Sustainability Report for 2020-21 from EİB

EİB Releases 2020-21 Sustainability Report Ege İhracatçı Birlikleri, which became a member of Global Compact, the world's most important sustainability initiative, in 2019, declared 2020 as "Sustainability Year," and stands among Turkey's leading institutions implementing the most projects in the sustainability field, has shared its "2020-21 Sustainability Report" with the public. Ege İhracatçı Birlikleri Coordinator Chairman Jak Eskinazi recalled that as an institution, they launched an intensive working process on sustainability starting from 2019, which creates a highly important agenda for the future of all sectors. "In this context, as Ege İhracatçı Birlikleri, we declared 2020 as 'Sustainability Year.' To systematize these efforts, ensure integration of sustainability issues with internal processes, and monitor sustainability performance and reporting, we established our Sustainability Committee. Our Sustainability Committee, despite the coronavirus, worked intensively in the digital environment and created the 'Ege İhracatçı Birlikleri Sustainability Manifesto.' Our Manifesto has created the necessary roadmap for our sustainability-related work in the process ahead."

We Are Preparing Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories for Companies Through URGE Projects

Stating that they took active roles by joining national and international networks, Eskinazi announced that in 2019 they became the first Exporters' Association to join Global Compact, the United Nations' largest sustainability initiative. "At the end of 2021, we published the activities we carried out within the first two years of our membership through our Statement of Responsibility Report. We launched a zero-waste project and became the first exporters' association in Turkey to receive a zero-waste certificate. To accelerate our industrial and agricultural sectors' transition to environmentally friendly and low-carbon production models, we support our companies through our URGE projects. Through our URGE projects, we ensure that our companies' activities comply with environmental regulations and we prepare greenhouse gas emission inventories for them," he said. Jak Eskinazi stated, "Our URGE projects focused on sustainability for the ready-made clothing, textiles, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, and food sectors are progressing successfully. Our mining sector has also announced a call to launch a sustainability-focused URGE project. We invite companies in the mining sector to participate in our URGE Project. We send informative newsletters on sustainability to our members in the online environment. To enhance the sustainability competencies of our more than 8,000 member exporting companies, we organize 'EİB Sustainability Days' training programs. In this context, we have started our third-period training program and we observe very high participation in our trainings."

First Sustainability Projects and Training Department Among Exporters' Associations in Turkey

Explaining that they invested in human resources to develop sustainability activities, Eskinazi mentioned employing environmental engineers. "To better prepare our sectors for the responsibilities of the EU Green Deal, we established for the first time among Exporters' Associations in Turkey a Sustainability Projects and Training Department within our Associations. This way, we can focus more on sustainability and coordinate our activities from a single point. We are designing our Sustainability Projects and Training Department as a structure where our companies can obtain information on matters related to their green transition process." Jak Eskinazi stated, "We know that under the European Green Deal, with new practices such as carbon border tax, many of our sectors, particularly steel, chemicals, automotive, and textiles, will be affected in terms of their exports and competitiveness. In this process, we also keep the European Green Deal as a main item on our agenda. Through the activities I have just outlined and with a sustainable export perspective, we are working to contribute to capacity development and competency enhancement of our members."

First Exporters' Association and Professional Organization to Report on Sustainability Activities

Explaining that they compiled all corporate work carried out intensively especially over the last two years into a comprehensive report, Eskinazi continued: "With this report, we transparently share our institution's sustainability activities and performance with all our members and stakeholders. The report contains our Association's sustainability strategy objectives, economic, environmental and social performance, and our contributions to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. On this point, I can say that we are the first exporters' association and professional organization to report on sustainability activities." Jak Eskinazi stated, "In the Corporate Sustainability section of our report, we shared our relationships with stakeholders, our understanding of sustainability, and our priorities in this field within the scope of responsible management principles. In the Environmental Sustainability section, we shared our environmental responsibilities; by providing information on our waste management processes, we calculated and reported our waste quantities for the last two years and our greenhouse gas emissions covering the last three years. Similarly, our water footprint value analyses for the last three years are also included in this report." Eskinazi disclosed that EİB's greenhouse gas emissions consist of fuel consumption of Association vehicles, purchased electricity and fire extinguishers, and aircraft and rental vehicles used for business travel. "We calculated our Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 emissions in accordance with ISO 14064-1 standard. In this section of our report, by including many detailed tables and analyses related to our greenhouse gas emissions, we transparently share our environmental impact with the public. Thus, we became the first exporters' association to report greenhouse gas emissions. In this context, over the 3 years since 2019, in response to a total of 1,990 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, in line with our carbon-neutral target, we commit to planting 4,800 trees by creating an EİB forest."

