SUSTAINABILITY BULLETIN (ISSUE 11)

MESSAGES FROM TRASTA ESG

?ZGüN ?INAR, CEO

Dear readers,

We are continuously committed to raising awareness and making a difference in sustainability across three different areas. These areas include;

• sponsoring the publication of books,
• conducting trainings,
• speeches, and delivering the newsletter that you are currently reading.

In this context, we are excited to announce that our book " What is ESG in 100 Questions?" is now available for sale, and it has gained significant attention from readers who have downloaded it. Every downloaded copy of the book contributes to our world by transforming into a tree under the leadership of TEMA Foundation. Our dedication to creating a greener Türkiye extends beyond this project, as we aim to make a lasting impact in sustainability.

Click to review or purchase "What is ESG in 100 Questions?"…

In line with this, we have a new webinar on our agenda. In collaboration with S&P Sustainable 1, we are organizing a webinar on September 18th. The webinar will highlight the importance of corporate sustainability and the CSA topic through the experiences of major attendees. Please make a note of the date in your calendar. We will announce the participating company/companies and presenter/presenters at a later time.

Lastly, starting from this newsletter, we are introducing a new feature and welcoming Ferda ??evi as a guest writer in our green corner. Mrs. ??evi will share valuable information on the topic of "Industrial Symbiosis". We extend our endless gratitude to Mrs. ??evi for her support.

Stay sustainable...

Click for the frequently asked questions document.

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ESG NEWS

• The European Commission announced today the publication of a new set of set of frequently asked questions (FAQs), aimed at supporting companies and other stakeholders such as auditors in implementing sustainability reporting requirements of the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), with the first reports set to begin next year, based on the 2024 financial year.?DETAIL
• Road transportation is responsible for a significant amount of global and urban greenhouse gas emissions. It is especially problematic at city intersections where pollution can be 29 times higher than on open roads.? At intersections, half of these emissions come from traffic accelerating after stopping. While some amount of stop-and-go traffic is unavoidable, part of it is preventable through the optimization of traffic light timing configurations. To improve traffic light timing, cities need to either install costly hardware or run manual vehicle counts; both of these solutions are expensive and don’t provide all the necessary information. Google’s Green Light uses AI and Google Maps driving trends, with one of the strongest understandings of global road networks, to model traffic patterns and build intelligent recommendations for city traffic engineers to optimize traffic flow. As a result of the trials, unnecessary traffic stops were reduced by 30% and carbon emissions were reduced by 10%.?DETAIL

• Extreme heat, drought and wildfires caused forests and other land ecosystems to emit almost as much carbon dioxide as they removed from the atmosphere in 2023, nearly canceling out a major natural sink of the greenhouse gas.?DETAIL

• Microsoft has announced an expansion of its sustainability solution offerings aimed at easing the challenges of ESG disclosure reporting. The new Project ESG Reporting (preview) offers standardized templates based on various ESG frameworks, addressing the complexities of reporting metrics and structuring disclosures. This initiative is set to enhance efficiency, transparency, and compliance in ESG reporting.?DETAIL

• Germany’s energy transition is progressing, with renewables making up nearly 60% of the electricity mix in early 2024, while conventional sources such as coal and gas dropped to 41%, reports the Frankfurter Rundschau.?DETAIL
• An editorial in Nature says that, in the next few months, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN’s principal legal body in The Hague, the Netherlands, will begin hearing evidence on two questions: “First, what are countries’ obligations in international law to protect the climate system from anthropogenic greenhouse-gas emissions, and second, what should the legal consequences be for states when their actions – or failure to act – cause harm?”.?DETAIL

GREEN COLUMN

INDUSTRIAL SYMBIOSIS

Industrial symbiosis is one of the cornerstones of the circular economy, which is evaluated as a holistic and systemic solution for resource efficiency in today's world. The most basic and common application of industrial symbiosis is the utilization of one company's waste, by-products, or unused materials and resources (including energy and water) by another company. This not only reduces primary resource consumption, but also minimizes the amount of waste that needs to be disposed of. Collaboration is the first concept that comes to mind when talking about industrial symbiosis. Industrial symbiosis is one of the most important concepts that shows companies that there is a limit to what they can do on their own in terms of resource efficiency and sustainability. Therefore, over the years, industrial symbiosis has evolved and expanded its scope, from resource sharing to the use of waste heat, from logistics activities to information sharing.

In Türkiye, industrial symbiosis became a topic of interest in the 2010s and has received attention from both the public and private sectors. Due to the advantage of physical proximity between businesses, regional programs and projects, as in other countries, are emphasized. In projects supported by national and international institutions so far, with a focus on industrial zones, the potential for material, water, and energy savings, as well as waste and greenhouse gas emission reductions, through industrial symbiosis has been identified and exemplary applications have been carried out. Existing symbiotic relationships have been made visible, and the aim has been to develop awareness and motivation among businesses regarding this issue. In addition to regional programs carried out in areas such as ?skenderun Bay, ?zmir, Antalya, and Ankara, many applications have been implemented within the framework of the Turkish Circular Economy Platform. The most frequently encountered symbiotic applications include the use of organic waste in the cosmetics, food, agriculture, and energy sectors, the use of waste from the metal sector (such as slag and chips) in the cement, construction, and other metal sectors, and the use of waste from the non-metallic mineral sector, along with energy production, in cement and building materials. Within this scope, both small investments that can be repaid within months and larger-scale investments are being considered.

In the industrial symbiosis model based on collaboration, which supports the circular economy and sustainability, barriers such as inter-company agreement requirements, transportation costs, regulatory constraints, and lack of technical knowledge are also relevant in our country, as in the rest of the world. However, it is important for all businesses, big or small, and experts working in this field to highlight the opportunities and benefits created by symbiotic connections, and to make the necessary efforts to overcome possible obstacles by participating in projects in this field. Thus, industrial symbiosis can continue to spread as an important aspect of sustainability.

Ferda Uluta? ??evi

About the Author: Ferda Uluta? ??evi graduated from Middle East Technical University's Department of Environmental Engineering in 1995 and completed her master's degree in the same department in 1998. After working as a Research Engineer at Turkey ?i?e ve Cam Fabrikalar? A.?. and as the Environmental Projects Coordinator at the Turkish Technology Development Foundation (TTGV), she served as a consultant and senior expert in various fields of environmental management and sustainability, including resource efficiency, clean production, circular economy, and industrial symbiosis. She has been involved in national and international projects. Currently, she continues to work as a senior manager/expert in circular economy projects under the management of adelphi GmbH.

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ABOUT US

Trasta ESG, is a consulting firm in Turkey that offers services such as gap analysis and sustainability consulting, providing businesses with the opportunity to determine their ESG score using a "Sustainability Assessment and Management Platform" designed according to international standards and tailored to different sectors.

Our motto is, "We are with you at every stage of your sustainability journey!"

You can explore our services in detail here and reach us through the links below.

Click for our corporate web site…

Telephone: +90 (216) 455 39 66

Email: [email protected]

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