As part of Turkey’s preparations to host the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31), which began today, November 9, 2026, the Presidency of Communications of the Turkish Presidency, in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, organized an international media program to introduce Turkish environmental and climate policies and sustainability initiatives.
Hot Topics
In Istanbul, the visit led to the "Zero Waste" Foundation to learn about models for reusing waste, including artistic sculptures, small sailboats, and paintings made using plastic, paper, and recycled soft drink containers.
But the transition from the “zero waste” slogan to a truly circular economy does not stop at converting waste into new products. It is also linked to corporate responsibility, the effectiveness of environmental legislation, and the ability of public policies to measure results. These are issues highlighted in the presentation by Chris Mensah, special advisor to the high-level climate champion of COP31, on the role of the private sector in reducing waste and reintegrating used materials into the production cycle.
The same official data indicates that the “zero waste” management system has been implemented in about 217,000 buildings and complexes, while Turkey aims to raise the waste recovery rate to 60% by 2035, and then to 70% by 2053.
These figures reflect the breadth of the Turkish initiative, but they are not sufficient on their own to measure its environmental impact, in terms of reducing waste, emissions and resource consumption.
This is where Chris’s approach becomes particularly important. The challenge is not limited to dealing with waste after it is produced, but also includes reviewing consumption patterns and encouraging reusable alternatives, thereby reducing reliance on single-use products and limiting the flow of waste into collection and treatment systems.
Chris places corporate responsibility at the heart of the debate surrounding the transition to a circular economy. Instead of limiting waste management to collection and disposal, his proposal regarding environmental regulation suggests viewing a portion of industrial waste as a resource that can be used in the production of other materials or products.
Cooperation between companies allows their waste to be converted into usable raw materials, thus reducing waste, provided that there are unified environmental legislations that ensure equal obligations and define the responsibility of producers for their waste.
Tags:
science
