Bossa challenges giants in organic textiles
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
GÜLFEM VARLIK
ISTANBUL - Referans
Bossa, one of Turkey's biggest integrated textile enterprises, is becoming more ambitious as the threat of global warming increases the demand for organic and ecological products. Restructuring itself as a nature-friendly company with an investment of 550,000 euros, the firm has become popular with various global brands upon marketing its ecological product group Re.Set, made with ecological paints and less water. Bossa, which allocated 10 percent of its total production to organic products, sold five million meters of organic-based products in less than a year. Working with renowned brands such as H&M, Paige Premium, Calvin Klein, Habitual, Mexx, Next, Debenhams, JC, Kappahl and Nudie Jeans, it is the world's first company capable of transferring a 100-percent herbal painting process into industry, said Dr. Dilek Erik, product manager at Bossa. Carcinogenic materials used in clothes are absorbed by the skin, leading to serious harm in the long run, Erik said. “We want to be a leader in organic denim production,” she added.
“China, which uses neither treatment plants nor health-friendly chemicals during the production process, sells jeans for only YTL 10. This is almost the price of my fabric,” Erik said. Turkey cannot compete with cheap countries, such as India and China, in terms of costs, she added. “However, we can prove ourselves to the world in terms of organic clothing and design.”
Bossa produces in accordance with “Ekoteks,” an international certificate that indicates that textile products do not include harmful chemicals. “Bossa implements the necessary investment particularly when there is demand from Britain and northern Europe for organic products,” Eric said.
The company, which produces three-and-a-half million meters of organic-based products annually, will also include soybean, linen, cannabis, wool and cotton in its product range, said Erik. “We will produce more as demand rises. We'd like to see competition in the market.”
http://turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=103021
Apr 30, 2008
Apr 28, 2008
Green System of Istanbul
http://www.urge-project.ufz.de/istanbul/greensys.htm
outlines for creating a rejuvenated urban green environment in Istanbul
outlines for creating a rejuvenated urban green environment in Istanbul
Apr 21, 2008
Free energy-saving lights bulbs, lignite coal production
Today's Zaman
21.04.2008
Business
Today's Zaman with wires
Gov't to distribute free energy-saving bulbs
The Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources is planning to distribute free energy-saving light bulbs to increase awareness of the importance of energy efficiency, according to Energy Minister Hilmi Güler.
Speaking with Today's Zaman, Güler said the ministry will distribute at least one bulb to each household, with the costs met by corporate sponsorship. Energy Ministry officials have already started negotiations with potential sponsors.
The minister also spoke yesterday at a panel session on Turkey's place in the world mould-processing business, organized as a part of Mould Eurasia 2008 -- the İstanbul mould, mould technologies, side industry and sheet metal fair.
Güler said his ministry is strongly committed to assessing the country's gold resources and seeing it become a major player in the world gold market, noting that Turkey could be the world's second-largest gold producer if it takes the right steps.
"If you are paying enough attention, you will see that nobody is saying a word against the extraction of minerals and other metals, but when it comes to gold, many people send out a flood of criticism," the minister told the audience, recalling the demonstrations to halt gold mining in Turkey.
He quoted the words of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the republic's founder, from an inauguration speech for the opening of the state's Mining Exploration Institute (MTA): "I have founded the MTA to identify the treasures beneath the earth. They will work hard and come out with great surprises." The minister recalled that Atatürk established the MTA in 1935, whereas the infrastructure for gold and oil exploration activities took place two years earlier. "We will go after Turkey's rich gold reserves if we are to follow our founder's blessed deeds," he emphasized, stating his ministry's commitment to finding all minerals and metals in the country.
In addition to gold, they will extract coal, nickel and lead, the minister noted, adding that making İstanbul a regional center for jewelry is also among his ministry's priorities. Güler also noted their intention to assess Turkey's uranium and thorium reserves, which, he said, can be processed into fuels for nuclear energy power plants.