We Calculated the Carbon and Water Footprint of Our Associations for the First Time

Jak Eskinazi stated that in other sections of the report, EİB's human resources policies, digitalization efforts, awareness-raising and information activities, sustainability projects, sectoral field studies, and activities carried out in collaboration with stakeholders were described in detail. "Looking at the report preparation process, we can say it was exhausting but equally educational for us. After the report emerged, we clearly saw our shortcomings in the sustainability field and the areas where we need to focus more. Through this report, we calculated the carbon and water footprint of our Associations for the first time. In the process ahead, we will publish our sustainability report regularly every year. We will set targets to reduce our waste amount, energy consumption, carbon and water footprint."

Exporting Companies Need to Prepare and Build Infrastructure

  Eskinazi stated, "At this point, I especially want to bring one matter to the attention of our exporting companies. The scope of companies required to report on sustainability is expanding day by day. Particularly, there are steps being taken in this direction in the European Union. Therefore, our exporters need to make preparations and build infrastructure regarding this issue from now on. We hope that our Association's sustainability report will create awareness among our companies and set an example." Emphasizing that they want incentives to be provided in the same way for companies' spending on sustainable production, Eskinazi said: "As EİB, we are working on the 'Announcement of Support for Supporting Exporters' Sustainability Expenses Within the Framework of the EU Green Deal.' There is no sustainability-focused mechanism in state incentives for our exporting companies. In a changing world where global competition is increasing, we know there is a need to support our exporters' sustainability-related expenditures under a separate announcement heading. This way, our companies will improve their ability to save on issues such as water, waste management, and energy, and we will accelerate our transition to a circular economy." Noting that Turkey meets approximately 18% of its energy use from renewable energy, and approaches 50% when hydroelectric is included, Eskinazi said, "Investments related to renewable energy are being planned. Solar energy should be used individually, in factories, in organized zones, and in industrial structures. Turkey will be a green country and we will continue to work for this."

Çiğdem Önsal: EİB Sustainability Report Is an Example and a Fundamental Starting Point for Turkey

  EİB Deputy Secretary General Çiğdem Önsal announced that they commit to developing and preparing the EİB Sustainability Report with the same attention every year. "We created our report to serve as an example for our more than 8,000 members. Our report, which will be a fundamental starting point for our companies that need support and assistance in sustainability, was prepared with our own internal resources with the support of the EİB Sustainability Working Committee and our Sustainability Projects and Training Department. We can also provide support to companies in the process of preparing sustainability reports. As an Exporters' Association, we have signed many firsts in sustainability. Our sustainability-related work will continue."   Explaining that companies entering URGE projects receive sustainability support, Çiğdem Önsal said, "We have 4 URGE Projects. Each has an average of 20-25 companies. Sustainability is on the agenda of all our sectors. We first created awareness, and for the last two or three years we have been trying to put sustainability on our members' agendas through training. Then we went to the field with URGE projects. This way, we want to respond to our companies' needs in the field. We have a clear target ahead like the EU Green Deal. We are trying to bring our companies together with best practice examples."  

EİB Participates in 2022 European Professional Skills Week

  Önsal said that EİB is in close contact with Northern European countries that are at an advanced stage in sustainability and brings their work together with its members.   "At the Ministry of National Education level, the EU Green Deal is being closely monitored. The 2022 European Professional Skills Week will take place on 12-13 May with the theme of Vocational Education and Training and Green Transition. In the Izmir leg on 11 May, under the heading 'Professional Education and Green Deal Plan Towards 2050,' we will conduct a webinar featuring the views of representatives of our priority affected sectors regarding how the EU Green Deal should shape vocational education."