The Zero Waste Foundation brought together environmentally conscious representatives from the entrepreneurial world with the goal of raising environmental awareness and implementing sustainable development practices across all sectors.
Held at the foundation’s headquarters on Thursday, the event aimed to unite entrepreneurs who prioritize sustainability, circular economy and green transformation principles.
The meeting brought together startups engaged in the production of sustainable materials, focusing on topics such as production models within the framework of the circular economy, material innovation and the structural challenges faced by environmentally focused ventures. Participants also discussed ways to make legislation and regulations more accessible for startups, the integration of entrepreneurial perspectives into policymaking processes and the identification of common areas for advocacy.
In his opening speech, Samed Ağırbaş, president of the Zero Waste Foundation, stated that their goal goes beyond environmental policy and aims to achieve a comprehensive cultural transformation. He emphasized that a sustainable future is not possible through individual awareness alone but requires a systematic, multi-stakeholder and collective transformation.
He underlined that the main purpose of the event was to establish a shared vision with entrepreneurs who act with a sense of environmental responsibility, and added, “If we don’t lead the development of the commercial ecosystem for environmental issues and fail to support the initiatives in this field, they won’t grow fast enough to find their rightful place in the market, in the public sector or private industry. That’s why today we want to discuss this with you: How can the Zero Waste Foundation help pave the way for you, the entrepreneurs?”
Highlighting the climate and waste crises facing the world, Ağırbaş said that being eco-friendly is no longer a choice, but a necessity. He also noted that the “Zero Waste” initiative, launched by First Lady Emine Erdoğan, initially began as a national project and a success story of Türkiye, but has now evolved into a global responsibility.
Following his speech, 13 entrepreneurs gave presentations introducing their startups and innovations in sustainable production.
Foundation’s support of environmental projects
Ağırbaş explained that they brought together young entrepreneurs from different cities and regions of Türkiye to build a common mindset on environmental issues, climate change and zero waste.
He also announced that the foundation will soon launch a call for proposals for those who have ideas in the fields of environment and zero waste but lack startup capital. He said: “I want to address all young entrepreneurs: The Zero Waste Foundation will always stand by you. We are creating a structure in Türkiye to eliminate the capital gap for young people with ideas in this field, but who lack funding. This is a significant step and a first in Türkiye. Our main goal is to support the growth of the ecosystem focused on zero waste, climate change, and the environment in Türkiye.”
Ağırbaş also stressed the importance of supporting not only commercial ventures but also social enterprises to raise public awareness. He noted that the foundation is also working on specific programs for social entrepreneurs.
He concluded by saying: “Anyone who has an idea or concern about zero waste can share their project or thoughts with us through our website. They can contact me or my colleagues. We want to listen to all segments of society and generate shared wisdom and ideas.”
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