Lignite reserves up by 28 percent
With the Mining Exploration Institute's (MTA) discovery of 2.3 billion tons of new lignite coal reserves, Turkey's current reserves of lignite have increased by 28 percent, growing from 8.3 billion tons to 10.6 billion tons.
Based on the current prices of lignite coal -- between $30 and $100 per ton, depending on the quality -- the newly discovered fields are worth $70 billion and are enough to meet Turkey's lignite coal demand of 60 million tons annually for 38 years.
According to information from the MTA General Directorate, 730 million tons of lignite coal was discovered in the Turkish Electricity Production Company (TEAŞ) fields and 420 tons in the MTA fields in Elbistan. The amount of discovered in MTA fields in Thrace and Turkish Coal Enterprises (TKİ) fields in Soma and Konya's Karapınar region was 510 million tons, 110 million tons and 530 million tons, respectively.
Out of Turkey's total reserves of lignite coal, 80 percent are in the low-calorie category, making them less efficient fuel. The new reserves, which also fall in this category, are still suitable for electricity generation at thermal power plants, according to the MTA.
Mehmet Üzer, the head of the MTA, told the Anatolia news agency yesterday that the institute has been exploring for geothermal sources and coal for the last three years. "Turkey's lignite coal reserves increased for the first time in the last 20 years. We keep working on this and plan to explore fields until 2010. There are locations which we believe to have significant reserves," he added.
21.04.2008
Business
Today's Zaman with wires
Gov't to distribute free energy-saving bulbs
The Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources is planning to distribute free energy-saving light bulbs to increase awareness of the importance of energy efficiency, according to Energy Minister Hilmi Güler.
Speaking with Today's Zaman, Güler said the ministry will distribute at least one bulb to each household, with the costs met by corporate sponsorship. Energy Ministry officials have already started negotiations with potential sponsors.
The minister also spoke yesterday at a panel session on Turkey's place in the world mould-processing business, organized as a part of Mould Eurasia 2008 -- the İstanbul mould, mould technologies, side industry and sheet metal fair.
Güler said his ministry is strongly committed to assessing the country's gold resources and seeing it become a major player in the world gold market, noting that Turkey could be the world's second-largest gold producer if it takes the right steps.
"If you are paying enough attention, you will see that nobody is saying a word against the extraction of minerals and other metals, but when it comes to gold, many people send out a flood of criticism," the minister told the audience, recalling the demonstrations to halt gold mining in Turkey.
He quoted the words of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the republic's founder, from an inauguration speech for the opening of the state's Mining Exploration Institute (MTA): "I have founded the MTA to identify the treasures beneath the earth. They will work hard and come out with great surprises." The minister recalled that Atatürk established the MTA in 1935, whereas the infrastructure for gold and oil exploration activities took place two years earlier. "We will go after Turkey's rich gold reserves if we are to follow our founder's blessed deeds," he emphasized, stating his ministry's commitment to finding all minerals and metals in the country.
In addition to gold, they will extract coal, nickel and lead, the minister noted, adding that making İstanbul a regional center for jewelry is also among his ministry's priorities. Güler also noted their intention to assess Turkey's uranium and thorium reserves, which, he said, can be processed into fuels for nuclear energy power plants.
Lignite reserves up by 28 percent
With the Mining Exploration Institute's (MTA) discovery of 2.3 billion tons of new lignite coal reserves, Turkey's current reserves of lignite have increased by 28 percent, growing from 8.3 billion tons to 10.6 billion tons.
Based on the current prices of lignite coal -- between $30 and $100 per ton, depending on the quality -- the newly discovered fields are worth $70 billion and are enough to meet Turkey's lignite coal demand of 60 million tons annually for 38 years.
According to information from the MTA General Directorate, 730 million tons of lignite coal was discovered in the Turkish Electricity Production Company (TEAŞ) fields and 420 tons in the MTA fields in Elbistan. The amount of discovered in MTA fields in Thrace and Turkish Coal Enterprises (TKİ) fields in Soma and Konya's Karapınar region was 510 million tons, 110 million tons and 530 million tons, respectively.
