Plastic Turkey: Mapping pollution from production to plate

We’re coming together in Antalya during COP31 to discuss Türkiye’s plastic production, waste imports, and the impacts of plastic pollution on the environment and human health.

The event will open with the presentation of Plastik Türkiye: Üretimden Sofraya Bir Kirlilik Haritası (Plastic Türkiye: A Map of Pollution from Production to Plate), a publication prepared in collaboration with Istanbul Policy Center, Sabancı University, the Stiftung Mercator Initiative, and Heinrich Böll Stiftung Istanbul. This will be followed by a panel discussion titled “Türkiye’s Plastics Landscape.”

The panel will address plastic waste management in Türkiye, the challenges facing the recycling sector, and the policies needed to tackle plastic pollution.

Edited by Prof. Dr. Sedat Gündoğdu, 2025–2026 Mercator-IPC Fellow, and featuring contributions from 11 experts, the nine-chapter publication examines plastic pollution from production to consumption, covering issues ranging from waste management to human health. It traces the journey of plastic from petrochemical facilities to the seas and, ultimately, into the food chain, with a focus on Türkiye.

The publication will also be available on our website on the day of the event.

Programme

11:00 | Book Presentation
Plastik Türkiye: Üretimden Sofraya Bir Kirlilik Haritası

Panel: Türkiye’s Plastics Landscape

Moderator: Meral Tosun – Journalist

Speakers:

• Prof. Dr. Sedat Gündoğdu – 2025–2026 Mercator-IPC Fellow
• Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muhittin Onur Akça – Ankara University
• Ahmet Kırmızı – President of the Chamber of Environmental Engineers

📅 Thursday, 12 November 2026
🕚 11:00
📍 Türkan Şoray Cultural Centre, Antalya