Türkiye’s climate policy crossed a concrete threshold: Climate Law No. 7552 was published in the Official Gazette (No. 32951) on 9 July 2025 and entered into force. The law anchors the 2053 net-zero target in legislation and lays the foundation for the country’s first national carbon pricing instrument — the Emissions Trading System (ETS).
For exporters, this is not an abstract agenda. Europe’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) already turned carbon into a cost line; now emissions become an accounting item domestically too. This guide lays out, plainly, what the law introduces, how the ETS will work, and what manufacturers should start preparing on the data and carbon side today.
What the Climate Law introduced
The law is a framework rather than a single rule. Its key elements:
- The net-zero target moved into law. The 2053 net-zero vision is no longer a statement of intent but a legally defined goal.
- The ETS gained its legal basis. The institutional framework for carbon pricing was set, with operational detail left to secondary legislation (regulation).
- Administrative penalties were defined. Fines are foreseen for unpermitted emissions, breach of obligations, and reporting gaps.
The law itself is in force; the operating rules of the system are taking shape through the draft Türkiye Emissions Trading System Regulation published by the Directorate of Climate Change. The draft was opened for public consultation, and the figures below rest on that draft text — they may change before it is finalised.
How the ETS will work
The ETS runs the “polluter pays” principle through a market. Covered facilities must hold an allowance for every tonne of carbon they emit. Some allowances are handed out for free; the rest are obtained from the market. A facility that emits little can sell its surplus; one that emits a lot buys the shortfall. Cutting emissions thus becomes a direct financial incentive.
According to the draft regulation, the system phases in gradually:
| Period | Years | Free allocation | Emissions coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pilot Period | 2026–2027 | 100% | ~41% |
| 1st Implementation Period | 2028–2035 | Benchmark method | ~47% |
In the pilot period, all allowances are granted for free — so this stage works like a warm-up lap: facilities get used to the discipline of measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) without a direct cost burden. The 1st Implementation Period (2028–2035) splits into two sub-periods (2028–2030 and 2031–2035), with free allocation progressively narrowed so that real cost kicks in.
Who is in scope?
The draft limits coverage to energy-intensive facilities above a certain size. The decisive criterion is a greenhouse-gas emission capacity above 50,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.
In the pilot period, priority goes to sectors that overlap with CBAM:
- Cement
- Iron and steel
- Aluminium
- Fertiliser
- Plus power generation, refining and other high-emission industrial branches
SMEs below the threshold are not direct ETS obligors, but they are not exempt from the effect: when your large customers report the carbon of their supply chains, they will ask you for emission data too. So for the manufacturer “at the edge” of scope, measurement is no longer something to postpone.
Why the CBAM link matters
The two systems are two sides of the same coin. CBAM demands a charge at the border for the embedded carbon of exports to the EU. A carbon price paid inside Türkiye can be deducted from the CBAM obligation — meaning emissions priced domestically are not paid for twice on export. The practical point: a national ETS lets the carbon cost stay in Türkiye rather than going to Brussels.
But this advantage is not automatic. To claim a CBAM reduction, you must be able to document the carbon price paid domestically. And documentation rests on data. We covered the details of the CBAM definitive period in our earlier CBAM definitive period article; the ETS completes the domestic side of that picture.
What should manufacturers do now?
Even though the pilot period is free, entering it unprepared is expensive: post-2028 cost will be shaped by the quality of the data infrastructure you build today. The practical roadmap runs in three steps — the same way our brand works:
- Measure — Define your facility boundaries and calculate emission sources with the GHG Protocol / ISO 14064 method. Collect energy and production data automatically from the field via meters, sensors and machine-to-machine communication (M2M). Hand-kept spreadsheets fall short at the verification stage.
- Transform — Move scattered data into a single source of truth. Bring production, energy and emission data onto one backbone with ERP, IoT and process automation (RPA); automate repetitive reporting.
- Sustain — Make the MRV cycle reproducible from the system: your annual emission report, verification file and CBAM reduction evidence should come out at the press of a button, not become a yearly ordeal.
You can build these three steps with your own team. For most manufacturers, though, the fastest route is to work with a solution partner that sets up the measurement–software–compliance chain on a turnkey basis.
How İkiz Eksen approaches it
İkiz Eksen works exactly at this junction: it measures field data, turns it into value on the digital transition side with ERP/IoT/automation, and builds CBAM and ETS compliance on the green transition side. In other words, it brings the three steps in this article onto a single backbone — what we call twin transition.
Behind us is the experience of the Qera ecosystem: more than 550 customers, over 15 sectors, 100-plus ERP projects and a team of roughly 35 specialists. We run our solutions end to end on Microsoft Azure infrastructure, across Türkiye.
Where and how much the ETS will affect you, and which data you should start collecting now — we can clarify that together. Explore our solution focuses or get in touch directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the ETS start in Türkiye?
According to the draft regulation, the pilot period covers 2026–2027 and the 1st Implementation Period covers 2028–2035. These dates and rates rest on the draft text; confirm the finalised legislation from the Directorate of Climate Change (iklim.gov.tr).
Will my facility pay during the pilot period?
Per the draft, 100% of allowances are allocated for free during the pilot period (2026–2027), so no direct allowance cost is expected at this stage. The real obligation is to set up monitoring–reporting–verification (MRV) processes and measure emissions accurately. Cost pressure rises in the 1st Implementation Period as free allocation narrows.
I’m an SME below the threshold — am I still affected?
Even if you are not a direct ETS obligor, you are indirectly affected through your large customers and your exports to the EU. Supply-chain emissions reporting and CBAM will ask you for data. The SME that builds its measurement infrastructure early gains an edge.
Can the carbon I pay in Türkiye be deducted from CBAM?
In principle, a carbon price paid domestically can be deducted from the CBAM obligation; the aim is to avoid pricing the same emissions twice. But to claim the reduction you must document the amount paid. Confirm current rules from official sources or your advisor.
Can I rely on these figures?
This article is for information purposes. Periods, thresholds and allocation rates rest on the draft regulation and may change before it is finalised. Before any application or compliance decision, always rely on the official sources of the Directorate of Climate Change.