Out of Turkey's total reserves of lignite coal, 80 percent are in the low-calorie category, making them less efficient fuel. The new reserves, which also fall in this category, are still suitable for electricity generation at thermal power plants, according to the MTA.
Mehmet Üzer, the head of the MTA, told the Anatolia news agency yesterday that the institute has been exploring for geothermal sources and coal for the last three years. "Turkey's lignite coal reserves increased for the first time in the last 20 years. We keep working on this and plan to explore fields until 2010. There are locations which we believe to have significant reserves," he added.
Global Warming, Leather Industry in Turkey
Today's Zaman
17.04.2008
Business
İSMAİL KOCABIYIK
‘Global warming chills leather industry’
As temperatures soar in many parts of the world due to global climate change, the international demand for Turkish leather has recently experienced a dramatic decrease.
Global warming has affected all aspects of our lives, but perhaps one of the most obvious signs of this can be seen in fashion design. As climates get warmer, people prefer lighter clothes, and this is leading to an alarming situation for the leather industry. The Turkish leather industry has been suffering from many problems, including an overvalued YTL, high employment taxes and expensive raw materials, but their biggest enemy is global warming. Turkish Leather Foundation (TÜRDEV) Chairman Mahmut Yeşil emphasizes this fact and explains that some of Turkey's weaknesses have affected the leather industry negatively. Yeşil offers informative commentary about some of the mistakes in policy and practice that are hurting the leather industry and offers solutions to these problems in an interview with Today's Zaman.
How has global warming affected the leather industry and Turkey's exports?
The Turkish leather industry, which is the second biggest in Europe and the fourth largest in the world after Italy, China and India, is one of the sectors that are affected most by global warming. … The leather sector fluctuates with the climate as well as with fashion. In Russia, people mostly buy leather in September and in October, but as the weather gets warmer their need to buy leather decreases. Climate change also affects the kind of products people prefer; for instance, in previous years people used to prefer warmer clothes and furs, but nowadays they prefer lighter apparel.
What is the makeup of exports in the leather business? In which markets are you planning to grow?
Some 28.4 percent of Turkey's total leather exports go to the Russian Federation, whereas Germany follows it with a 10.2 percent share. These are direct sales, but if we count the purchases by Russian visitors in Turkey and the shuttle trade [a kind of business in which individuals travel to Turkey and bring back small numbers of goods to sell in their home countries], the figure jumps to around 70 percent.
The Turkish leather industry was very late in diversifying its products. In the period between 1993 and 1998 the sector experienced a time of high profits, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and grew rapidly. However, market demand has been satisfied since then and, meanwhile, the Russians began to buy products from European countries as their income increased. Global warming and fashion trends adversely affected the profitability of the industry, but none of these negative factors helped the Turkish leather industry lose its fascination with the Russian market, and it failed to keep an eye on alternate markets. It is difficult to understand why we did not try to enter these alternate markets. It is certain that we need to export to alternatives like the US and Japan. Our export volume increases over the years, but there is a negative effect from the overvalued YTL.
The overvalued YTL is a problem and what kind of precautions have you taken to minimize its negative effect?
The overvalued YTL has affected all export industries in Turkey, including the leather industry. The producers export their goods without any profits to avoid losing their markets but, on the other hand, importing is encouraged by these currency rates. The leather industry is a sector that exports 90 percent of its products, which means only a small amount is sold in Turkey. More than half of these sales are done as formal trade, or exports, but an important portion is conducted via shuttle trade and sales to tourists.
Employers have to raise their employees' salaries 10 percent every year. Their employment, energy and waste treatment costs increase every year, but the value of the US dollar decreases by the day, so they encounter many problems. Due to these problems, the companies have continued to export their goods at very cheap prices, and this has led them to lose capital. Many companies have been closed for this reason.
