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From Waste Management to Climate Law: A New Threshold in Sustainability
01 Jun 2025TIME FOR TRANSFORMATION IN SUSTAINABILITY: Türkiye HAS NO WASTE TO WASTE
Making a statement on World Environment Day, ÇEVKO Foundation Secretary General Mete İmer emphasized that the fight against the climate crisis requires a transformation that has not only environmental but also economic and social dimensions. He stated that the Extended Producer Responsibility (SPP) model should be made operational again, the climate law should be implemented on a participatory and binding basis, science-based practices should be strengthened and young people should be included in decision-making processes. Stating that compliance with the European Union on sustainability is of strategic importance in terms of exports, investment and competitiveness, İmer gave the message: "Türkiye has no time or waste to waste."
Mete İmer, Secretary General of the ÇEVKO Foundation, which brings together voluntary industrial initiatives and non-governmental identities that touch large masses, made evaluations on Turkey's recycling performance, waste management system and harmonization process with the European Union on World Environment Day.
Mete İmer stated that the ÇEVKO Foundation, which was established in Turkey by stakeholders who embrace their responsibilities towards the environment and society and embrace the principles of Extended Producer Responsibility (GÜS), has been continuing its work with an ever-increasing performance momentum for 33 years and said, "For the last eight years, the primary focus and work subjects of our Foundation have been 'transition to circular economy' and 'fighting against the climate crisis'; these issues are of great importance for the present and future of our world. Today, trade is on the world agenda." "There are many threats, from wars to migration movements, from regional conflicts to economic uncertainties. However, the climate crisis is one of the biggest and most urgent threats to humanity, both in terms of its direct relationship with most of these threats and the continuity of its effects. The circular economy is a holistic and comprehensive systemic response to the climate crisis, not only with its environmental but also its social and economic dimensions. Turkey has neither time nor waste to postpone this transformation."
Mete İmer continued his words as follows: "Designing, reusing and recycling products in a way that creates minimum waste has gained priority in the environmental and economic policies of all countries today. In countries with large populations such as Turkey, recyclable waste is also a strategic resource that meets the raw material needs of the industry. It is very important that this resource is met with local resources without import dependency. The first link of this process is that the consumer accumulates his waste separately at the source, and the most critical step that completes this is that municipalities separate these wastes regularly and continuously." We attach importance to the issue of sustainable waste management, which is among the local priorities of contemporary societies, to be at a higher priority on the agenda of our policy makers, public authorities and local governments.”
The Basis for Fighting the Climate Crisis: Participation, Law and System
Mete İmer stated that the fight against the climate crisis, circular economy and sustainable development requires not only technical regulations but also social participation, and drew attention to the importance of the active participation of young people and civil society in the process: "Climate law, GÜS model, scientific data-based evaluation and youth participation in decision-making processes should be considered as a whole. Today, we are faced with the need for a structural transformation not only in the environment, but also in many areas from production to trade, from social equality to public policies," he said.
Climate Law Process: Not Completed Yet
Referring to the developments regarding the climate law, İmer reminded that the bill submitted to the Turkish Grand National Assembly in February 2025 was withdrawn after criticism in April, and said: "The climate law, which is one of the fundamental steps in the fight against the climate crisis, is still in the process of re-evaluation. This process needs to be strengthened not only in its technical but also in its participatory and binding aspects. The law should not only be a regulation, but a framework that supports the transformation of the entire social structure according to sustainability principles."
We Still Cannot Utilize Our Waste Effectively
Mete İmer stated that although Turkey has a serious recycling capacity, a significant part of this capacity works with imported waste. Emphasizing that most of the post-consumer packaging waste generated by households is disposed of in regular landfills, he said, "These wastes are valuable resources both environmentally and economically. The fact that we still bury recyclable waste in the ground leads to both waste of resources and dependence on imports."
The FUS Model Should Be Revitalized
ÇEVKO Foundation Secretary General Mete İmer emphasized that the Extended Producer Responsibility (GÜS) model implemented in Türkiye until 2020 is an efficient financial tool for the separate collection and evaluation of waste at the source and said: "GÜS is a system that enables the producer to take responsibility not only at the production stage but also throughout the entire life cycle of the product. Re-implementation of this model will both support the collection processes of local governments and facilitate Türkiye's compliance with environmental legal regulations and the standards of its commercial partners. As ÇEVKO Foundation, we carry out pilot projects on this subject and contribute to the establishment of traceable, verifiable and transparent structures.”
Packaging and Waste Regulations Sustainability in Trade with the EU is Now a Must
Stating that the new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation and other regulations adopted in the European Union are not only an environmental but also a commercial issue for Turkey, Mete İmer said, "The requirement for recycled content in packaging and restrictions on waste imports increase the need for domestic and sustainable raw materials in production processes. If we do not collect and utilize our own waste effectively, our exports and competitiveness may be damaged. Therefore, circular economy policies need to be implemented quickly and in a holistic manner." spoke.
GETAM for Science-Based Sustainability
Mete İmer, who also emphasized that sustainability-related claims must be verifiable, shared the following information about the Recovery Testing and Research Center (GETAM), which was established in cooperation with the ÇEVKO Foundation and Yıldız Technical University: "GETAM carries out scientific analysis and tests on the recyclability, biodegradability and recycled material content of products. While this infrastructure makes companies' sustainability statements reliable, it also serves as an important tool for the transparency and compliance demanded by global trade." “He sees.”
We care about young people's voices being heard.
Reminding that state representatives and municipalities, as well as non-governmental organizations and young people, participate in the United Nations Conferences of Parties held every year to monitor the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement, ÇEVKO Foundation Secretary General Mete İmer emphasized that this participation should play a structural role, not a symbolic one, and said, "The segment that will be most affected by the climate crisis in the long term is young people. Therefore, it is not only fair but also necessary to take into account the ways of thinking, warnings and solution suggestions of young people. Their voices should not only be heard, but also be included in decision-making mechanisms." "As ÇEVKO Foundation, we have been discussing developments regarding climate change, circular economy and sustainability together with representatives of different sectors in the online conversations we have been organizing for five years. Young Climate Ambassadors of universities also take the floor on behalf of not only the students at their own universities, but also Turkish Youth," he said.
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