Source:pagev.net

Boğaziçi University PLASTICS WORKSHOP Held
Goal: Environmentally Friendly Production, Responsible Consumption, Effective Recycling

Boğaziçi University hosted the workshop titled “Time to Take Action for Turkey’s Plastic Waste: Environmentally Friendly Production, Responsible Consumption, Effective Recycling” on June 8, which has been celebrated as World Oceans Day every year since 1992 by UN resolution.

The day-long program featured international participation with experts highly qualified in their fields. The opening speeches of the workshop were delivered by Prof. Dr. Üstün Ergüder (Honorary President of SDSN Turkey), Etienne Gonin (UNDP Istanbul Regional Office), and Nergis Yazgan (Board Member of WWF Turkey).

In the first session, the WWF Plastic Report was presented by Aslı Durukan Pasinli, General Manager of WWF Turkey. The second session focused on “Plastics – Studies in the Mediterranean Basin and Turkey.” The session was chaired via video by Prof. Fikret Adaman (Boğaziçi University, SDSN Turkey) and Prof. Christina Fossi (University of Siena, SDSN Mediterranean Plastic Hunters). The panel included Prof. Mustafa Yücel (METU Institute of Marine Sciences), Prof. Ahmet Kıdeyş (METU Institute of Marine Sciences), Prof. Nilüfer Oral (Istanbul Bilgi University), and Prof. Levent Kurnaz (Boğaziçi University Climate Center).

The third session, chaired by Yavuz Eroğlu, Chairman of PAGEV, PAGÇEV, and SEM Plastik, focused on “Private Sector Responsibility in Sustainable Plastic Transformation in Turkey and Worldwide.” Panelists included Peter Harpsqe Engel (Danish Return System), Ayça Turgay (P&G), Burcu Coşkun (Coca-Cola), Fatih Hoşoğlu (İSTAÇ), and Gülin Yücel (Sustireo SDG).

The fourth session, held in the afternoon, focused on “Mechanisms for a Smarter, More Innovative, and Sustainable Plastics Industry” and was chaired by Konca Çalkıvık (SKD Turkey). The speakers for this session were Ahmet Varır (Ministry of Environment and Urbanization), Musa Rahmanlar (Ministry of Development), Rıfat Ünal Sayman (REC Turkey), Mete İmer (ÇEVKO), and Leyla Arsan (TACES Plastic Twist Project).

In the final part of the program, the fifth session featured an open forum with Ümit Şahin (IPM Sabancı University) and Ahmet Cihan Kahraman (Marmara Municipalities Union).

The workshop, organized by Boğaziçi University in collaboration with the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network Turkey (UN SDSN Turkey) and WWF Turkey, brought together stakeholders and players from the plastics sector to discuss industry challenges, awareness-raising projects on plastic waste, and the fundamentals of working toward positive change. The workshop opened with speeches by Prof. Dr. Üstün Ergüder, former Rector of Boğaziçi University and Honorary President of SDSN Turkey; Etienne Gonin, Program Analyst at the UNDP Istanbul Regional Office; and Nergis Yazgan, President and CEO of WWF Turkey. Representing the plastics industry, Yavuz Eroğlu, Chairman of PAGEV, PAGÇEV, and SEM Plastik, also participated as a session chair.

The “Time to Act on Turkey’s Plastic Waste: Environmentally Friendly Production, Responsible Consumption, Effective Recycling Workshop” was organized to bring together all stakeholders in the plastics sector and to develop concrete proposals across production, consumption, and recycling stages. Participants included players from the plastics value chain (plastic producers, fast-moving consumer goods manufacturers using plastics, and authorized organizations), representatives from civil society, academia, and the business community. Together, they explored the question: “How can we be smarter, more sustainable, and more efficient while producing, consuming, and recycling plastics?” The workshop addressed industry challenges, awareness-raising projects on plastic waste, and the fundamentals of working toward positive change in collaboration with local and national authorities.

The workshop consisted of five sessions: the WWF Mediterranean Plastics Report; Plastics in the Mediterranean Basin and Studies Conducted in Turkey; Private Sector Responsibility in Plastic Recycling in Turkey and Worldwide; Mechanisms for a Smarter, More Innovative, and Sustainable Plastics Industry; and an Open Forum, featuring distinguished speakers in their respective fields.

During the workshop, Yavuz Eroğlu, Chairman of PAGEV, PAGÇEV, and SEM Plastik, emphasized the significant role of plastics in human life, highlighting their facilitating effects across all aspects of daily living, including health, food, transportation, clothing, construction, infrastructure, and logistics. Eroğlu stated: “Compared to alternatives, plastics in Turkey and globally prove to be indispensable both economically and environmentally. When compared to the materials they replace, their advantages are clear. Approximately 5% of the world’s produced oil is used in plastics. Plastics contribute positively to environmental values, both directly and indirectly. The key issue is the random disposal of plastic into nature, which requires solutions. As plastics manufacturers, we have established our PAGÇEV Recycling Facility, recovering packaging waste back into the economy, under the philosophy of ‘Responsible Industry, Problem-Free Environment.’ Being a responsible industry is essential. No industry ends its responsibility at producing and selling products that make consumers’ lives easier; recycling waste and ensuring its compatibility with the environment is also our duty, which ensures the sustainability of our work. The plastics industry, in this regard, sets an example for other sectors by focusing both on production and environmental values through recycling.”

Ahmet Varır, Head of the Waste Management Department at the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, stated that Turkey generates 31 million tons of municipal waste annually, 10–12% of which consists of plastic waste. He emphasized that deposit systems and other waste prevention plans should be prioritized. Noting that, aside from a few large private companies, no waste prevention plans exist in the private sector, Varır called on private stakeholders to take action. He added that current waste collection activities are neither effective nor sustainable, and that transitioning from a linear economy to a recycling-based circular economy is a necessity for Turkey. Under the Ministry’s “Zero Waste” project, designed to facilitate the separate collection of waste by type, Turkey currently achieves a 15% recycling rate and aims to reach 35% by 2023. Varır noted, “Although these rates are still low, they are already 15 times higher than in the 1990s.”

Musa Rahmanlar, an expert from the Ministry of Development, emphasized that the 12th goal of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda focuses on plastic waste and is interconnected with all other goals. Rahmanlar stated, “Individual efforts are not enough. Societal awareness needs to be raised. Success is only possible when education and proper collection are combined. Only then can recycling and R&D efficiency improve. In Europe and other developed countries, societal awareness about plastic waste and recycling can be effectively created. In our case, we are unable to spread awareness widely. Education and vision are necessary. Until we turn the issues we discuss into concrete actions, we cannot move beyond good intentions.