As for currency, most of our imports are purchased in euros, but we sell our goods to Russia for US dollars. As the euro-dollar parity has increased from 1.20 to 1.58, our profits have decreased dramatically.
The reasons behind using euros for import purchases and dollars for export is the fact that there is abundant production, but the markets are already saturated, so they cannot sell their products. Also, the demand for leather has decreased due to changes in fashion and global warming. The rules are set by the purchasers, not by the producers. The insane competition among producers lowers prices and closes factories.
What are the import tendencies in the leather industry? What kind of products are imported most, raw materials or final products?
Turkey's leather exports were $1.03 billion in 2003, whereas it was importing $1.01 billion worth of leather from abroad. As of 2007, these figures rose to $1.24 billion and $1.77 billion, respectively, indicating that imports have risen faster than exports. When we look at the details of this import tendency, we see that the biggest numbers in imports are in shoes and shoe materials. The overvalued YTL raised shoe imports dramatically, especially from Far Eastern countries.
Cattle breeding is vital for the leather industry in terms of raw materials, but Turkey has been unable to develop its cattle breeding business as quickly as its rivals. What kind of precautions must be taken for this?
It is very unfortunate that Turkey, which has traditionally been an agricultural country, imports 70 percent the small-cattle leather it requires.
Turkey neglected agriculture and cattle breeding while it was trying to transform itself into an industrialized country. In fact, Turkey failed in industrializing, especially in the agriculture and cattle breeding businesses and in quality and efficiency.
Turkey, which is one of the few countries on earth that can meet all of its agricultural needs, has gradually become a net importer of agricultural products. While cattle are very cheap at the feeding ground, the meat is very expensive at the butcher. Likewise cereals are very cheap in the fields, but they become very expensive in the markets. This is not a good process.
Exporting livestock and importing meat simultaneously has done great harm to the cattle breeding business in Turkey. Turkey needs to take very aggressive steps in cattle breeding and agriculture, but I do not think we can do this due to the European Union accession and integration process that Turkey is currently undergoing.
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=139261
17.04.2008
Business
İSMAİL KOCABIYIK
‘Global warming chills leather industry’
As temperatures soar in many parts of the world due to global climate change, the international demand for Turkish leather has recently experienced a dramatic decrease.
Global warming has affected all aspects of our lives, but perhaps one of the most obvious signs of this can be seen in fashion design. As climates get warmer, people prefer lighter clothes, and this is leading to an alarming situation for the leather industry. The Turkish leather industry has been suffering from many problems, including an overvalued YTL, high employment taxes and expensive raw materials, but their biggest enemy is global warming. Turkish Leather Foundation (TÜRDEV) Chairman Mahmut Yeşil emphasizes this fact and explains that some of Turkey's weaknesses have affected the leather industry negatively. Yeşil offers informative commentary about some of the mistakes in policy and practice that are hurting the leather industry and offers solutions to these problems in an interview with Today's Zaman.
How has global warming affected the leather industry and Turkey's exports?
The Turkish leather industry, which is the second biggest in Europe and the fourth largest in the world after Italy, China and India, is one of the sectors that are affected most by global warming. … The leather sector fluctuates with the climate as well as with fashion. In Russia, people mostly buy leather in September and in October, but as the weather gets warmer their need to buy leather decreases. Climate change also affects the kind of products people prefer; for instance, in previous years people used to prefer warmer clothes and furs, but nowadays they prefer lighter apparel.
What is the makeup of exports in the leather business? In which markets are you planning to grow?
Some 28.4 percent of Turkey's total leather exports go to the Russian Federation, whereas Germany follows it with a 10.2 percent share. These are direct sales, but if we count the purchases by Russian visitors in Turkey and the shuttle trade [a kind of business in which individuals travel to Turkey and bring back small numbers of goods to sell in their home countries], the figure jumps to around 70 percent.
