Ömer Karadeniz: “Turkey’s Oil is its Industry and Production Power”
PLASFED Chairman of the Board Ömer Karadeniz was a guest on the “SME Platform” program, hosted by Sema Ertekin and broadcast on A Para. The program comprehensively covered the current state of the Turkish plastics industry, its production power, export performance, raw material issues, recycling policies, and the financial difficulties faced by SMEs.
The uncertainties in the global economy, rising costs, and the sustainability-focused transformation continue to determine the agenda of the plastics industry. In this process, maintaining production capacity, increasing competitiveness, and taking steps to adapt to the circular economy are of critical importance for the future of the sector. Evaluating the current outlook of the sector with figures during the SME Platform program broadcast on A Para, PLASFED Chairman of the Board Ömer Karadeniz made noteworthy statements on many topics ranging from production to recycling, and from petrochemical investments to access to finance.
Emphasizing that industrial production is one of the fundamental dynamics of the Turkish economy, Karadeniz stated that the recently announced PMI data contains important messages for the plastics industry.
Referring to the PMI data announced by the Istanbul Chamber of Industry, Karadeniz reminded that the index, which was at 45.7 in April, rose to 49.8 in May and was 47.1 in June. Pointing out that 50 is the threshold value, Karadeniz stated that the general outlook has not yet reached the desired level, but that the plastics industry has performed more positively compared to other industrial branches.
Pointing out that the chemical, plastic, and rubber products sector was the only sector to exceed the threshold value with a PMI of 51.2 in the June data, Karadeniz said that this is a promising development for the sector.
"Banning Single-Use Plastics is Not the Solution"
In the program, where regulations regarding single-use plastics in Europe were also evaluated, Karadeniz stated that the problem could be solved through proper waste management rather than bans.
The Chairman of PLASFED, the umbrella organization, explaining that banning single-use plastics is not a solution, said, "The solution is to control, to value recycling, and to effectively implement the Deposit Return System and the Source Separation System."
Stating that the pandemic period showed the importance of hygiene to the whole world, Karadeniz drew attention to the critical role that plastic products play, especially in the field of health and hygiene. Reminding that the need for single-use packaging and plastic products increased during the pandemic, Karadeniz said that the importance of these products for human health should not be ignored.
Stating that Turkey has taken significant steps regarding recycling, Karadeniz noted that the widespread adoption of the Deposit Return System (DRS) would provide significant contributions to environmental protection and the economy.
This content has been translated using artificial intelligence technology.