Representatives of public institutions, local authorities, businesses and the recycling industry from Türkiye and Czechia gathered in Istanbul for the Türkiye-Czechia Sustainable Recycling Forum to explore new opportunities for cooperation.
Organized jointly by the Czech Consulate General in Istanbul, the Our World Foundation and the Climate and Sustainability Sciences Research Foundation (ISBAV), the forum took place at the Social Facilities Conference Hall on Istanbul Technical University's Macka Campus.
The event focused on opportunities for cooperation between Türkiye and Czechia in recycling and sustainable waste management.
Participants included Istanbul Deputy Governor Cengiz Karabulut, Czech Consul General in Istanbul Olga Hajflerova, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality's Head of Foreign Relations, Barbaros Buyuksagnak, and its Head of Environmental Protection and Control, Aysen Erdincler.
Representatives of Türkiye's Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Ministry and the Turkish Environment Agency also attended.
Alongside public institutions and local authorities from both countries, the forum brought together representatives of companies, industry organizations and civil society groups operating in recycling, plastics, waste management and environmental technologies.
Discussions covered sustainable waste management, recycling technologies and industry cooperation and investment opportunities as well as potential commercial and technological partnerships between Turkish and Czech companies.
Turning dialogue into concrete projects and commercial partnerships
Our World Foundation President Kahraman Haliscelik delivered the first opening address.
Haliscelik said the forum brought together representatives of public institutions, local authorities, industry and the private sector from Türkiye and Czechia on a common platform.
Its main objective, he said, was to move beyond exchanging views and pave the way for concrete cooperation.
He said relations between the two countries could be further strengthened through new partnerships in recycling and sustainable waste management.
"Our aim is to turn dialogue into cooperation, and cooperation into concrete projects and commercial partnerships," he said.
Haliscelik stressed that recycling and sustainable waste management could no longer be viewed solely as environmental issues, saying they were becoming increasingly strategic in terms of technology, investment, competitiveness and economic opportunities.
Strong cooperation among public institutions, local authorities and the private sector would play an important role in implementing sustainable solutions, he said, expressing hope that contacts established during the forum would mark the beginning of new projects and long-term partnerships.
Haliscelik thanked Hajflerova for her support in organizing the forum as well as ISBAV, TUDAM and the Turkish and Czech institutions, organizations and companies that contributed to the program.
Complementary potential for cooperation
Speaking after Haliscelik, Hajflerova highlighted the importance of developing cooperation between Türkiye and Czechia in sustainability and recycling.
She said bringing public and private sector representatives from both countries together on the same platform was important for establishing new business connections.
Hajflerova said the forum provided an important platform both for sharing knowledge and experience and for establishing concrete, long-term partnerships between Turkish and Czech institutions and companies.
She said the two countries had significant potential to complement each other in this field.
She added that bringing together different stakeholders from Türkiye and Czechia would strengthen the exchange of experience.
Contacts in sustainability, recycling and waste management could also create new opportunities for the two countries' economic and commercial relations, she said.
Czech public institutions and businesses present cooperation opportunities
Following the opening remarks, representatives of Czech public institutions and businesses delivered presentations.
Vlastislav Kotrc from Czechia's Environment Ministry, Jan Trnobransky from the Czech Environmental Information Agency (CENIA), Matyas Kousek from Czechia's Industry and Trade Ministry and Eva Langerova from the Czech Chamber of Commerce's International Relations Department discussed their institutions' work and opportunities for cooperation between Türkiye and Czechia.
Their presentations covered Czechia's activities in recycling, environmental protection and waste management, environmental information and data management, industrial policies, and potential cooperation between the private sectors of the two countries.
Representatives of Czech companies attending the forum also gave short presentations outlining their areas of activity and the solutions they had developed.
The presentations highlighted potential partnerships that Czech companies could establish with institutions and businesses in Türkiye.
Future of recycling in Türkiye discussed
The forum also featured a panel titled "The Future of Recycling in Türkiye: Sustainable Waste Management, Industry Cooperation and New Opportunities."
Speakers included Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality's Head of Environmental Protection and Control, Aysen Erdincler, TUDAM board member Kayhan Ural, and Salih Kanbak, representing the Turkish Plastics Industry Foundation (PAGEV).
Panelists discussed the current state and future of Türkiye's recycling industry, addressing sustainable waste management, the role of local authorities, industrial transformation and cooperation across sectors.
Alongside recycling's environmental benefits, the panel examined its potential to create economic value.
Participants exchanged views on improving coordination among public institutions, local authorities and the private sector, adopting new technologies, and expanding sustainable recycling models.
The panel also addressed challenges facing the recycling industry, more efficient use of resources, improvements to recovery processes, and new investment and cooperation opportunities that could emerge in the coming period.
Turkish and Czech companies hold B2B meetings
During the afternoon session, company representatives from Türkiye and Czechia held business-to-business meetings.
Participants exchanged information about their activities, technologies and projects while discussing potential commercial partnerships, technology cooperation and investment opportunities in recycling and sustainable waste management.
The B2B meetings aimed to ensure that the forum would serve as more than a platform for public institutions and industry representatives to share knowledge and experience.
They also sought to establish direct connections between Turkish and Czech companies and lay the groundwork for developing concrete projects.
Czech delegation to visit facilities in Kocaeli
On the second day of the two-day program, the Czech delegation is scheduled to make technical visits to facilities operating in recycling and waste management in Kocaeli.
The visits are expected to allow delegates to examine practices and facilities in Türkiye firsthand, establish direct contact with industry representatives, and continue discussions initiated in Istanbul through on-site meetings.
They aim to help turn opportunities for cooperation between Türkiye and Czechia in recycling and sustainable waste management into concrete projects while developing contacts among public institutions, industry organizations and companies into long-term partnerships.