The Turkish leather industry was very late in diversifying its products. In the period between 1993 and 1998 the sector experienced a time of high profits, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and grew rapidly. However, market demand has been satisfied since then and, meanwhile, the Russians began to buy products from European countries as their income increased. Global warming and fashion trends adversely affected the profitability of the industry, but none of these negative factors helped the Turkish leather industry lose its fascination with the Russian market, and it failed to keep an eye on alternate markets. It is difficult to understand why we did not try to enter these alternate markets. It is certain that we need to export to alternatives like the US and Japan. Our export volume increases over the years, but there is a negative effect from the overvalued YTL.
The overvalued YTL is a problem and what kind of precautions have you taken to minimize its negative effect?
The overvalued YTL has affected all export industries in Turkey, including the leather industry. The producers export their goods without any profits to avoid losing their markets but, on the other hand, importing is encouraged by these currency rates. The leather industry is a sector that exports 90 percent of its products, which means only a small amount is sold in Turkey. More than half of these sales are done as formal trade, or exports, but an important portion is conducted via shuttle trade and sales to tourists.
Employers have to raise their employees' salaries 10 percent every year. Their employment, energy and waste treatment costs increase every year, but the value of the US dollar decreases by the day, so they encounter many problems. Due to these problems, the companies have continued to export their goods at very cheap prices, and this has led them to lose capital. Many companies have been closed for this reason.
As for currency, most of our imports are purchased in euros, but we sell our goods to Russia for US dollars. As the euro-dollar parity has increased from 1.20 to 1.58, our profits have decreased dramatically.
The reasons behind using euros for import purchases and dollars for export is the fact that there is abundant production, but the markets are already saturated, so they cannot sell their products. Also, the demand for leather has decreased due to changes in fashion and global warming. The rules are set by the purchasers, not by the producers. The insane competition among producers lowers prices and closes factories.
What are the import tendencies in the leather industry? What kind of products are imported most, raw materials or final products?
Turkey's leather exports were $1.03 billion in 2003, whereas it was importing $1.01 billion worth of leather from abroad. As of 2007, these figures rose to $1.24 billion and $1.77 billion, respectively, indicating that imports have risen faster than exports. When we look at the details of this import tendency, we see that the biggest numbers in imports are in shoes and shoe materials. The overvalued YTL raised shoe imports dramatically, especially from Far Eastern countries.
Cattle breeding is vital for the leather industry in terms of raw materials, but Turkey has been unable to develop its cattle breeding business as quickly as its rivals. What kind of precautions must be taken for this?
It is very unfortunate that Turkey, which has traditionally been an agricultural country, imports 70 percent the small-cattle leather it requires.
Turkey neglected agriculture and cattle breeding while it was trying to transform itself into an industrialized country. In fact, Turkey failed in industrializing, especially in the agriculture and cattle breeding businesses and in quality and efficiency.
Turkey, which is one of the few countries on earth that can meet all of its agricultural needs, has gradually become a net importer of agricultural products. While cattle are very cheap at the feeding ground, the meat is very expensive at the butcher. Likewise cereals are very cheap in the fields, but they become very expensive in the markets. This is not a good process.
Exporting livestock and importing meat simultaneously has done great harm to the cattle breeding business in Turkey. Turkey needs to take very aggressive steps in cattle breeding and agriculture, but I do not think we can do this due to the European Union accession and integration process that Turkey is currently undergoing.
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=139261
Cities of the Future Will Be Eco-Friendly
Cities of future will be eco-friendly
Saturday, April 5, 2008
ISTANBUL - Turkish Daily News
Building eco-friendly structures is a significant step toward protecting the environment – but it is not enough, according to an architect from Arup, a global firm of designers, engineers, planners and business consultants.
“We should create ecological living spaces which create a balance... are responsive to change by having open spaces, and have an authentic climate, culture, and economy,” David Height told a conference organized by the Building Information Center (YEM) yesterday.
Height said that waste can be used as an energy resource, citing Denmark as an example where energy consumption remained stable despite a notable increase in the standard of living.
“Turkey can also increase the standard of living of its citizens without increasing energy consumption. Ecological cities which have urban and rural linkages should be developed instead,” he said.
