**We Conducted an Interview with Murat Kotevoğlu**

Interview with Murat Kotevoğlu In the interview we conducted, Murat Kotevoğlu, General Manager of Arerko Kimya, answered our questions. Kotevoğlu provided information about the products offered by Arerko Kimya.

Could you briefly tell our readers about yourself, your education and professional background?

I was born in Istanbul and completed my secondary and high school education at Özel Kalamış Koleji, and my university studies in the Chemistry Engineering Department at Istanbul University. My personal interests are philosophy and psychology, reading books and painting. I have worked as a professional manager and consultant in many sectors including construction, plastics, rubber and automotive. I also spent more than five years in the plastics and rubber sector, producing plastic and rubber parts in my own company and providing services to the industrial sector. Throughout my working life, whether in production or sales, I have been committed to ensuring that my work adds value and benefits the national economy. At the beginning of 2021, we decided to partner with Ravago, a world-leading company supplying many raw material groups globally. I continue to serve the sector with the same vision and mission at Arerko Kimya, which is part of the Ravago group and where I am also a managing partner.

Could you provide information about Arerko Kimya's establishment process, investments and current structure?

Arerko Kimya began its commercial operations in 2012 with the import and sales of heat-expanding micro spheres used in the plastics, rubber and textile industries. In subsequent years, by signing partnership agreements with leading companies in its field, we expanded our portfolio to include ingredients for cosmetics, food supplements and animal feed, continuing to serve many sectors. Since our establishment, our primary objective has been to provide solution-oriented, innovative and natural-content products.

What sectors does Arerko Kimya mainly serve and what types of products does it supply? What are Arerko Kimya's products, brands and services?

Arerko Kimya supplies special and value-added raw materials used in cosmetics, food supplements, animal feed and industrial applications. For the cosmetics sector, we supply natural actives, dermo-cosmetic products, emulsifiers, dispersing agents, natural silicone alternatives, preservatives, organic UV filters, esters, essential and fixed oils, polymers and similar products. In this field, we are particularly careful to present product groups that are naturally derived, environmentally conscious and solution-oriented.   In the field of food supplements, we supply phytotherapy extracts, patented products whose effectiveness has been proven through clinical studies, premium fish oils, patented probiotics, vitamins, minerals, enzymes and many other raw material groups. Our aim in this field is to supply natural solutions to many health problems, providing effective and innovative raw materials. For the animal feed sector, we supply commodity products such as amino acids, vitamins, minerals, oils and lecithins, while also offering patented product groups that provide special solutions and have positive effects on animal health and productivity. In the industrial field, special raw materials known as micro spheres and used in many sectors, as well as product groups we have been supplying for many years, are among the product groups we distribute.

Could you tell us about your domestic and international sales activities? Which regions do you mainly serve domestically and internationally, and what types of products do you sell to these regions?

As we are a distributor company, we primarily supply raw materials domestically, but within the framework of our agreements with our partners, we also export to neighbouring countries. While our sales are mainly to the Istanbul region, we supply different raw material groups to many cities including Ankara, Izmir, Konya and Gaziantep. We conduct our operations from our Istanbul headquarters without sub-dealers or distributors.

Could you provide information about Arerko Kimya's environmental policy and sustainability approach?

We follow a sustainable environmental management policy in accordance with relevant environmental standards and regulations. Our priorities are to prevent pollution, minimize waste generation through waste management, create sustainable environmental awareness by providing regular training to all our employees, reduce CO2 emissions from our services and develop sustainable operations.

What types of work do you conduct in the fields of innovation and research and development at Arerko Kimya?

Our primary objective in the sectors we serve is to present innovative and solution-oriented raw materials and formulation examples developed with these products to our customers. To provide this service most effectively, we conduct new formulation development work for the cosmetics sector in our laboratory using raw materials from our partner suppliers, and in this way we present new formulations and product samples to our customers. By closely following trends and the needs of end consumers, we direct our work accordingly and meet customer needs by using innovative active ingredients.

What criteria are prioritised when drawing up Arerko Kimya's investment plans? Does Arerko Kimya have investment plans for the coming periods, and if so, what are they?

When drawing up our investment plans, we closely monitor the economic conditions of a changing world and shape our work according to the needs of the coming years. Our priority is to be beneficial and to present value-added products to the sector. In the coming period, sustainable, environmentally conscious, minimalist, solution-oriented and health-positive content and approaches will be on our agenda.