The Turkish plastics industry, which is the sixth-largest producer in the world and the second-largest in Europe, aims to increase its annual exports to $18 billion with value-added products.
Yavuz Eroglu, President of the Turkish Plastics Industrialists Research Development and Education Foundation (PAGEV), said that the plastics industry in the world is a young industry established in 1950, and the production capacity, which was 1.5 million tons in the 1950s, reached 500 million tons in 2022.
Stating that plastic is present in every aspect of life and provides comfort to human life, Eroglu said, “Turkiye is one of the fastest growing and developing countries in the plastics industry. When we look at Turkiye today, it has become the 6th largest producer in the world. Turkiye is the second largest producer in Europe after Germany. As of this year, we produce 11 million tons of plastic products.”
The largest share in the chemical industry belongs to the plastics industry.
Eroglu pointed out that the plastics industry is an important industry for Turkiye and offers opportunities for the future.
Explaining that Turkiye has made significant progress in plastic production and export, Eroglu said:
“Turkiye traditionally exported the most textile products 10-15 years ago. The automotive sector was the second and the chemical sector was the third. When we look at it today, the chemical sector, which also has the biggest dominance and strength in plastic, has become Turkiye’s most exporting sector. The largest share in the chemical industry belongs to the plastics industry with a rate of 36%. Today, we can easily say that the plastics industry has become Turkiye’s most important export and foreign currency inflow items. The first goal of the Turkish plastics industry is to be able to surpass our next Germany, and the secret of this is not just to sell more products in terms of volume. We do not want to increase our volume, which is 11 million tons, to 15-17 million tons, but to increase the added value, which should be essential.”
Direct and indirect export of the plastics industry is $12 billion
Eroglu pointed out that Germany, which has the highest income in the plastics industry in Europe, achieved success in exports with its institutes and private centers of excellence.
Noting that they started to build Turkiye’s Plastics Center of Excellence in partnership with the Ministry of Industry and Technology and the Ministry of National Education, Eroglu continued as follows:
“Our primary goal is to increase our added value very quickly and to produce more sophisticated and featured products. In our center, studies will be carried out on R&D, innovation, consultancy, training and prototype production, as well as international audited certification services, which are important and valuable for Turkiye. Let’s move this sector, in which Turkiye already has a very important place in the world, to the first place in Europe with its added value. Currently, when we look at Turkiye’s plastics industry exports, it is $12 billion directly and indirectly. In the first target, we want to increase this figure to $18 billion. We aim to increase the added value and reach this figure.”
Source: Trthaber / Translated by Irem Yildiz