“Green buildings, which are built using ecological and natural materials and designed to reduce energy consumption, are increasingly drawing attention from investors and residents around the world,” said Duygu Erten, founder of Turkey's Green Building Council Association.
Erten said there are many licences in different countries for green buildings and that they are working on a certificate for Turkey.
http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=100987
Links to Green Building Council (Turkey)
http://www.worldgbc.org/default.asp?id=172
According to the U.S. Green Building Council, a rating system called LEED should guide environmentally conscious building practices
What is LEED?
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through the creation and implementation of universally understood and accepted tools and performance criteria
http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=222
Saturday, April 5, 2008
ISTANBUL - Turkish Daily News
Building eco-friendly structures is a significant step toward protecting the environment – but it is not enough, according to an architect from Arup, a global firm of designers, engineers, planners and business consultants.
“We should create ecological living spaces which create a balance... are responsive to change by having open spaces, and have an authentic climate, culture, and economy,” David Height told a conference organized by the Building Information Center (YEM) yesterday.
Height said that waste can be used as an energy resource, citing Denmark as an example where energy consumption remained stable despite a notable increase in the standard of living.
“Turkey can also increase the standard of living of its citizens without increasing energy consumption. Ecological cities which have urban and rural linkages should be developed instead,” he said.
“Green buildings, which are built using ecological and natural materials and designed to reduce energy consumption, are increasingly drawing attention from investors and residents around the world,” said Duygu Erten, founder of Turkey's Green Building Council Association.
Erten said there are many licences in different countries for green buildings and that they are working on a certificate for Turkey.
http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=100987
Links to Green Building Council (Turkey)
http://www.worldgbc.org/default.asp?id=172
According to the U.S. Green Building Council, a rating system called LEED should guide environmentally conscious building practices
What is LEED?
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through the creation and implementation of universally understood and accepted tools and performance criteria
http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=222
Green Lifesyle in Turkey
Environmentalists urge Turkey to embrace green lifestyle
Saturday, April 12, 2008
ISTANBUL - Turkish Daily News
It’s time for Turkey to look past the Kyoto protocol and listen to the voice of the market, where rising oil prices mark the dawn of a new environmentally friendly global economy. Experts said Friday that Turkey only stands to gain by adopting a hip greener lifestyle, and the marketing sector can help Turkey's marketing industry can play a key role in capturing the imagination of today's Turks to embrace an environmentally friendly lifestyle and economy, said experts at the Green Marketing conference in Istanbul Friday.
In a globalizing world driven by consumption, the marketing industry has taken heat for the environmental toll of production, as advertising firms have sold the image of the modern consumerist, said John Grant, the conference moderator and author of the Green Marketing Manifesto. “People think marketers are part of the problem because we have in a sense increased a consumerist society,” said Grant. “But they still talk to us because we can make a change as well.”
The head of Germany's Green Party and former Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer called on Turkey to reconsider the model “First try to get rich and then fix the inevitable environmental problems that arise from the process” during his keynote speech at the conference. Globalization is bringing with it an economic revolution shifting consumption from the minority to the majority, where quantity matters, he said. Dealing with the staggering global growth and limited resources is the real green challenge, he said, and climate change is just the “tip of the iceberg.” Mounting food prices and the scarcity of raw materials and energy are post-cold-war realities, and when China's and India's populations catch up financially, the effects on the economy could be devastating.
“I don't know what the world will look like then, without a revolutionary change.” All is not doomsday, however. There is hope. The economies and businesses of the future will have to address this issue and will be forced to work together across borders. “We have a common responsibility to sustain the globe and the environment, and the economies will have a role in that,” said Fischer.
The real question, however, is whether Turkey is ready to start its own “green revolution” and move from rapid development and growth to energy and resource efficiency through a national policy that promotes a more ecological lifestyle. The United States, the biggest CO2 polluter per capita, had had years to enjoy its televisions and cars and was not ready for change, said Grant, a U.K. native. In a sense, he said, no country would be ready until businesses and individuals started talking about it and making changes. “As a human you have to be the change,” he said and cited the example of how Swedish furniture maker and seller IKEA gave a bicycle to each of its 100,000 employees.
