The Zero Waste Foundation brought together representatives from different sectors of the business world ahead of the Zero Waste Forum to be held in Istanbul in October.
Borsa Istanbul, Defacto, IGA, Emlak Konut, Şişecam, Hilton Group hotels, UFS Facility Management and various shopping mall managers as well as United Nations (UN) consultants attended the working meeting held at the Foundation building in Uskudar Kandilli.
During the meeting, the preparation process of the Zero Waste Forum, contributions and expectations of the business world, zero waste practices and sectoral cooperation opportunities were discussed.
“Zero Waste Forum Will Be the First”
Jose Manuel Moller, Vice President of the UN Advisory Board of High-Level Personalities on Zero Waste, stated in his assessment at the meeting that the forum to be organized in Istanbul will be the first on a global scale in the field of zero waste. Moller summarized the three main objectives of the forum as follows:
• Istanbul and the forum to become a global center,
• Creating a meeting space for businesses offering zero waste solutions,
• Establishing a platform where business opportunities in this field can be shared in Türkiye and around the world.
Moller pointed out that zero waste is inseparable from sustainability and emphasized the importance of a multi-stakeholder approach.
“It Will Be Held Regularly Every Year”
Stating that the forum is planned to be held regularly every year, Moller said; "We are organizing the first version of this forum. Our goal is to establish a sustainable structure where more solutions, innovations and opportunities will be discussed every year in the field of zero waste. The world now needs such global collaborations and concrete solutions more than ever."
Representatives of the companies and institutions participating in the meeting also shared information about the zero waste and recycling activities carried out in their sectors and exchanged ideas.
The forum, which will be organized in Istanbul on October 17-19, 2025 with the theme “Zero Waste in Action: People. Places. Progress” in Istanbul on 17-19 October 2025, the forum aims to increase regional and sectoral cooperation in many areas from waste analysis to financing, from capacity building to policy transformation. The outputs of the forum are expected to once again emphasize that zero waste is an indispensable way of life for environmental and social resilience.
