New Rules in Global Trade: Carbon and Sustainability

In this era where global competition is being reshaped through environmental sensitivity, it is no longer an option but an inevitable necessity for Turkish industry to become ready for carbon management. Otherwise, we will pay a much heavier economic and environmental price. Today, the traditional understanding of trade and production we inherited from our fathers and grandfathers has given way to global industrial competition and economic wars dominated by much harsher conditions. This rapid change and transformation process has led to the brutal depletion of both our underground and above-ground resources; at the same time, it has brought with it the growing problem of waste, along with excessive consumption and wastefulness.

Especially European and Western countries, which do not hesitate to exploit third world countries to access underground resources and gain economic benefit, employing millions of people like slaves while disregarding human life; yet, when their interests are exhausted, they have the audacity to talk about human rights, considering every means permissible for their own benefit. Unfortunately, as these truths began to emerge with the increasing power of news and media, these countries resorted to changing their methods; they invented new concepts and practices, sought ways to produce new decisions, laws, and regulations in line with their own interests, leading to unfair competition at an international level.

In this context, today we see concepts such as "emission trading system," "carbon border adjustment mechanism," "climate crisis," and "drought" being brought to the agenda. These arguments are planned to be gradually implemented over time. Here, it is inevitable to ask: So, where were you while turning the world upside down for decades? What did you do for the environment when news of the ozone layer depletion spread worldwide? Absolutely nothing… Because it wasn't in their interest at that time. Today, after preparing their own infrastructure in this direction, they are trying to make second and third world countries pay the heavy price of this transformation by introducing new rules and sanctions through environmental sensitivity. In other words, they first polluted and destroyed the environment themselves, and now they are planning to shift the cost of this pollution onto others.

We see large international firms establishing departments and employing expert consultants in this field. However, it is difficult to believe that Turkish industry is ready for this process yet. Looking at our SMEs and other businesses, we see informational meetings being held through chambers of industry and associations. Unfortunately, these meetings often only create general awareness. There are still serious uncertainties regarding carbon measurement methods, calculating the carbon footprint of products in the supply chain, measurement criteria, and the costs of these processes. Furthermore, the high costs that these applications will bring are causing concern for our manufacturers and exporters. However, the truth is: there is no escaping this process. New rules of international trade and competition are being shaped around environment and carbon. It has become inevitable for our companies to build their infrastructure, establish their teams, and prepare their carbon management roadmaps before penalties and sanctions come into play. Because in the future, nature will surely make us pay the price for what has been done to it. Climate change, drought, depletion of water resources, and increasing waste mountains are the clearest indicators of this.