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 dollars with value-added products.
Yavuz Eroğlu, 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 that its production capacity, which was 1.5 million tonnes in 1950, reached 500 million tonnes in 2022.
Stating that plastics are found in all areas of life and provide comfort to human life, Eroğlu said, "Turkey is one of the fastest growing and developing countries in the plastics industry. When we look at Turkey today, it has become the 6th largest producer in the world. In Europe, Turkey is the second largest producer after Germany. As of this year, we are producing 11 million tonnes of plastic products."
The largest share in the chemical industry belongs to the plastics industry
Eroğlu pointed out that the plastics sector is an important sector for Turkey and offers opportunities for the future.
Explaining that Turkey has made significant progress in plastics production and exports, Eroğlu noted the following:
"10-15 years ago, Turkey traditionally exported the most textile products. In the second place was the automotive sector and in the third place was the chemical sector. When we look at today, the chemical sector, in which plastic is the most dominant and strongest, has become the most exporting sector of Turkey. The largest share in the chemical sector belongs to the plastics sector with 36 per cent. Today, we can easily say that the plastics sector has become Turkey's most important exports and items that provide foreign currency inflows. The first target of the Turkish plastics industry is to overtake Germany, and the secret of this is not only to sell more products in volume. We do not want to increase our volume of 11 million tonnes to 15-17 million tonnes, but we want to increase the added value that should be essential."
Direct and indirect exports of the plastics industry is 12 billion dollars
Eroğlu pointed out that Germany, which has the highest income in the plastics sector in Europe, has achieved success in exports with its institutes and special centres of excellence.
Stating that they started to build Turkey's Plastics Centre of Excellence in partnership with the Ministry of Industry and Technology and the Ministry of National Education, Eroğlu continued as follows:
"Our aim in the first plan is to increase our added value very quickly and produce more sophisticated and specialised products. In our centre, R&D, innovation, consultancy, training, prototype production and internationally audited certification services, which are important and valuable for Turkey, will be carried out. Let's move this sector, in which Turkey already has a very important place in the world, to the first place in Europe with its added value. Currently, when we look at Turkey's plastics industry exports, it is 12 billion dollars directly and indirectly. We want to increase this figure to 18 billion dollars in the first target. We aim to catch this figure by increasing the added value."