Turkey's Changemakers: Good4Trust Platform

Good4Trust became the eighth Changemaker of the eighth season of the Sabancı Foundation Turkey’s Changemakers Program.

Good4Trust is an online platform that was launched two years ago by Uygar Özesmi and some friends. It aims to create trust among people and foster goodness, while promoting fair and ethical trade. The system has two main components. The first is the producer. Producers are those who adopt a fair and environmentally friendly production method. The second component is the “prosumer.” Prosumers are those who try to use local products and who consciously seek information about where the product comes from and whether or not it’s environmentally friendly. Producers and prosumers meet in the “Çarşı” (bazaar) of Good4Trust for a fair and more livable world.  

Özesmi defines the initiative as follows: “Good4Trust means trust in goodness. The world is experiencing a serious crisis of trust, but we can increase goodness by sharing goodness. We have the opportunity to create an environment of trust with good people.”

In the Good4Trust social initiative, there is also a platform for sharing goodness. You can share a good act you made toward nature, humans or animals, and encourage people to do good as well. Good4Trust combines the concepts of fair trade and goodness, while paving the way for a happier and better living.

Today, thanks to Good4Trust, the prosumer society can reach hundreds of environmentally friendly products. From organic soaps and clothing, to ceramic vases and ash water (replacing detergent), a wide range of products are available for environmentally friendly citizens. 

The Baştürk family is one of the producers in Good4Trust. After having a child, the Baştürk family decided to pursue a healthier living and started searching for organic detergent. When they couldn’t find what they searched for, they started producing organic detergent with the ash from woods they collected from bakeries.

Good4Trust has paved the way for a new economic model in the area of civil society and has opened a space for a healthier and more conscious living. Good4Trust has contributed to the creation of a culture of goodness and respect for the environment and has made a huge difference in the lives of those who produce ecological products and those who support fair and environmentally friendly production that will last for generations.