Awareness Messages at Yaşar Sustainability Day

Sustainable consumption and circular economy discussed at Yaşar Sustainability Day. Yaşar Holding Chief Executive Officer Dr. Mehmet Aktaş: "In our sustainability journey, we walk alongside all stakeholders in our ecosystem. Through the Yaşar Sustainability Day, which we have been organizing for three years, our goal is to bring together thought leaders, civil society organizations and the private sector to develop social awareness and ensure that sustainability is on everyone's agenda, whether institutional or individual." Yaşar Group, which became a voluntary signatory to the UN Global Compact in 2007 and has since shared its sustainability journey and targets with the public through sustainability reports published annually, held the Yaşar Sustainability Day for the third time with the aim of involving all stakeholders in sustainability efforts and creating public awareness within the framework of its sustainability understanding. The event, held online due to the pandemic, addressed sustainable consumption and circular economy during the pandemic period.

The opening speech of the Yaşar Sustainability Day 2020 was delivered by Yaşar Holding Chief Executive Officer Dr. Mehmet Aktaş. In his speech, where Dr. Mehmet Aktaş emphasized that sustainability, which is one of Yaşar Group's priorities, is systematically reflected in all processes and communicated to all employees, he stated: "As Yaşar Group, we have prioritized our work on combating climate crisis, energy and water management, waste management and social contribution under the heading of sustainability.

We have continued our reporting since 2009. In our sustainability journey, we walk alongside all stakeholders in our ecosystem. Through the Yaşar Sustainability Day, which we have been organizing for three years, our goal is to bring together thought leaders, civil society organizations and the private sector to develop social awareness and ensure that sustainability is on everyone's agenda, whether institutional or individual," he noted. Nielsen Turkey Fast-Moving Consumer Goods Consumer Research Director Filiz Öztürk, in her presentation titled "Sustainable Consumption During the Pandemic," stated that quality of life is the most important issue for everyone, that reliable food products with healthy content, which strengthen the immune system and contain natural and organic ingredients, stand out in the fight against the epidemic, and that consumers prefer products made in Turkey and products from companies that show respect for nature in their production. The session moderated by social entrepreneur and founder of Mikado Sustainability Consulting Serra Titiz addressed "Circular Economy." In her opening remarks, Serra Titiz noted that the issue of sustainability has been part of our lives for the last 20 years, and emphasized that circular economy, defined as the evaluation of waste generated as a result of production as input in another production process and the reduction of the burden on the environment created by production, has gained importance in recent years. Uygar Özesmi, founder and instigator of the "Good4Trust.org" platform, which was established for the first time in Turkey and implements production economy in opposition to consumption, participated as a speaker in the Circular Economy session. In his speech, Dr. Özesmi drew attention to the importance of circular economy, noting that the "Good4Trust.org" community, consisting of 17,500 prosumers, deepened inter-business trade and supply networks, increased ecologically and socially fair relations, and represented a circular economy respectful of people and nature, stating: "During the most intense period of the pandemic, sales increased ninefold and exploded.

Now we are talking about production, not consumption. In the production economy, simplicity and balance in shopping, need-based rather than desire-based shopping, and the health of both people and the planet are emphasized. Prosumers prefer companies that consider the interests of people and the world, and support fair and social enterprises in the supply chain," he said.

Berna Aşıroğlu, co-founder of D-Cube circular economy cooperative and another speaker in the session, noted that implementing circular economy only through systems established within one's own business has limited benefits for the world, emphasizing that circular economy needs to be planned at the design stage before products are produced, that it is important to use human and geographical resources correctly and involve all stakeholders in the sector in the process, and in this context, the importance of developing a structure where the product is offered as a service rather than focusing on production and cost through collaboration with civil society as well. The final speaker of the session was Orkun Kaymakçı, R&D, Polymer and Chemical Technologies Team Leader at Arçelik, one of the pioneers of circular economy in the private sector. In his presentation where Orkun Kaymakçı shared examples of circular economy applications at Arçelik, he emphasized that 91 percent of plastic use and waste globally cannot be recycled and that at this rate, there will be more plastic than fish in the seas by 2050. Stating that Arçelik places sustainability at the center of every process from production to marketing, that studies are being conducted in R&D processes on the use of recycled plastic materials without creating changes in the material properties of products, and that second-hand white goods products collected in a recycling factory in addition to the production facility are being recovered, he noted that targets have been set for 2025 and 2030; in 2025, 20 percent of the plastic used in production is targeted to be recycled plastic, and in 2030, 40 percent is targeted to be recycled plastic.