Turkish Plastics Industry Ranks Second in Europe in Production

Turkish Plastic Sector Second in Europe by Production Volume The Turkish plastic sector, the sixth largest producer globally and second largest in Europe, aims to boost annual exports to USD 18 billion with high-value-added products. Yavuz Eroğlu, Chairman of the Turkish Plastics Manufacturers Research, Development and Education Foundation (PAGEV), stated that the global plastic sector is a young one founded in 1950, and that production capacity, which stood at 1.5 million tons in the 1950s, reached 500 million tons by 2022. Emphasizing that plastic is present in every aspect of life and provides comfort to human existence, Eroğlu said: "Turkey is one of the fastest-growing and developing countries in the plastic sector. Today, Turkey has become the world's sixth largest producer. In Europe, Turkey ranks as the second largest producer after Germany. As of this year, we are producing 11 million tons of plastic products." [caption id="attachment_147281" align="aligncenter"] PAGEV Chairman Yavuz Eroğlu Photo: AA[/caption]

Plastic sector holds largest share in chemicals industry

Eroğlu drew attention to the fact that the plastic sector is an important sector for Turkey and offers opportunities for the future. Describing Turkey's progress in plastic production and exports, Eroğlu noted: "Ten to fifteen years ago, Turkey traditionally exported the most textile products. Automotive ranked second and the chemicals sector third. Today, looking at the current situation, the chemicals sector, where plastics has become the largest, most dominant and powerful, has become Turkey's largest exporting sector. Within the chemicals sector, the plastic sector accounts for the largest share at 36 percent. Today we can confidently say that the plastic sector has become one of Turkey's most important export and foreign currency earning items. The initial goal of Turkey's plastic sector is to surpass Germany, which is currently ahead of us, and the secret to this is not merely selling more products by volume. It is not about increasing our volume from 11 million tons to 15-17 million tons; what we truly need to do is increase value-added."  

Plastic sector exports total USD 12 billion

Stating that they have begun construction of Turkey's Plastics Center of Excellence in partnership with the Ministry of Industry and Technology and the Ministry of National Education, Eroğlu concluded as follows: "Our initial objective is to rapidly increase our value-added and produce more sophisticated, specialized products. At our center, we will conduct work related to R&D, innovation, consulting, training and prototype production, as well as international certified certification services, which are important and valuable for Turkey. Let us take this sector, which already holds a very important place in the world for Turkey, to first place in Europe with its added value. Currently, when we look at Turkey's plastic sector exports, it stands at USD 12 billion directly and indirectly. Our first target is to increase this figure to USD 18 billion. We aim to increase value-added and achieve this target."   Source - (AA)