PLASFED President Ömer Karadeniz stated that the war in the Middle East is challenging the plastics industry by increasing energy, logistics, and raw material costs. Expressing that the contraction in raw material supply and the rise in energy costs are putting upward pressure on prices, Karadeniz emphasized that the plastics industry is directly affected by global developments.
Plastics Industrialists Federation (PLASFED) Chairman of the Board Ömer Karadeniz made evaluations regarding the industry's agenda on the E Hayat program broadcast on CNBC-e. Answering the questions of the program host Dünya Taşlardan, Karadeniz stated that the plastics industry is facing increasing cost pressures recently. The president of the umbrella organization PLASFED said that the war, especially in the Middle East, has significantly increased production costs through energy, logistics, and raw material prices. Stating that the contraction in raw material supply and the rise in energy costs have driven prices upward, Karadeniz emphasized that the plastics industry is directly affected by global developments.
Touching upon the increasing bans and restrictions on single-use plastics worldwide, Karadeniz expressed that the solution to the problem is not banning, but effective waste management. Stating that the widespread adoption of the Source Separation System (KAS) and the implementation of the Deposit Return System (DİS) are of great importance in this context, Karadeniz said, "In developed countries, waste is recovered significantly thanks to these systems. Pilot applications of DİS have started in Turkey, but the system needs to be expanded nationwide."
Emphasizing that plastic plays a critical role in many areas in terms of hygiene and health, Karadeniz reminded that single-use products provided significant contributions to human health, especially during the pandemic period. For this reason, stating that completely banning plastics is not the right approach, Karadeniz said that sustainable solutions that will protect the environment must be developed.
Pointing out that Turkey has a strong production infrastructure in the plastics sector, Karadeniz said, "Unfortunately, our foreign dependency regarding raw materials continues. Only about 10 percent of plastic raw materials in Turkey can be met through domestic production. New petrochemical investments need to be increased."
Evaluating the data on industrial production, Karadeniz reminded that the March PMI data announced by the Istanbul Chamber of Industry fell to the 47.9 level, expressing that signals of a slowdown in production are strengthening. Despite this, stating that the PMI value in the chemical and plastics sector is at 51.8, Karadeniz said that the sector continues to play an important role in industrial production.
This content has been translated using artificial intelligence technology.