Sustainability Action Plan presented to exporters

The Furniture, Paper and Forest Products Exporters Associations launched its Sustainability Action Plan. The presentation of the plan was delivered by Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Burcu Yavuz Tiftikçigil of Istanbul Kültür University. The Furniture, Paper and Forest Products Exporters Associations presented the Sustainability Action Plan to exporters, serving as a reference source on sustainability matters. At the meeting where Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Burcu Yavuz Tiftikçigil of Istanbul Kültür University delivered the plan's launch presentation, Turkish Exporters Assembly (TİM) Board Chair Mustafa Gültepe and TİM Vice Chair and Furniture, Paper and Forest Products Sector Council Chair Ahmet Güleç also made remarks. The Sustainability Action Plan, to be implemented across a total of 8 areas including Raw Materials, Inputs and Suppliers; Production Process; Sustainable Supply Chain Management (Logistics and Storage); Circularity in Production and Recovery (Waste Management); General Management, Training and Human Resources; Standardization and Certification Practices; Sales, Marketing, Customer Relations and After-Sales Services; and Digitalization, serves as a reference source on how the sectors will be affected by the sustainability concept and what sequence of activities should be envisaged while designing the future within today's framework. The plan was prepared based on outputs from a survey conducted by the Furniture, Paper and Forest Products Exporters Associations on 123 data points, as well as from scanning conferences, company meetings and focus group discussions. The action plan will be updated at regular intervals based on technological advances, increased visibility and awareness of the effects of climate change, and new developments.

Action plans to be monitored and reported via tracking platform

Speaking at the meeting, Turkish Exporters Assembly Board Chair Mustafa Gültepe said, "Our furniture industry becomes the 20th sector of ours to launch an action plan. It is important that our furniture sector's roadmap is ready. Because furniture is among our brand sectors. If we can support this advantage with green transition, we can write a completely different story. Of course, the process does not end with the announcement of the action plan. On the contrary, our actual work starts now. With the monitoring platform we have implemented, we will monitor these action plans and report them on a quarterly basis. We will continue to update you at regular intervals in light of this information," he said. Noting that green transition is vital for humanity, our country, and our exports, Gültepe stated, "The European Union is leading on this matter. Even if we are not an EU member, we must take their targets into account and set our strategy and game plans accordingly. In fact, we must turn green transition into an opportunity for our country and our exports. Because our largest export market is the European Union. To maintain and increase our market power, we have no choice but to adapt our exports to the Green Deal criteria."

The ultimate goal in the Green Deal is 2050

Gültepe drew attention to the fact that the final target in the Green Deal is 2050 and said, "The harmonization process has a timeline and the process is moving fast. In fact, for some of our sectors, the time has come... If we cannot complete the necessary preparations, from 2026 onwards we will have to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in carbon tax every year. However, the resources we would pay as carbon tax could be used to finance the green transition of our sectors. As TİM, we are conducting many activities to properly explain the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism to our exporters. Our IPA 3 projects, our solution partnership in the TÜBİTAK Green Innovation Technology Mentoring Program, our work on financing green transition all serve this purpose. The transformation is a challenging and at the same time very costly process. Especially for SMEs, it is not possible to finance this from their own resources. Our work with Banks and our Ministries on financing continues. Earlier this week, we hosted an evaluation meeting for the Green Deal Alignment Project Support. Our Ministry of Commerce will provide support of up to TRY 10 million over 5 years for technical consultation that our companies will receive. The project implementation details will hopefully be announced in the coming months," he said.

"We want to guide the sector's transformation with 8 headings"

TİM Vice Chair and Furniture, Paper and Forest Products Sector Council Chair Ahmet Güleç noted that the furniture, paper and forest products sector has a direct impact on the environment and plays a very important role in resource management, stating that its relationship with sustainability is at a very high level. Güleç said, "In an age emphasizing growing environmental awareness and responsible business practices, the furniture, paper and forest products industries are positioned at an important point. As the relevant sectors shape the spaces where we live, they also provide materials for a wide range of products. In this direction, we need to align the sector with sustainable development principles and create a harmonious balance between economic growth, social equity and environmental management. With these 8 headings we have identified, we want to guide the transformation in the sector." Emphasizing that the use of reclaimed wood, bamboo and other renewable materials in the furniture sector has become a distinctive feature of sustainable furniture production, Ahmet Güleç explained that companies contribute to reducing furniture waste by adopting designs that prioritize durability and longevity. Drawing attention to the fact that the paper industry is among the sectors facing the challenge of reducing its environmental footprint due to its connection with deforestation and resource-intensive production processes, Güleç said, "In this direction, companies' preference for recycled paper, sustainable pulp supply and energy-efficient production practices will ensure the adoption of a circular economy approach. These steps will not only reduce the sector's impact on forests but also contribute to biodiversity conservation and overall reduction in waste production. For both our sectors, sustainable wood supply for linked timber and other forest resources and responsible forestry practices should be made more efficient with new additional updates," he said. Noting that the Sustainability Action Plan will be implemented across a total of 8 areas, Ahmet Güleç said, "We examined the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals, their 169 sub-headings and 241 indicators, and evaluated the Green Deal and Sustainability Action Plans prepared by the Ministry of Commerce and TİM. We benefited from national and international literature and considered sustainability-related legislation. After reviewing the scanning conferences, focus groups and company meetings conducted within the project scope, relevant reports and action plans, we identified vision, mission, expectations and recommendations, and created 8 sustainability action areas for the Furniture, Paper and Forest Products sector," he said.