OMM Redaksiyası
Turkish first lady Emine Erdoğan has called for a shift away from a “throwaway culture” based on single-use products toward sustainable consumption centred on durable, long-lasting goods.
Erdoğan, the wife of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and chair of the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board of Eminent Persons on Zero Waste, made the remarks at the International Energy Agency’s High-Level Energy Transition Dialogue at the UN headquarters, according to the Anadolu Agency.
She said record temperatures, heat waves, wildfires, floods and severe storms had become increasingly common, linking the trend to rising energy demand, consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
Emine Erdoğan calls for action on waste
“We should not limit the issue of energy transition solely to the question: How can we produce more clean energy?” she said. “We should first approach the issue by asking: Why do we have to produce more energy?”
Erdoğan said lasting solutions required tackling the root causes of waste. Energy, natural resources and human labour are embedded in products that are eventually discarded, she noted.
As an example, she cited global food waste, saying food equivalent to 5.8 trillion plates is wasted each year. The energy used to produce, package, prepare, preserve and distribute that food is also lost, she added.
“Our primary concern should be to move away from a throwaway culture shaped around single-use products,” Erdoğan said. “For the well-being of us all and for intergenerational justice, we must transition to a culture of sustainability shaped around long-lasting and durable products.”
Türkiye highlights zero-waste and renewable energy plans
Erdoğan said production processes could be designed to prevent waste, while discarded materials could be converted back into raw materials. She described nature as a model for a circular economy.
She highlighted Türkiye’s Zero Waste Project, launched in 2017, as a roadmap for energy and resource security.
“Türkiye is preparing for this transformation by accelerating our zero-waste practices and clean energy investments,” she said.
Türkiye ranks fifth in Europe and 11th globally in installed renewable energy capacity, Erdoğan said. The country aims to raise its installed solar and wind power capacity to 120,000 megawatts by 2035.
She added that Ankara intended to advance the zero-waste approach as part of its action agenda for the UN Climate Change Conference COP31, which Türkiye will host in November.
“Zero waste is the most powerful path opening the door to genuine transformation in every field, from production to consumption,” Erdoğan said.
A roundtable meeting involving Turkish Cabinet ministers and other officials was held after her remarks.
