The umbrella organization of the Turkish plastics industry, PLASFED - Plastic Manufacturers Federation, decided to continue its journey under the leadership of Ömer Karadeniz at its 4th Ordinary General Assembly meeting.
At the PLASFED General Assembly meeting, which represents nearly 1,500 plastic industry businesses under the associations of Bursa Plastic and Packaging Industrialists Association, Aegean Plastic Industrialists Solidarity Association, Kayseri Plastic Operators Association, Composite Industrialists Association, and Plastic Industrialists Association, President Ömer Karadeniz presented the federation’s activities for the 2019 – 2021 period to the attendees. Emphasizing that they will continue to be the common voice of the industry as PLASFED, Ömer Karadeniz stated, “In the near future, our industry will face challenging tests such as the European Green Deal, the ban on single-use plastic products, and border carbon regulation. It is of great importance for our industry and all civil initiatives representing it to speak with one voice during these processes. As the umbrella organization of the industry, we will continue to be the common voice of the plastic sector and emphasize the importance of achieving coordinated efforts among all institutions.”
Alongside Ömer Karadeniz, Mustafa Tacir, President of TOBB Packaging Industry Council and also a member of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce Management Board, veteran of the plastic industry Muammer Yüceler, and Adil Pelister, Chairman of the Board of the Istanbul Chemicals and Chemical Products Exporters' Association, addressed the general assembly.
The Plastic Industry Continues to Grow through Exports
IKMİB President Adil Pelister expressed their happiness that the plastic industry has increased its exports despite the pandemic, stating, “As you know, the plastics sector holds the largest share within our chemical exports. When we examine the data from 2020, we can see that the plastic sector performed positively in the first two months of the year, but then faced a sharp decline in exports due to the pandemic affecting our traditional export markets. Fortunately, the sector quickly recovered from this decline and achieved growth in export volume on an annual basis. I believe that our plastic sector will continue to grow through exports in the coming years and transition to higher value-added production, as PLASFED constantly emphasizes.”
I Follow PLASFED's Work with Appreciation
Muammer Yüceler, a veteran of the plastic industry, noted that the organization of the plastic sector has taken place under very challenging conditions: “In the 1960s and 1970s, when it was difficult to find raw materials, we established PAGDER to increase our bargaining power. Now, seeing that every president and administration over the years has worked selflessly and continued to improve makes us happy. Recently, PLASFED has had very successful initiatives in this regard, and I follow these efforts with appreciation.”
We Must Prepare for the European Green Deal
Mustafa Tacir, who also heads the Sustainability Platform established under the Istanbul Chamber of Industry, stated, “The issue of sustainability stands before us as the hottest agenda of the upcoming period. Especially the Green Deal prepared by the EU, our main export market, will also deeply affect our industry. If our businesses are not well prepared for this process, the possibility of market losses may arise. Therefore, as Ömer Başkan has emphasized, it is of great importance for all NGOs serving the sector to act in coordination.”
2021-2024 PLASFED Management and Audit Committee List
The PLASFED Management and Audit Committees for the 2021-2024 period consist of the following members:
Regular members; Ömer Karadeniz, Şener Gençer, Tolga Kutluğ, Yusuf Özkan, Kağan Yeşil, Selçuk Gülsün, Berat Güzeler, Ayhan Çatalkaya, Hakan Efe, Tarık Özdemir, Burak Darcan.
Audit Committee members; Kenan Benliler, Hüseyin Yücel, Özgür Sönmez.
Translated by Artificial Intelligence
