Istanbul, May 3, 2023
Press Release
“IFAT Eurasia exhibition and conferences provide an organization that focuses on issues of vital importance for the environment.”
“Approximately 35 million tons of municipal waste is generated in Turkey and needs to be recycled.”
“With rapidly growing population and urbanization, the demand for water and environmental solutions in Turkey and the entire Eurasian region is constantly increasing.”
“IFAT Eurasia contributes to clean environment, sustainable living conditions, circular economy and the fight against the climate crisis.”
Turkey is investing heavily in drinking water, wastewater and solid waste infrastructure. The current development plan includes the construction of 1,400 new wastewater treatment plants and 30,000 kilometers of sewers, with a total investment of more than €18 billion. After the earthquake disaster in February, the focus is on rebuilding infrastructure in many settlements. IFAT Eurasia International Environmental Technologies Specialized Fair, organized in this very process, brought together 203 exhibitors representing 381 companies and around 9,000 industry professionals.
IFAT Eurasia, held in Istanbul between April 27-29, proved once again that it is the most important platform for environmental technologies in Turkey and the surrounding regions. Bringing together decision-makers from Asia and Europe, attendance almost doubled compared to 2021.
Organized by EKO MMI Fuarcılık, IFAT Eurasia opened to visitors with a ceremony attended by Jürgen Schulz, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Turkey, and Eyyüp Karahan, Director General of Environmental Management of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change.
Stating that specialized fairs play a major role in the development of business relations between countries with their wide scope, Jürgen Schulz, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Turkey, said: “The German exhibition industry has been putting its signature under the most important fairs of the region for years as a result of its close cooperation with Eko MMI Fuarcılık in Turkey. With IFAT Eurasia exhibition and conferences, an organization that focuses on environmentally vital issues such as water/wastewater management, recycling, waste-to-energy and prevention of environmental pollution, which are among the most important problems of the world today, is being realized.”
In his speech, Eyyüp Karahan, Director General of Environmental Management of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change of the Republic of Turkey, said: “Approximately 35 million tons of municipal waste is generated in Turkey, which needs to be recycled. Approximately 25 percent of this amount can be recycled in Turkey. While the average of recycling in developed countries is around 60 percent, our goal should be to increase this rate and to realize the necessary works in this direction.”
“With rapidly growing population and urbanization, the demand for water and environmental solutions in Turkey and the entire Eurasian region is constantly increasing. The challenge is to find and implement innovative yet economically viable solutions for both the public and private sectors.” said Falk Senger, Member of the Board of Messe Munich; ”Environmental product and service solutions will cover a wide spectrum from access to safe drinking water, industrial and wastewater treatment, professional waste disposal, recovery of raw materials, occupational safety or pollution prevention.”
In his speech, İlker Altun, Managing Director of EKO MMI Fuarcılık Limited Company, explained the importance and the mission of IFAT Eurasia: “The amount and variety of waste is increasing with urbanization and changing consumption habits. A significant portion of waste can be converted into raw materials or energy. This increases the importance of the recycling sector all over the world. IFAT Eurasia contributes to the fight against clean environment, sustainable living conditions, circular economy and climate crisis.” 8,764 people from 80 countries visited IFAT Eurasia, 203 exhibitors representing 381 brands from 10 countries on an area of 28,800 square meters, and Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Germany were the top 3 countries represented by the highest number of companies.
With the events organized by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change of the Republic of Turkey, Marmara Municipalities Union, German Water, Wastewater and Waste Association (DWA) and International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), the environmental investments in our region and the need for restructuring after the earthquake in our country were examined. Among the programs were Turkish-German solutions for digitalization and automation in the water sector and a comprehensive support program focusing on waste management in the healthcare sector.
IREMCON, the 4th International Environment Conference, focused on “Combating Global Climate Change and Strengthening International Cooperation in Waste Management”.