IZBAŞ: A CANDIDATE FOR THE "FIRST GREEN FREE ZONE

Izmir Free Zone (IZBAŞ), which hosts 205 local and foreign-invested companies and over 6,000 employees, aims to become the first Zone to receive the "Green Free Zone" title, currently under review by the Ministry of Trade.

In order to provide better services to the companies operating within its scope, IZBAŞ obtained a "Non-Hazardous Waste Collection and Separation License" from the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change last year. It collects 50 different types of non-hazardous waste and sends them to licensed recycling facilities.

"WASTE IS NOT TRASH BUT A NATIONAL ASSET"

Gürsel Bahçıvancılar, General Manager of IZBAŞ Izmir Free Zone Founder and Operator Inc., stated that by implementing sustainable waste management, they are providing higher quality service to the companies in the Zone and will continue to contribute to the circular economy. Bahçıvancılar highlighted that IZBAŞ aims to be the first Zone to receive the "Green Free Zone" title, positioning it as a vision. He noted that the Ministry of Trade is continuing its regulatory work on this matter.

Bahçıvancılar emphasized that waste is not trash but a national asset, and said:

"We place great importance on integrating source-separated waste such as paper, cardboard, plastic, wood, glass, and metal into the national economy. We are pleased with the high level of awareness among all participating companies in this regard. We are happy to see the initial implementation examples of the ‘Green Organized Industrial Zone’ regulations in our country. We expect similar regulations to be prepared and formalized for the 19 Free Zones operating in our country. We aim to be the first free zone to achieve this certification."