Circular economy is a new way of looking at the relations between markets, customers and natural resources. Its purpose is to change the existing economic model, which is based on the approach of “take, make, and dispose”, and it utilizes the power of innovative business models and technology.
Sustainable industry, on the other hand, means that companies that make production turn sustainability into a adopted strategy throughout the production and consumption processes.
Although circular economy is a relatively new topic, hundreds of companies in the world and in our country develop business models and services that are compatible with the circular economy. In the book Waste to Wealth, which is brought into Turkish, the studies that provide resource efficiency with innovative methods are grouped under five basic circular business models. These circular economy business models,
Turkey's Circular Economy Platform Turkey Materials Marketplace is an open, digital marketplace, aimed to use secondary raw materials of the material from one industry to another industry.
American Society of Business World and Sustainable Development (US BCSD) developed by the World Economic Forum in 2016. The Circulars award-winner circular economy platform TMM is run by BCSD Turkey in Turkey. The project is funded under the “Near Zero Waste” program, which supports the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) waste reduction projects. TMM, which is a digital platform that enables the exchange of materials between the industries, makes a significant contribution to the circular economy with the new-business-to-business ’model that has been created by radically changing traditional recycling models, waste management systems and even the concept of‘ waste ‘. Until July 2019, more than € 350,000 was granted to TMM members' circular economy projects. Today TMM is having member of over 80, containing materials over 100 systems TMM Platform, sector-based perform the activities and the meetings interaction organized 2 times a year, being more than an online platform but largest network feeding the circular economy ecosystem and stakeholders in Turkey.
Not to fall behind in the transition to a circular economy and to create economic value from your waste, you can sign up for free to Turkey's Circular Economy Platform.
DO! Project is launched in 2015, and it aims at promoting savings in work places by creating “Sensitive People”. The savings can cover various materials and energy, such as electricity, water, fuel and paper. The Project is open for members of BCSD Turkey as well as non-members. The second version of the project is more comprehensive, covering measurement, assessment and reporting, and it is put into practice in 2017.
The Innovative Sustainability Solutions Contest is launched in 2013, and it is organized biennially. The contest rewards valuable sustainability solutions. This event’s purpose is to emphasize the importance of innovation for industry, and to highlight good practices and make them widespread. The jury of the contest consists of stakeholders who are experts in public or private sectors, NGOs, academia or media. As a result of the assessment made by the jury, awards are granted in “Environmental”, “Social” and “Economic” Innovative Solutions branches in “Large Company” and “SME” categories.
Published by Accenture Strategy, Waste to Wealth is a book that aims at transforming circular economy into practical and implementable business models, instead of remaining as an abstract concept. The book is prepared by Accenture after analysis of more than 120 companies, and it explains 5 main circular economy business models, which are determined to ensure resource efficiency through innovative methods. This book is translated into Turkish by BCSD Turkey
Guide on Eco-Labels for Sustainability: It is one of BCSD Turkey’s objectives to strengthen consumer awareness in order to promote a sustainable industry. With this objective in mind, the Council analyzed various sources, and prepared this guide. Eco-labeling systems developed as a result of the domestic and international circulation of products and services at an unprecedented pace. So these systems provide opportunities to all companies in Turkey, and primarily to exporting companies, in terms of risk management and new markets. Turkey’s target is become one of the top 10 economies of the world, reaching an export volume of 500 billion USD. As BCSD Turkey, we believe that Eco-Labeling Systems constitute one of the strategic phases for Turkey to create an environmentally-conscious and socially-sensitive industry infrastructure and sustainable products and services. In this guide, you can find information about the basic terms related with eco-labeling systems, the reasons why it is important for your entity, and different eco-labels, which prevail in 14 sectors and different export regions. It also contains short definitions of more than 300 eco-labels. This guide is an important source, prepared with the purposes of raising awareness about eco-labels, and enhancing knowledge accumulation.