Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and First Lady Emine Erdogan have led the country’s impressive zero-waste movement that is serving as an inspiration to international efforts in meeting the challenges of the climate crisis, Fahrettin Altun, Turkish Presidential Communications Director, has said.

Altun’s views were published in an op-ed for Al Jazeera, days after Ankara’s resolution on zero waste was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 14. 

Altun said this was a significant milestone in Türkiye’s efforts to attain the UN sustainable development goals. 

“Under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish government has not only signed major climate agreements but also has led efforts to diversify energy sources for our nation as well as for Europe,” he wrote.

Highlighting an initiative to achieve the zero-waste objective, which Türkiye's First Lady Emine Erdogan is spearheading, the communications director said the project has led to the country’s emergence as a leader of the international zero-waste movement.

The Turkish first lady has been leading mobilisation locally since 2017. “She has been a tireless advocate of the movement, inspiring our citizens to think more consciously about our consumption process,” Altun said.

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“Türkiye’s leadership has recognised for a while now that the climate crisis is real, and we need to act urgently. Our tradition and culture already teach us that wasting resources and leaving the world worse than how we inherited it is an injustice to future generations,” he wrote.

“In addition to the great progress we have achieved over the years in increasing the share of renewables in our energy mix, we have made great strides in reducing our carbon footprint overall.”

A local success story

Since the Turkish first lady began local mobilisation to spread awareness about zero waste, several Turkish public and private institutions have shown noticeable progress.

“Turkish Aerospace Industries, for instance, was able to recycle 99 percent of its waste. Some of our municipalities were recognised by European institutions for their waste management and composting projects,” Altun said.

Meanwhile, he added that the Turkish Agriculture and Forestry Ministry had advocated for related issues, such as water waste. On the other hand, the Turkish government has put up a countrywide fee for the purchase of plastic bags in an attempt to discourage its use.

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The Turkish presidency’s communications director said the zero-waste movement has been inspiring creative individuals across the country, who in return contribute with their art made of plastic and other waste products to raise awareness.

Türkiye has been a leading voice in favour of zero-waste measures globally.

“First Lady Erdogan took every opportunity to remind the world that we need to reform our consumption patterns and be mindful of what we are leaving behind,” Altun said.

“While it is important to think about finding new sources of energy to power our activities, reducing our carbon footprint starts with our consumption habits. Transformative technologies and cleaner sources of energy will play a significant role in addressing the climate change challenges.”