Dear Readers,
As usual, in this issue of ÇEVKO DÖNÜŞÜM, we have included current and important issues under the headings of "Climate Crisis", "Circular Economy", "Responsible Industry and Sustainability", "Green Dot", "Waste Management and Recycling" and "Sustainable Life".
In April, the first Recovery Test and Research Centre (GETAM) of Turkiye was established in co-operation with ÇEVKO Foundation and Yıldız Technical University in Istanbul. Tests and analysis to be carried out at GETAM will be novel ones as "recyclability", "recycle content", "biodegradability". In the transition process to the circular economy and as a result of sustainability concerns, leading economic enterprises all over the world have started to grow interest to determine those properties for their products. We believe that GETAM will contribute to the development of innovative, eco-friendly products, especially by conducting research and development work in recycling, accumulating academic knowledge and meeting the demands of the industry.
The World Environment Day on June 5th, has been celebrated since the United Nations Environment Conference in 1972 with the aim of raising awareness and taking action on environmental protection worldwide. The Environment Day, which has now become a warning to humanity rather than something to celebrate, was a day of attention to the climate crisis and to the other environmental problems this year.
As ÇEVKO Foundation, we have developed a list of recommendations made up of 10 points for combating the climate crisis. We recommend: 1) Determining an “absolute mitigation target” in order Turkiye to reach its 2053 target to become "carbon neutral", 2) Rapid enactment and enforcement of climate laws and regulations, 3) Imposing limits and costs on carbon emissions through an Emission Trading System or similar methods, 4) Gradual phase-out of coal in energy production, 5) Increasing forests and carbon sinks, 6) Increasing energy efficiency and renewable energy, 7) Reducing emissions from the energy, industry, buildings, transportation, agriculture and waste sectors, 8) Making and implementing regional plans on "adaptation", 9) Creating financial resources for all those actions and 10) Creating a national awareness campaign.
Apart from combating the climate crisis, we also develop proposals for environmental problems including many sub-headings such as waste management, water quality, air quality, noise, horizontal legislation, chemicals, etc. For example, waste management has become particularly important in the transition to the circular economy; waste has become a resource that needs to be utilized. As an organisation specialized in this field, we would like to underline that the Extended Producer Responsibility model, which is being implemented as a successful model in the EU for the separate collection and recycling of waste, applied in our country for fifteen years until two years ago, is an efficient and effective method that will bring a solution to our waste problem.
I am pleased to present you this new edition of ÇEVKO DÖNÜŞÜM, and I would like to sincerely thank those who contributed to the preparation of it.
Mete Imer
Secretary General of ÇEVKO Foundation
