Our agency aims to contribute to the transition to sustainable production by reducing the environmental impacts arising from production activities and increasing the resource end energy efficiency in Bursa, Eskişehir and Bilecik provinces. Thus, while supporting the increase of the international competitiveness of the region, a sustainable development that does not ignore the social and environmental components is targeted.
Our agency aims at a sustainable development goal that does not ignore the social and environmental components, while supporting the increase of the region’s international competitiveness.
According to the World Council for Sustainable Development and Business (WBCSD), sustainable production and consumption is to contribute to environmental quality through efficient use of natural resources, minimizing waste, and optimizing products and services. Sustainable production approach is a production strategy that has economic benefits as well as environmental benefits.
The dissemination of resource efficiency practices, which can also be described as a prerequisite for sustainable production, is extremely important and effective. However, when resource efficiency practices remain within the company’s boundaries, these practices can improve their environmental performance to a certain extent. For this reason, the holistic regional approach, which can go beyond the borders of the companies in order to achieve more gains and will mostly ensure inter-firm and even inter-sectoral cooperation, increases the multiplier effect of resource efficiency practices.
Investments in resource efficiency applications increase the environmental performance of industrial organizations, positively affect their economic performance and corporate prestige, and contribute to growth and productivity increases.
In the TR41 Regional Plan (2014-2023) prepared by our Agency, the priority has been adopted to ensure the transition to clean production and practices aimed at reducing waste generation, water and energy consumption in the industry.
The activities carried out by our agency in this context, the development of the concept of sustainable production in our region started with the creation of awareness on the subject. It will continue with capacity building activities, including dissemination of exemplary practices in the production and service sectors. With the partnerships and information sharing networks created, sustainable production practices will be spread.
When the distribution of the number of firms and employment for all three provinces is analysed, it is seen that while some of the prominent sectors on the basis of provinces are similar, there are also different sectors concentrated in different provinces. Therefore, resource efficiency potential also differs for each province and sector. Our agency plans its activities by focusing on sectors with a high potential for expansion, with its feasibility and strategy determination studies.
Resource Efficiency in Our Region at a Glance
TR41 Region is the heart of the economy in Turkey with 26 Organized Industrial Zones, 2 industrial zones and 1 free zone. It contributes significantly to the country's economy with its foreign trade surplus.
It is important to disseminate the understanding of increasing efficiency in resource and energy use, which has begun to be considered in both national and local plans and strategies, in our region.
There is a high potential for resource efficiency studies in our region with the effect of the intensive manufacturing industry.
The textile sector, which is one of the dominant sectors in our region, necessitates improvements in issues such as the use of groundwater and the treatment of wastewater. Susurluk Basin Action Plan has been prepared especially for pollution in Susurluk basin and Marmara Sea.
Our agency has organized many activities to increase resource efficiency in the region, and the projects implemented by companies for the transition to environmentally friendly production and energy efficiency have been supported. In addition, financial support was provided for the projects of the organized industrial zones in the region to improve treatment facilities, increase energy efficiency and use waste sludge as an alternative fuel.
In order to ensure the effective use of resources in the region and to ensure the sustainability of regional development, an Industrial Symbiosis Program was carried out by our Agency between 2014-2020. Within the scope of the program, companies were brought together and potential industrial symbiosis opportunities were presented to 140 companies as a report.
In the study conducted in Eskişehir, it was determined that the same amount of raw material could be saved by preventing the disposal of 87,870 tons of waste in 5 projects prioritized. It is anticipated that these implementations will reduce the production costs of the relevant companies by approximately 3.6 million TL annually. The fact that these applications will pay off in less than 1 year indicates that the relevant investments are also very attractive economically.
We believe that industrial symbiosis is an important tool for the transition to a low carbon economy and resource efficiency in our region. For this purpose, we received support from the Newton Fund for the development of a regional industrial symbiosis network and management model. With the project, we increased the awareness of the industrial symbiosis and improved the institutional capacity in the region.
We had the opportunity to share experience with the executives of the British National Symbiosis Network, one of the most well-known examples applied on a national scale in the world.
With the financial support we provide on industrial symbiosis, approximately 3 thousand tons of waste annually was converted into a product or by-product instead of being disposed of, and 23 people were employed. Plywood (plywood) was produced from PVC and wood wastes, wall coverings and natural stone carpets were produced from mining wastes. There have been companies that have applied for trademarks with their new products and increased their export rates.
The Energy Efficiency Centre (EVM), founded with the support of our Agency, raises awareness of energy efficiency in the business world with its survey, training, measurement, consultancy and energy management system services.
In cooperation with TÜBİTAK MRC, we organized theoretical and practical clean production trainings for environmental managers and production managers of businesses operating in the region.
We Aim for Efficient Use of Energy and Resources in Industry
An Innovation and Efficiency Result-Oriented Program has been established for the period of 2021-2023. within the framework, it was aimed to develop the pioneering and potential strategic sectors of the region in our region, and to transform industrial production by using advanced technology, and to implement practices aimed at reducing waste generation, water and energy consumption in the industry, and to ensure a transition to clean production.
With the Innovation and Efficiency Result-Oriented Program, we aim to strengthen the R&D and innovation capacity and to increase productivity in our region. While developing the industrial potential of the region, we focus on the efficient and effective use of resources in production as well as advanced technology. We aim for an integrated development within the framework of ``sustainable competitiveness`` in our region.
In order to achieve the sustainable production target in our region, with the slogan of “do more work using less resources”; we aim;
to increase the rate of benefiting from international funds for resource efficiency of institutions and companies in the region.
Within the scope of the Innovation and Efficiency Result-Oriented Program; we carry out the following activities in the fields of green efficiency, industrial symbiosis, energy efficiency and clean production;
• Investor information and support activities.
We aim to establish resource efficiency centres in our region in order to carry out industrial symbiosis activities more effectively and to create a network model.
Within the scope of the Energy Efficiency Improvement Program (EVAP), an energy audit report was prepared by the Energy Efficiency Centre for industrial enterprises selected from the provinces of the Region.
In order to adapt to the new growth strategy and carbon-free economy model, we are developing the institutional capacities of companies in our region to take the necessary measures.
We are conducting feasibility studies in order to reveal the investment opportunities that resource efficiency offers to our region.
It is important to encourage companies with financial mechanisms for the realization of resource efficiency projects. Our agency provides financial support to the resource efficiency-enhancing practices of OIZs, municipalities and agricultural cooperatives as well as companies on issues such as clean production, industrial symbiosis, and energy efficiency.
With our technical support programs, we cover all the training and consultancy services costs for increasing the institutional capacity of enterprises in terms of resource efficiency.