Press Release August 31, 2026
PLASFED President Ömer Karadeniz:
“THE RECOVERY IN INDUSTRY IS PROMISING
HOWEVER, WE MUST FOCUS ON THE QUALITY OF GROWTH”
Evaluating the Turkish economy's 2.3 percent growth in the second quarter of 2026, PLASFED Chairman of the Board Ömer Karadeniz stated that the industry's 2.4 percent growth in the second quarter—following a 0.8 percent contraction in the first quarter—is a positive development. Karadeniz pointed out that for sustainable and robust growth in the industry, financing conditions must be improved, production costs must be reduced, and exports must be supported.
According to data announced by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), the Turkish economy grew by 2.3 percent in the second quarter of 2026 compared to the same period of the previous year. Seasonally and calendar-adjusted GDP increased by 1.1 percent compared to the previous quarter. Among economic activities, industry recorded a growth of 2.4 percent, while the return of the industry—which had contracted by 0.8 percent in the first quarter—to growth caught attention.
Evaluating the growth data, Ömer Karadeniz, Chairman of the Board of the Plastics Industrialists Federation (PLASFED), said that the industry regaining momentum for growth is important in terms of the production power of the Turkish economy.
Karadeniz said, “Following the 0.8 percent contraction experienced by the industrial sector in the first quarter of the year, its 2.4 percent growth in the second quarter is promising in terms of showing that activity has started to revive on the production front. However, for Turkey to enter a sustainable and high-quality growth path, this recovery in industry needs to become permanent.”
“Industrial growth alone is not enough”
Pointing out that sustainable growth of the Turkish economy is only possible by strengthening production and industry, Karadeniz emphasized that the quality of growth is at least as important as the growth rate.
Karadeniz stated, “The industry growing by 2.4 percent is a significant and valuable development. However, the high financing costs, energy and raw material expenses, labor costs, and global competitive pressure faced by our industrialists today continue. Under these conditions, to make the achieved growth permanent, policies that will pull down production costs and support investments need to be strengthened.”
“Plastics sector is the cornerstone of industrial production”
Reminding that the plastics sector provides inputs to a very wide production chain ranging from automotive to packaging, construction to health, Karadeniz stated that the sector holds strategic importance in terms of Turkey's industrial and export capacity. He pointed out that plastics are now used in almost all sectors and constitute an important production area in terms of technology and innovation.
Karadeniz said, “The plastics industry is one of the core sectors of Turkey's production ecosystem. Therefore, we want the recovery in industry to strongly reflect on the plastics sector as well. To achieve this, the problems experienced in raw materials—where our sector has a high rate of foreign dependency—in financing, and in energy costs must be resolved. By preserving our production capacity, we must transition to a higher value-added and more competitive structure.”
For more information and contact:
Nilgün Özdemir / [email protected] / 0532 724 95 90
This content has been translated using artificial intelligence technology.