Ülker Publishes 2021 Sustainability Report

Ülker has released its 2021 Sustainability Report. Growing without an increase in carbon emissions since 2014, Ülker achieved TRY 7.5 million in savings through energy efficiency projects and TRY 35.8 million through R&D projects in the past year. Ülker also succeeded in reducing plastic use by 268 tons and paper use by 1,194 tons in 2021. Ülker, Turkey's leading food company that pursues sustainability efforts continuously with its "zero-waste company" model, published its Sustainability Report for the seventh time, sharing its economic, social and environmental activities with the public annually.

Ülker CEO Mete Buyurgan, emphasizing that they have completed a successful year in Ülker's sustainability journey, made the following statements:

"At our company, we develop projects on many issues, from water and energy savings to sustainable raw material sourcing, from human resources to production quality. To make these efforts trackable and verifiable within a clear strategy, we base our approach on the United Nations' 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. As is known, in line with our sustainability strategy, we have set 10-year targets under the headings of environment, value chain, innovation, social responsibility, employees and leadership for 2024, which marks Ülker's 80th year. In the sustainability reports we publish each year, we share our progress with the public. Since 2014, we have grown without an increase in carbon emissions. We source raw materials, materials and services at the maximum level from local suppliers. In this way, we both support local development and reduce carbon emissions from logistics. When determining our sustainability projects, water efficiency, prevention of food waste and sustainable raw material sourcing are among our top priorities."

Stating that they aim for all plastic materials used at Ülker in 2025 to be recyclable, reusable or compostable, Buyurgan continued his remarks as follows:

"We achieved our target of 30% water reduction per unit of production set for 2024 in 2018. In 2021, our water reduction rate per unit of production exceeded our target, reaching 38.4%. In the last 5 years, by using approximately 400,000 cubic meters less water, we achieved savings equivalent to the daily water needs of a city with a population of 1.8 million. In 2021, we made approximately TRY 2.6 million in energy efficiency investments. We sourced approximately 37.5% of our electricity consumption from renewable sources. We succeeded in recycling 93.5% of our waste. We reached a rate of converting 99% of raw materials into finished products. Through R&D projects, we achieved TRY 35.8 million in savings. In line with our targets, in 2021 we reduced plastic use in packaging by 268 tons and paper use by 1,194 tons."

26,000 tons of carbon emissions prevented

Stating that they are working to reduce carbon emissions at Ülker, Buyurgan said: "With the I-REC renewable energy certificate we obtained from a power plant producing wind energy certified by I-REC, we prevented 26,321 tons of carbon emissions. This reduction equals approximately 18% of our 2021 carbon emissions. At the same time, through our energy efficiency projects, we achieved 11,921 MWh in energy savings and TRY 7.5 million in financial savings," he said. Noting that seed dissemination work continues on the Aliağa Biscuit Wheat Project, a domestic and national wheat developed in partnership with the Bahri Dağdaş International Agricultural Research Institute, Buyurgan stated: "In 2021, we successfully completed the harvest of seeds sown in 10 provinces. Work continues in the Biscuit Wheat Development Program in cooperation with the Bahri Dağdaş International Agricultural Research Institute to obtain new biscuit wheat varieties," he said.