Turkey and the Circular Economy
To what degree are we against new economic models that we have started to encounter more frequently, like the New Plastics Economy and the Circular Economy?
Nestle CEO Felix Allemann, whom we have met with recently, had explained what his company would do on a global scale against climate change within the framework of the New Plastics Economy.
One hundred percent of Nestle packages will be reusable or recyclable by 2025.
By 2020, the quantity of packaging will be reduced by 140,000 tons.
The world is almost suffocating in plastic.
Most recently, Japanese scientists have found a plastic bag at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean in the deepest point in the world, known as Marianas Trench.
It is no surprise, as 8 million tons of plastic go to the bottom of the seas and oceans every year.
Unfortunately, only 14 percent of plastic packages can be gathered for recycling.
Plastic packaging worth $80 billion to $120 billion is unaccounted for.
The EU’s Circular Economy package
Therefore, the New Plastics Economy model, an initiative by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, is one of the most important concepts of this century.
The Environment Protection and Packing Waste Recovery and Recycling Foundation (ÇEVKO) is a follower of this model in Turkey. ÇEVKO, which has been around for 27 years, is also a follower of the Circular Economy, which includes the New Plastics Economy.
ÇEVKO Secretary General Mete İmer said they took this concept on their agenda following the European Commission’s “Circular Economy Package,” which was introduced three years ago.
“As part of its continuous effort to transform Europe’s economy into a more sustainable one and to implement the ambitious Circular Economy Action Plan, in January 2018 the European Commission adopted a new set of measures,” says the website of the European Commission about the Circular Economy package.
“Raw materials are decreasing day by day. This is why the Circular Economy is important for the EU as it will enable the use of raw material in its original way,” according to İmer.
The EU imports 14 out of 20 critical raw materials from China.
In other words, it has to find a solution.
The EU will finalize the circular economy package next July according to İmer, who added that the foundation will work on the final version of the package.
He said the ÇEVKO foundation will try to set up an action plan for Turkey, together with NGOs and the public and industrial sector.
If this model is debated in upcoming days, there is no doubt it is thanks to ÇEVKO.
Meanwhile, the foundation contributed 2.6 billion Turkish Liras to the economy in 2017, thanks to the recycling efforts conducted together with industrial and local administrations. The plastic and paper waste we gather at home in blue bags is an initiative of ÇEVKO. If you still don’t have these blue bags, I strongly advise you to get ahold of one if you want to contribute to the recycling of waste.
