The name of transformation: Sustainable Manufacturing
Our 2024 Sustainability Report is Now Available
ICI Sustainability Report 2024

About the Report

As the Istanbul Chamber of Industry (ICI), we carry out our work with the aim of increasing the production capability of our industry and contributing to the national economy. In line with this goal, we adopt a “sustainable manufacturing” approach and place sustainability among our most important focus areas.

We are pleased to present our fourth sustainability report, the ICI Sustainability Report 2024, which highlights our initiatives and efforts, to inform and engage our stakeholders. The reporting period of ICI sustainability reports is annual and the information in this report covers our activities between January 1 and December 31, 2024. The report includes the environmental, social, and economic impacts of our activities as well as our objectives.

Message from the Chairman

As the Istanbul Chamber of Industry, we have been diversifying our activities to support the enhancement of the capacity of our business world in the global value chain in order to carry these efforts forward since our establishment in 1952. In this context, we closely follow developments in the field of sustainability, which has now become a criterion for global trade, and we carry out activities within the framework of our “sustainable manufacturing” approach.

We believe that sustainability approach with its economic, social and environmental dimensions should be internalized and handled as a part of manufacturing processes, and we focus on sustainability in all our activities from vocational training to R&D and technology studies, from energy to foreign trade, and we continue our work without slowing down. In the coming period, we will continue to work with the awareness of our social and environmental responsibilities and our determination to be a pioneer in the field of sustainability, taking into account the national and international interests of our country. As the Istanbul Chamber of Industry, we are pleased to share our fourth sustainability report with the public, which includes our activities we carried out in 2024 with the understanding of “The Name of Transformation: Sustainable Manufacturing”, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our stakeholders who supported us in our work.

Erdal Bahçıvan
Istanbul Chamber of Industry
Chairman

A Stronger Future through the Vision of “Sustainable Manufacturing”

Sustainability at the Istanbul Chamber of Industry

As an organization that provides high-value innovative services to industrial companies and supports the sustainable development of our industry, we believe that new mechanisms in international trade will present risks and opportunities in the context of sustainability. Consequently, we believe that the green and digital transition is a necessity for our country's industry. We have adopted a 'sustainable manufacturing' approach that places a strong emphasis on environmental and social factors, particularly climate change, at the heart of our operations and initiatives.

In line with this commitment, we introduced "Resilience of Industry" as an additional thematic focus in 2024, complementing our five existing themes. Furthermore, we continue to prioritize “Sustainability-Focused Innovation” and “Digital Transformation,” which serve as cross-cutting pillars across all six thematic areas, driving our efforts toward a more sustainable and resilient future.

Our Sustainability Thematic Map

  • Climate Change and Sustainable Industry
  • Circular Economy
  • Future of Work
  • Safe Working Environment
  • Sustainable Finance
  • Resilience of Industry
  • Sustainability-Oriented Innovation
  • Digital Transformation

ICI Sustainability Platform

The ICI Sustainability Platform was established in 2021 to develop strategic recommendations for ICI’s sustainability-related activities and foster synergy by bringing together key stakeholders in the field. Functioning as a think tank, the platform operates under the leadership of ICI Board Member Sultan Tepe.

The platform convenes regularly, bringing together industrialists, academics, public and private sector representatives, and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) with significant contributions to sustainability. Through these collaborative efforts, the platform continues to drive impactful initiatives and innovation in sustainability.

Values Created by the Istanbul Chamber of Industry

VALUES CREATED FOR MEMBERS
  • Contribution to the Economy
  • Contribution to Sustainable Manufacturing
  • Contribution to Internationalization
  • Contribution to Innovation
  • Contribution to Working Life
VALUES CREATED FOR ENVIRONMENT
VALUES CREATED FOR EMPLOYEES
  • Employee Rights and Development
  • Safe Workplace
  • Equal Opportunity and Diversity
VALUES CREATED FOR SOCIETY

Our 2024 Impact Map

Contribution to the Economy

748 Proposed Recommendations

In 2024, our professional committees adopted 844 resolutions on economic as well as environmental and social matters during 676 committee meetings.

In addition, 28 sector-specific consultation meetings were held with members, stakeholders and joint committees to address industry challenges, solution proposals and cooperation opportunities.

Over 11,000 Reports

In 2024, we prepared over 11,000 expert reports, including Import and Customs Expertise Reports, Capacity Reports and Export Incentive and Export-Related Expertise Reports. We aim to leverage this extensive industrial data to generate higher value both within our organization and for the wider ecosystem.

ISO 500

We continued our long-standing research titled “Türkiye’s Top 500 Industrial Enterprises (ISO 500)”, one of the most significant reference sources on the development of Türkiye’s industry for over half a century. Complementing this effort, we also sustained the “Türkiye’s Second Top 500 Industrial Enterprises (ISO Second 500)” study, which has been conducted since 1997 and continues to shed light on the advancement of small and medium-sized industrial enterprises.

Guidance Across 10 Sectors

We updated the Sectoral Sustainability Roadmaps, originally published in 2022 to support SME awareness and capacity-building for the green transition, by integrating the latest developments under the European Green Deal and related regulations. Through the ICI Sectoral Sustainability Roadmaps Training Series, we reached 137 participants across 10 sectors.

Approximately 150 Corporate Carbon Footprint Consultancies

Through our Corporate Carbon Footprint Consultancy Project, we support member companies in calculating and reporting their corporate greenhouse gas inventories—an essential step towards a low-carbon economy. The number of applications for the program, which expanded under the European Enterprise Network in 2024, has reached approximately 150.

Over 1,000 Participants in Climate-Focused Trainings

Following the launch of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) transition period on October 1, 2023, we rapidly engaged our industrial community by organizing the CBAM Technical Training on the Implementation Regulation and continued our Corporate Carbon Footprint Trainings throughout the year, reaching over 1,000 participants.

