Our Approach

Transition to Low Carbon Economy and Efficiency

Climate change is the shared and most urgent problem of our planet. And it has become a serious threat for humanity due to the use of fossil fuels and the carbon emissions which emerge as a result of industrial processes. Combating climate change entails:

• energy efficiency in industry, vehicles and buildings;
• use of renewable energy resources in energy generation,
• resource efficiency in industrial processes;
• alternative energy resources, and an advanced technology for revealing and developing them; and
• implementation of strong financial mechanisms for bringing this transformation into practice in economy and all business processes.

Low carbon economy means a future built on clean energy. Even though fossil fuels continue to constitute a significant part of economic development, the rapidly-decreasing costs of renewable energy promote the investments in this area. Similarly, the market share of the investments in energy efficiency has been increasing. Business world is not only the leading actor in the realization of this transition, but it is also the primary beneficiary, considering the benefits offered by the low carbon economy. Therefore, the triangle consisting of climate change, low carbon economy and energy constitutes an indispensable factor of sustainable development, as mentioned in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals

Sustainable Industry and Circular Economy

For a sustainable industry, companies, which conduct productive operations, should make sustainability a strategy, and they should extend this strategy to all their production and consumption processes. As BCSD Turkey, we build this approach on circular economy and sustainable consumption. 

Circular economy is a new way of looking at the relations between markets, customers and natural resources. Its purpose is to change the existing economic model, which is based on the approach of “take, make, and dispose”, and it utilizes the power of innovative business models and technology. Circular economy is seen as one of the greatest opportunities for the transformation of production and consumption since the Industrial Revolution. It does not only accelerate the momentum for a sustainable future, by offering an opportunity of 4.5 trillion dollars, but it also has a huge potential for global economic development. Within the framework of this approach, the flexibility of the global economy is enhanced owing to innovation, and people and societies are supported worldwide. Most importantly, owing to the approach of circular economy, a crucial step is taken towards achieving global shared objectives, such as Sustainable Development Goals and Paris Agreement. As for the business world in particular, while successful circular business models decrease the dependence on natural resources, they create value for companies as well . This model strengthens the competitiveness of companies, and it decreases the risks for them, by reducing their costs and increasing their efficiency.   

This model also covers sustainable consumption, and thus, it offers a wide range of opportunities for businesses. With this approach, businesses can reshape the consumption habits of their employees and the production models of their supply chain. For the activities carried out in this focus area, please click here.

Sustainable Agriculture and Access to Food

According to some studies, the world’s population will reach 9 billion people in year 2050, and if the production and consumption processes continue as they are now, an ecological resource equal to 2.3 times the world will be necessary for the survival of such a population. Nevertheless, natural resources do not increase, but instead, they are exhausted rapidly. Thus, this means that poverty will increase more and more, and access to healthy food will become more and more difficult. It is also well known that agriculture and food will be negatively affected in the upcoming years. The reasons of that negative impact are the extreme climate events arising from global warming, non-sustainable agriculture techniques and supply chains, decrease in local income sources, deforestation, and the failure to manage lands and water basins sustainably. As BCSD Turkey, we believe that the business world possesses powerful tools to prevent that from happening. For the activities carried out in this focus area, please click here.

Social Inclusion

Our approach emphasizes that the economic, environmental and social dimensions of sustainability should be dealt with in an integrated manner. So we have determined social inclusion as one of our main focus areas. In our era, there are new ways of thinking, which emphasize the idea that the benefit offered to people and societies should be at the center of business. These approaches also contribute to the transition of the ways of doing business. Today, the future of a company is defined by the ideas, support and loyalty of its employees, customers, suppliers, consumers, shareholders, its local communities, and the governments which are in relation with it. Therefore, the sustainability of a company is closely related with the added value it creates for all these stakeholders, rather than its financial profits.

The Sustainable Finance Forum