Turkish first lady calls for shift from 'throwaway culture' to sustainable consumption

Turkish first lady Emine Erdogan called on Wednesday for moving away from a "throwaway culture" centered on single-use products toward sustainable consumption based on long-lasting, durable goods.

Emine Erdogan, the wife of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and chair of the UN Secretary-General's Advisory Board of Eminent Persons on Zero Waste, spoke at the International Energy Agency (IEA) High-Level Energy Transition Dialogue at UN headquarters.

She said record temperatures, heat waves, wildfires, floods, and severe storms have become increasingly commonplace, linking them to growing energy demand driven by consumption and rising greenhouse gas emissions.

"We should not limit the issue of energy transition solely to the question: How can we produce more clean energy? We should first approach the issue by asking: Why do we have to produce more energy?" she said.

She argued that lasting solutions require addressing the root causes of waste, noting that energy, natural resources, and human labor are embedded in products that are eventually discarded.

The first lady cited global food waste as an example, saying food equivalent to 5.8 trillion plates is wasted annually and that the energy used in producing, packaging, preparing, preserving, and distributing it is also lost.

"Our primary concern should be to move away from a throwaway culture shaped around single-use products,” she stressed. “For the well-being of us all and for intergenerational justice, we must transition to a culture of sustainability shaped around long-lasting and durable products.”

Erdogan said production processes can be designed to prevent waste and discarded materials can be turned back into raw materials, describing nature as a model for circularity.

Türkiye's Zero Waste Project

She highlighted Türkiye's Zero Waste Project, launched in 2017, as a roadmap for energy and resource security.

"Türkiye is preparing for this transformation by accelerating our zero-waste practices and clean energy investments,” she said.

“Today, we rank fifth in Europe and 11th in the world in terms of installed renewable energy capacity,” she said. “By 2035, we aim to increase our installed solar and wind power capacity to 120,000 megawatts.”

Erdogan said Ankara wants to further advance the zero-waste approach as part of its action agenda for the UN Climate Change Conference COP31, which it will host in November.

"Zero waste is the most powerful path opening the door to genuine transformation in every field, from production to consumption," she added.

Following her remarks, a roundtable meeting was held with the participation of Turkish Cabinet ministers and other officials.