How green is my industry? The case of Turkey
| Date | 07 April 2015 |
| Pages | 119-128 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/WJSTSD-02-2015-0003 |
| Published date | 07 April 2015 |
| Author | Tolga Aksoy,Feride Gonel |
| Subject Matter | Public policy & environmental management,Environmental technology & innovation |
How green is my industry?
The case of Turkey
Tolga Aksoy and Feride Gonel
Department of Economics, Yıldız Technical University, İstanbul, Turkey
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to give a good overview of the relationship between industrial
growth and industrial pollution in Turkey. The question is to what extent dirty industries have been
affected by the regulations on the control of environmental degradation.
Design/methodology/approach –The approach for this study uses all regulations which serve
for protecting human and its environment from danger arising from dirty industries in Turkey.
After presenting brief explanations on green industry, next sessions explain and compare the
situations of the Turkish dirty industries and its relationship with related regulations in the European
Union (EU).
Findings –The authors offer three solutions. First, clean consumption should be stimulated in
Turkish society. Second, Turkish Government should conduct more joint projects with the EU. Third,
EU funds should be directed to cleaner production technologies to subsidize dirty industries during the
negotiation process.
Originality/value –Green industry can be assessed as a steep road to build a sustainable future. For
a long time, the unsustainability of current forms of industrial production has been discussed in
Turkey. As a solution some argue that if governments support, industries can finance their own
transformation more rapidly. However, these arguments do not mean that industries voluntarily accept
these changes.
Keywords Sustainable development, Industry
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Green industry can be assessed as a steep road to build a sustainable future. Since it
requires different perspectives, regulations, technologies and institutions, it is not an
easy task to convert old industries to green ones, at least it would be costly. There are
green and clean technologies which have already developed by many researchers and
most of these technologies are ready to use in industries, but these are expensive and
this transformation can be implemented only through government policy specifically
for developing countries.
According to International Energy Agency (IEA) (2012), industrial activities are
20 percent of worldwide fossil fuel-related CO
2
emissions and total emissions from
industry are expected to rise between 2007 and 2050 by 74-91 percen t (IEA, 2014). For a
long time, the unsustainability of current forms of industrial production has been
discussed. In this framework, it is argued that rather than focussing on end-of-pipe
solutions industries should take proper measures for cleaner production, which is
defined as “decreasing risks on human and environment by continuous application of
an integrated and preventive environment strategy on products and processes”(United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), 2002). As a step for this shifting, some
argue that if governments support the industries, they can finance their own
transformation more rapidly. However, these arguments do not mean that industries
voluntarily accept all these changes in their production patterns. There are push
factors such as regulations and directives and pull factors such as reputation,
World Journal of Science,
Technology and Sustainable
Development
Vol. 12 No. 2, 2015
pp. 119-128
©Emerald Group Publis hing Limited
2042-5945
DOI 10.1108/WJSTSD-02-2015-0003
Received 9 February 2015
Revised 9 February 2015
Accepted 9 March 2015
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2042-5945.htm
119
How green is
my industry?
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