of seven attributes | Quantification and Reduction seals for the same year | Yes |
The seals do not expire. Each one is tied to the reporting year, and renewing it means repeating the full process every year.
Quantification seal
It comes first and everything else builds on it. The Program asks you to:
- Measure under NCh-ISO 14064-1:2019.
- Include at least direct emissions (scope 1), indirect emissions from imported energy (scope 2) and other indirect emissions (scope 3).
- Submit the quantification report in the Program's format.
- Submit the verification report, prepared under ISO 14064-3:2019.
- Submit the self-declaration of no conflict of interest with the verifier.
Three technical rules worth knowing before you calculate:
- Electricity. The location-based method is mandatory. The market-based method is reported for information only and accepts I-REC and Green-e certificates, or contracts registered in RENOVA or Pulse.
- Spend-based method. Since the May 2026 ruling it is allowed only for purchased goods and services, capital goods, franchises and investments. It is the last resort: supplier-specific data comes first, then physical data with average factors. The choice must be justified.
- Intensity indicator. The declaration relates total emissions to a representative unit, such as floor area, headcount or tonnes produced.
Reduction seal
- Hold the Quantification seal for the same year. You can apply in parallel, but the Reduction seal is not issued until Quantification is approved.
- Measure the reduction at project level, under NCh-ISO 14064-2:2019.
- The project must have operated for at least six months of the year you apply for. Its reductions can be declared for up to five years from implementation.
- No minimum reduction percentage is required.
- Renewable energy certificates do not count as a reduction.
Neutralization seal
- Hold the Quantification and Reduction seals for the same year.
- Neutralize at least scope 1 and 2 emissions. The Program recommends including scope 3.
- Retire carbon credits from Chilean projects, accredited by schemes such as CDM, VCS, Gold Standard or JCM, in a public registry.
- Submit the declaration, the neutralization report and the retirement certificates.
Excellence seal
This is the highest level. Beyond the Quantification and Reduction seals for the same year, the organization must have no lawsuits, convictions, complaints or sanctions on environmental matters, or for gender discrimination against its workers, from the start of the reporting year until 30 days before applying.
It must also demonstrate at least four of these seven attributes:
- Commitment. Formal mitigation or adaptation policies or agreements.
- Cooperation. Actions with two or more external organizations, ideally in the value chain.
- Awareness. Outreach and training on climate change.
- Environmental co-benefits. Lower emissions, resource use or waste.
- Neutralization. Holding the Neutralization seal.
- Continuous improvement. An emissions management system, or progress in programs such as SCAM, ISO 50001 or ISO 14001.
- Gender. Equity policies, the Sello Empresa Mujer or compliance with NCh 3262.
What data to gather before you calculate
Collecting the data takes longer than calculating. This is what to have in hand for the year you will report, January to December.
| Category | What you need | Where it usually lives |
|---|---|---|
| Direct emissions (Scope 1) | Liters or kilograms of diesel, gasoline, LPG and natural gas used in boilers, generators, machinery and your own vehicles. Kilograms and type of refrigerant recharged | Fuel invoices, fleet cards, maintenance reports for cooling equipment |
| Imported energy (Scope 2) | Electricity use in kWh, by month and by supply point | Bills from the distributor, or from your supplier if you are an unregulated customer |
| Transportation | Freight shipped and received through third parties, in tonnes and kilometers. Business travel. Employee commuting | Freight invoices, dispatch documents, travel agency, internal survey |
| Products used by the organization | Goods and services purchased, fixed assets acquired during the year, waste by type and treatment | Purchase ledger, fixed asset register, waste disposal certificates |
| Use of the organization's products | Products sold, their use and their end of life, where applicable | Sales records and technical data sheets |
Before you start, settle these:
- The organizational boundary. Which legal entities, sites and operations are in.
- The reported year. The seal is assigned to that year.
- The evidence. The verifier will ask to see the document behind each figure. Keep each data point next to its invoice or record.
The categories in the table are those of NCh-ISO 14064-1:2019. If you calculate with the GHG Protocol, see how they translate in the GHG Protocol and ISO 14064 guide.
How to apply for the Quantification seal
In February 2026 the Program published a new application flow. It separates three stages that used to run together: self-declaration, verification and the seal application.
- Register your facility. Sign in to portalvu.mma.gob.cl with your RUN and ClaveÚnica and create the facility in Ventanilla Única. The legal representative must approve it. If your organization is already in Ventanilla Única, skip this step.
- Request access to the Carbon Footprint sector system. The facility manager does this, attaching the letter of intent and voluntary commitment. The Program responds in 5 to 7 business days.
- Create your footprint. Use the HuellaChile calculator or upload results from your own. It is saved as a draft.
- Self-declare. This closes the quantification and the footprint can no longer be edited. Self-declaration alone does not grant the seal.
- Send for verification. You choose the verifier in the platform and upload the quantification report.
- The verifier reviews. If there are observations, the footprint becomes editable again and the process resumes from self-declaration. If approved, the verifier attaches the verification report and the footprint is marked as verified.
- Apply for the seal. You validate the declaration and upload the self-declaration of no conflict of interest.
- HuellaChile reviews. The maximum response time is 25 business days. If approved, the footprint is marked as recognized and you receive the diploma and seal by email.
The platform is being updated until November 2026, so some screens may change. The stages are those of the current official guide.
Deadlines and dates
- There is no application deadline. You can apply at any time of year.
- Annual ceremony. It is honorary. Digital recognition is equally valid. The 2026 ceremony covered applications received between September 1, 2025 and July 31, 2026, regardless of reporting year.
- 2027 ceremony. Applications received after July 31, 2026 go to 2027. As of October 9, 2026 the Program has not published that cutoff.
- Maintenance. The organizational module reopens on November 2, 2026, according to the notice of September 29.
Who can verify
Only entities recognized by the Program, under the framework approved by Exempt Resolution No. 6690 of 2025. Each entity is recognized for specific scopes. For an organizational footprint you need a type A entity.
The verifier must be independent of whoever prepared the declaration. A verifier with a current contract with the entity that prepared it has a conflict of interest and cannot verify it.
The official list of verification entities is kept up to date on the Program's site.
What delays an application
These are the causes the Program itself documents:
- The commitment letter is not in the current format. The latest version is from March 2026.
- The organization's or legal representative's details do not match between the letter and Ventanilla Única.
- The letter is not signed by the registered legal representative.
- The footprint is self-declared before data entry is complete. From that point it cannot be edited.
- HuellaChile raises observations on the results or reports. The process then returns to the start and verification is repeated.
- The emails registered in Ventanilla Única are out of date. Every notification goes there.
How to use the seal
The logo can be used on the recognized organization's website and advertising material, with the Program's authorization. It cannot be placed on products, because it recognizes the organization's footprint, not a product's.
How Grumbic handles it
Grumbic calculates your footprint from your invoices and links every figure to the document it came from. The report follows the GHG Protocol and ISO 14064-1, and your verifier can trace each figure back to its source.
See the platform or talk to us.
Sources
Information reviewed on October 9, 2026 on the site of the HuellaChile Program, Ministry of the Environment of Chile.
