Within the scope of the "Technical Assistance Project for the Assessment of Türkiye's Potential for Transition to Circular Economy (DEEP Project), "Circular Economy Conference" was held on 18 January 2024 in Ankara to introduce the circular economy concept to broader target groups and to share best practices in the field of circular economy.
Deputy Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Ms. Fatma Varank; Advisor to the Presidency Chief Advisor Ms. Sümeyra Merve Kılınç; Ambassador, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Director for EU Affairs Mr. Mehmet Kemal Bozay; Head of Cooperation, Delegation of the European Union to Türkiye Mr. Odoardo Como; General Manager, Directorate General of EU and Foreign Relations, Ministry of Environment Mr. Hüseyin Bayraktar; General Manager, Directorate General of Environmental Management, Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Mr. Recep Akdeniz attended the conference where important topics of circular economy, especially zero waste were discussed.
Mr. Recep Akdeniz, General Director of Environmental Management, emphasised in his speech that in today's world, where using resources economically is important, transitioning from a linear economy model to a circular economy model has become imperative. Mr. Akdeniz said, "The circular economy is a concept that is gaining importance day by day both in achieving our 2053 climate neutrality target and preserving our limited raw material resources."
Mr. Hüseyin Bayraktar, General Manager, Directorate General of EU and Foreign Relations, gave information about the ongoing projects supported by the EU in Türkiye, particularly waste management facilities. Mr. Bayraktar said, "Our country is a bridge in environmental investments."
Mr. Odoardo Como, Head of Cooperation, Delegation of the European Union to Türkiye, said that circular economy principles will contribute to national income and create 700,000 new jobs. Mr. Como continued his words as follows: "The EU has financially supported Türkiye in this endeavour by allocating more than €1.5 billion in grants since 2002, including investments in the protection of water resources and water supply, protection of water, waste, chemicals, air quality and better management of natural resources".
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Director for EU Affairs Ambassador Mr. Mehmet Kemal Bozay emphasised the importance of raising social awareness and said: "We need to determine today what kind of a future we will leave to new generations. The more we spread our sensitivities, the more we will collaborate."
Deputy Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Ms. Fatma Varank emphasised the importance of disseminating Zero Waste policies initiated in Türkiye under the leadership of First Lady Ms. Emine Erdoğan and its relationship with the principles of circular economy. "As the Ministry, we are working for the efficient use of resources and the utilisation of waste as a resource within the scope of circular economy principles," said Ms. Varank and underlined that the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation, and Climate Change is shaping the National Circular Economy Strategy and Action Plan together with relevant institutions and sector representatives.
During the conference, a short section from Actor and environmental volunteer Mr. Engin Altan Düzyatan's documentary "You Better Notice" was shown. In his speech, Mr. Düzyatan emphasised his sensitivity to the environment as an environmental volunteer.
DEEP Project Team Leader Mr. Mihail Dimovski, in his speech titled "Deep (DEEP) Impact," highlighted that 83 institutions have participated in the ongoing efforts within the project's scope, which started in February 2022. A total of 255 surveys were conducted, and as a result of these studies, Türkiye's circularity rate was determined to be 4.54%. Mr. Dimovski said, "One of the most important outputs of the project is the National Circular Economy Strategy and Action Plan. We expect this to be approved in a short time."
The conference's first session, "Circular Economy - The Backbone of the Green Deal Panel," was chaired by Mr. Recep Akdeniz, Director General of Environmental Management. Ms. Louisa Vinton, Resident Representative of UNDP Türkiye; Ms. Bahar Güçlü, Deputy General Manager, Directorate General for International Agreements and European Union, Ministry of Trade; Mr. Andrea Liverani, Lead Specialist, Sustainable Development, Europe and Central Asia, The World Bank Group and Ms. Konca Çalkıvik, Secretary General of the Business Council for Sustainable Development delivered their speeches.
The second session, titled "Circular Economy Practices," was chaired by Mr. Freek Van Eijk, Co-chair, European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform and CEO, Holland Circular Hotspot. In the panel, Ms. Şule Kılıç, Deputy Head Türkiye, SIG Infra & Energy, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; Mr. Seyit Ardıç, Board Member, The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye; Ms. Sultan Tepe, Board Member, İstanbul Textile and Raw Materials Exporters Association and İstanbul Chamber of Industry and Mr. Taha Uluhan, Founder of Novocycle Technologies delivered their speeches.
The conference ended with a question and answer session after the evaluation made by Ms. Sabriye Ayhan, Head of Circular Economy and Waste Management Department, General Directorate of Environmental Management, Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change.