Mehmet Sezgin of Garanti Bank, which has launched an environmental campaign through its Bonus Card services, said when it comes to a greener Turkey, there was not much to be hoped for from policy makers. Businessmen and the marketing sector, on the other hand, have the obligation to tell customers how important a greener market is. “Politicians won't make changes. We have to make changes and bring Turkey to Kyoto,” he said criticizing his country's refusal to sign the Kyoto protocol.
Fischer said he understood the reasons why Turkey didn't sign the Kyoto protocol, but he didn't share them. “I think it's short sighted,” he said. In the 1980s when he first joined the Green Party, people would laugh at their claims that environmental change would be a threat to economies. “Today in Germany, the EU and the United States, no one laughs at the ‘Greens' anymore.”
Energy efficiency and prices
The world is producing energy and wasting it, said Fischer. “We are depositing pollution and wasting energy for free into the atmosphere and our rivers,” he said. “We use 35 percent and waste 65 percent. Why? Because it is too cheap,” said the green economist. The reason the United States had failed to come up with energy efficient cars, as opposed to Europeans and the Japanese, was all because of energy prices. In the United States it's cheap. “As a green, I'm not horrified by high energy prices, we need this pressure,” said Fischer.
In Turkey specifically, thanks to its geopolitical position, he said it only made sense for Turkey to become a leader and exporter of alternative energy sources in the region, he said. As oil prices rise, investments in alternative energy will only look better to Turkey.
“I want to see Turkey in the European Union,” said Fischer, “but it has to be a Turkey that fits.” Sustainability might be big in the EU, but Turkey would have to do it by itself in order to compete in a modern and rapidly changing modern world where economic growth will be based on environmental sustainability.
“Turkey would be well advised,” said Fischer. “Your country has undergone great changes, but economic success and sustainability are not economic contradictions, but will be at the core of economic development and modernization.” Demanding the latest in technology to make sustainability a reality is key for Turkey to cope with international pressure in a “post-Kyoto” world, said Fischer.
http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=101614
Green Steps says:
As Turkey's regional economic influence continues to climb, "green" policies in governance and business will play a large part in determining whether the country will join the ranks of other international players in laying the foundation for the next, new paradigm.
Matching "green business" to "green consumption" is a major goal for Turkey. Business leaders and a rapidly enlarging consumer base will realize the benefits of industrial symbiosis in various ways. Foreign multi-nationals, whose own corporate platforms include the "green factor," will reach out to sectors in Turkey with a visible "greening" trend in development. Tourists, who flock to Turkey's resorts and historical hotspots by the millions, will increasingly demand eco-friendly options for their holiday planning. Everything from organic farming, to recycling programs and low-emission public transport will heighten the appeal of Turkey.
Going Green is the new paradigm.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
ISTANBUL - Turkish Daily News
It’s time for Turkey to look past the Kyoto protocol and listen to the voice of the market, where rising oil prices mark the dawn of a new environmentally friendly global economy. Experts said Friday that Turkey only stands to gain by adopting a hip greener lifestyle, and the marketing sector can help Turkey's marketing industry can play a key role in capturing the imagination of today's Turks to embrace an environmentally friendly lifestyle and economy, said experts at the Green Marketing conference in Istanbul Friday.
In a globalizing world driven by consumption, the marketing industry has taken heat for the environmental toll of production, as advertising firms have sold the image of the modern consumerist, said John Grant, the conference moderator and author of the Green Marketing Manifesto. “People think marketers are part of the problem because we have in a sense increased a consumerist society,” said Grant. “But they still talk to us because we can make a change as well.”
