Full Support from ASD to ‘Turkish Environment Agency'

The law on amending certain laws and the foundation of the Turkish Environment Agency was published in the Official Gazette. Mr. Zeki Sarıbekir, President of Turkish Packaging Manufacturers Association (ASD) said, "The bill submitted to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) in October 2020 was accepted and the decision was made to establish the Turkish Environment Agency. This agency will contribute to the prevention of environmental pollution and the protection, improvement and development of green-field. As the Packaging Sector, we believe this development will make serious contribution to our country.”

The Packaging Industry, which exports approximately $5 billion valued packaging and employs more than 100,000 people, provides full support to the Turkish Environment Agency. On October 12^th, 2020, the “Bill on the Foundation of Turkish Environment Agency and Amendment of Certain Laws” and the bill on the foundation of Turkish Environment Agency under the Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning were proposed to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM), whereupon the bill was passed through the commission and submitted to the Plenary. “Law on the Foundation of Turkish Environment Agency and Amendment of Certain Laws” was adopted on December 24^th, 2020 and published on the official gazette numbered 31350 on December 30^th, 2020.

“IT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL APPROACH”

Making evaluations on the matter, Mr. Zeki Sarıbekir, President of ASD said,
“The Turkish Environment Agency will assist in preventing environmental pollution and contributing to the protection, improvement and development of green-field, increasing resource efficiency in line with the circular economy and zero waste approach as well as the establishment, operation, monitoring and supervision of a national deposit management system. I hope it will be beneficial for our sector. We will support this and any similar works. We will continue to work with all our might to take our sector further”.

Murat Kurum, Minister of Environment and Urban Planning, stated on his social media account that the bill containing regulations regarding the environment for a more livable environment was accepted at the Plenary of TBMM and added, “The law containing several items such as the foundation of the Turkish Environment Agency, the popularization of Zero Waste and the promotion of environmentally friendly transportation has been enacted. With the Environment Agency established for the first time in our country, the Deposit-Return System for beverage packaging, which is a widely used and effective tool in waste collection around the world, will be centrally managed and its effectiveness will be increased. The system will contribute to the circular economy and resource efficiency. A large amount of waste will be collected with the Deposit-Return System, which will first be applied to beverage packages that are used extensively and that exceed 20 billion units annually. The system, which will achieve 90 percent recycling in 3-4 years, will prevent the generation of more than 1 million tons of additional waste annually.”

“GREEN DEAL AND THE VISION OF CIRCULAR ECONOMY”

Zeki Sarıbekir, President of ASD, also drew attention to the European Union's Green Deal and Circular Economy vision for a sustainable environment and said, “Countries that make the necessary preparations for a sustainable environment during the pandemic, that is, even during periods of increasing uncertainty and risk, are reinforcing their international credibility. While the whole world is fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, the problem of climate change is increasingly making more impact. The European Union also aims to gradually implement the Green Deal within the framework of its climate-neutral target for 2050. I believe the activities of the Turkish Environment Agency that is planned to be established will contribute to the transition of our industries to a carbon-free economy and will also benefit our activities with Europe.”