CBAM Implementation Guides

In cooperation with the Ministry of Trade, we published CBAM Implementation Guides for the Aluminum and Iron & Steel sectors, addressing reporting obligations and practical implementation challenges. Through our CBAM training programs and briefing events, we brought together national and international experts with nearly 650 participants.

33,836 Unique Visitors – ICI Green Blog

Through the ICI Green Blog, where we share news and developments to strengthen awareness and knowledge—particularly for SMEs—we reached 33,836 unique users in 2024.

TÜBİTAK Green Innovation Technology Mentorship Program

As a solution partner of this national program, we support SMEs in accessing the technologies and innovations needed in their green transformation journeys.

ClimaTech4Industry

Within the TÜBİTAK–MAM project, we carried out committee meetings, trainings and webinars to assess climate risks, strengthen adaptation capacity, and increase the resilience of climate-sensitive industrial subsectors in İstanbul.

Industry Report on Climate Change and Water Management

Recognizing water resource efficiency as an integral part of sustainable production, we jointly prepared the “Climate Change and Water Management: Industrial Sector Report” with Istanbul Technical University and shared it publicly in 2024.

ICI Industrial Sustainability Trend Survey 2024

In cooperation with Ipsos, we publicly launched the first edition of the ICI’s Research on Sustainability Trends in Industry, the first study in Türkiye focusing exclusively on industry-wide sustainability trends.

ICI Energy Desk

With our Energy Desk, we provided expert consultancy on electricity procurement and solar energy systems (PV/ESS), supporting sustainable production and cost predictability for our members.

ICI Sustainability Maturity Self-Assessment Platform

To help companies understand and improve their environmental and social performance, we launched the ICI Sustainability Maturity Self-Assessment Platform, offering ICI member industrial firms free access.

COP29 Participation

Acknowledging the importance of global cooperation in combating climate change, we took part in UNFCCC COP29, the world’s largest climate governance platform.

Over 5,000 B2B Meetings

Throughout 2024, we organized international trade missions and business meetings to help our members access global opportunities, and delivered numerous seminars, training programs and projects.

Target Market Research Consultancy

Through our Target Market Research Consultancy, we delivered 15 Target Market Reports and 29 Target Customer Intelligence Services to 30 companies, supporting exporters in identifying high-potential markets and strategic positioning opportunities.

476 Bilateral Business Meetings – Enterprise Europe Network

Under the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), of which we have been an active member since 2008, 252 companies took part in 15 international matchmaking events and conducted 476 bilateral business meetings, resulting in over 10 cooperation agreements. Additionally, we provided 107 consultancy services on internationalization, innovation, digital transformation and carbon footprint.

MIND4MACHINES

As the coordinator of the €5 million MIND4MACHINES Project, supporting smart digital solutions for manufacturing SMEs and start-ups, we successfully completed the project in November 2024.

Istanbul Project Academy

We continued the activities of the Istanbul Project Academy, fostering collaboration between industry, universities and technology transfer offices.

ICI Young Researchers Program

Through the ICI Young Researchers Program, we supported university projects that contribute to industrial innovation, receiving project and thesis requests from 23 companies in 2024.

Approximately 64,000 Participants in ICI Academy

Under ICI Academy, we delivered 408 training programs in 2024, including online courses, webinars, classroom trainings and mini-MBA sessions, reaching 63,744 participants and delivering 2,362 hours of training.

Turkey Industrial Workforce Training Needs Survey

Together with TEGEP and other chambers of industry, we completed the Corporate Training Research Report, providing a strategic and data-driven reference for workforce development investments.

298 Companies – ISOBEL Trainings

Through our certification company ISOBEL, we organized 36 public trainings and 16 in-house programs, reaching over 1,000 participants in 2024.

Future of Work in Manufacturing – ManuFoW Project

Supported by the EU and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, the ManuFoW Project delivered 55 training programs across six technology verticals, reaching over 2,000 participants between October 2023 and September 2024.

3,850 Participants – Occupational Health and Safety Symposium

We hosted the ICI Occupational Health and Safety Symposium & TOS+H Expo with 55 expert speakers and 3,850 participants.

Earthquake Resilience and Disaster Management

We continued our educational programs on industrial disaster preparedness, reaching over 3,100 participants.

Employee Development

In 2024, our in-house training programs delivered an average of 25.3 training hours per employee, including 31.76 hours for women and 30.52 hours for men.

42.2% Women Employment Rate

We continued to promote gender equality in recruitment and career development, with 42.2% female employment overall and 39.1% female representation in managerial roles.

Zero Waste Certificate

With our Zero Waste Certificate and circular waste management practices in the Odakule building, we minimized waste generation and increased recycling in alignment with the Zero Waste Regulation.

ICI Corporate Carbon Footprint

We continued to calculate and verify our own corporate carbon footprint in accordance with TS EN ISO 14064-1:2019.

ICI–MEIP Vocational Education Project

Through the ICI–MEIP Project, carried out with the Ministry of National Education, we continued to elevate the reputation and quality of vocational education, expanding cooperation to Şırnak, Yalova and Bingöl in 2024.

ICI 100th Anniversary Republic Kindergarten

We supported early childhood education by constructing and opening a 12-class kindergarten in Sancaktepe, equipped with social and educational facilities.

1,400 Scholarship Students – ISOV

Through the ISOV Scholarship Program, we supported 1,300 engineering students, while also delivering 35 training programs to scholarship holders.

ISO Art Gallery

To contribute to culture and the arts, the ISO Art Gallery continued to host exhibitions in various disciplines including painting, sculpture, photography, ceramics, graphic arts, textile, digital art and industrial design.

Istanbul Chamber of Industry Sustainability Performance
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