The head of Germany's Green Party and former Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer called on Turkey to reconsider the model “First try to get rich and then fix the inevitable environmental problems that arise from the process” during his keynote speech at the conference. Globalization is bringing with it an economic revolution shifting consumption from the minority to the majority, where quantity matters, he said. Dealing with the staggering global growth and limited resources is the real green challenge, he said, and climate change is just the “tip of the iceberg.” Mounting food prices and the scarcity of raw materials and energy are post-cold-war realities, and when China's and India's populations catch up financially, the effects on the economy could be devastating.
“I don't know what the world will look like then, without a revolutionary change.” All is not doomsday, however. There is hope. The economies and businesses of the future will have to address this issue and will be forced to work together across borders. “We have a common responsibility to sustain the globe and the environment, and the economies will have a role in that,” said Fischer.
The real question, however, is whether Turkey is ready to start its own “green revolution” and move from rapid development and growth to energy and resource efficiency through a national policy that promotes a more ecological lifestyle. The United States, the biggest CO2 polluter per capita, had had years to enjoy its televisions and cars and was not ready for change, said Grant, a U.K. native. In a sense, he said, no country would be ready until businesses and individuals started talking about it and making changes. “As a human you have to be the change,” he said and cited the example of how Swedish furniture maker and seller IKEA gave a bicycle to each of its 100,000 employees.
Mehmet Sezgin of Garanti Bank, which has launched an environmental campaign through its Bonus Card services, said when it comes to a greener Turkey, there was not much to be hoped for from policy makers. Businessmen and the marketing sector, on the other hand, have the obligation to tell customers how important a greener market is. “Politicians won't make changes. We have to make changes and bring Turkey to Kyoto,” he said criticizing his country's refusal to sign the Kyoto protocol.
Fischer said he understood the reasons why Turkey didn't sign the Kyoto protocol, but he didn't share them. “I think it's short sighted,” he said. In the 1980s when he first joined the Green Party, people would laugh at their claims that environmental change would be a threat to economies. “Today in Germany, the EU and the United States, no one laughs at the ‘Greens' anymore.”
Energy efficiency and prices
The world is producing energy and wasting it, said Fischer. “We are depositing pollution and wasting energy for free into the atmosphere and our rivers,” he said. “We use 35 percent and waste 65 percent. Why? Because it is too cheap,” said the green economist. The reason the United States had failed to come up with energy efficient cars, as opposed to Europeans and the Japanese, was all because of energy prices. In the United States it's cheap. “As a green, I'm not horrified by high energy prices, we need this pressure,” said Fischer.
In Turkey specifically, thanks to its geopolitical position, he said it only made sense for Turkey to become a leader and exporter of alternative energy sources in the region, he said. As oil prices rise, investments in alternative energy will only look better to Turkey.
“I want to see Turkey in the European Union,” said Fischer, “but it has to be a Turkey that fits.” Sustainability might be big in the EU, but Turkey would have to do it by itself in order to compete in a modern and rapidly changing modern world where economic growth will be based on environmental sustainability.
“Turkey would be well advised,” said Fischer. “Your country has undergone great changes, but economic success and sustainability are not economic contradictions, but will be at the core of economic development and modernization.” Demanding the latest in technology to make sustainability a reality is key for Turkey to cope with international pressure in a “post-Kyoto” world, said Fischer.
http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=101614
Green Steps says:
As Turkey's regional economic influence continues to climb, "green" policies in governance and business will play a large part in determining whether the country will join the ranks of other international players in laying the foundation for the next, new paradigm.
Matching "green business" to "green consumption" is a major goal for Turkey. Business leaders and a rapidly enlarging consumer base will realize the benefits of industrial symbiosis in various ways. Foreign multi-nationals, whose own corporate platforms include the "green factor," will reach out to sectors in Turkey with a visible "greening" trend in development. Tourists, who flock to Turkey's resorts and historical hotspots by the millions, will increasingly demand eco-friendly options for their holiday planning. Everything from organic farming, to recycling programs and low-emission public transport will heighten the appeal of Turkey.
Going Green is the new paradigm.
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