Dear Readers,
Turkey is going through a very difficult economic period due to sudden exchange rate movements which took place in the summer. The business community is looking for a solution in the light of global trends that seek new answers on different issues as they move towards a more humane and sustainable direction. Both the depreciation of the Turkish lira that have changed the economy in Turkey over the past few months, and its impact on already high raw material prices, lead manufacturers to focus on productivity. Companies investing in modernization and efficiency oriented technologies are trying to increase their competitiveness with their investments in energy on the other hand Hayat Kimya is a good example. Upon the success of the cogeneration plant in the Mersin plant Hayat Kimya established a similar plant in its factory in Russia. We hope to see this and similar investments in other mills’ factories too.

Turkey’s distress with raw materials which is always a current issue has been on the agenda in recent months. The issue of imported inputs like fiber, especially in the production of newspaper and tissue paper, was reiterated at the Tissue World Istanbul Conference held in September. Turkey is an important force for the tissue industry in the MENA region which protected its potential thanks to the promise of an average growth rate of 8 5% despite economic fluctuations.

Turkey ranks second in the world in export of jumbo rolls and fourth in total exports despite several problems such as raw material, taxation system, overcapacity and many more. However, action must be taken to solve the existing problems since it is very important for Turkey to maintain this advantage.

Another improvement in raw material is the Zero Waste Regulation prepared by Ministry of Environment and Urbanization. The deadline for gathering opinions for the legislation focusing on better management of waste in Turkey and evaluating the resources efficiently expired on November 20. The entry into force of the regulation will also greatly affect the scrap paper area. We wish that Turkey focuses on sustainable investments in the coming years, and paper as a strategic sector to see greater support

Happy New Year,