At the Antalya Zero Waste Workshop, the environmental priorities of the city were discussed ahead of COP31, aiming for local solution proposals to contribute to national climate and zero waste policies.
While preparations for combating climate change continue under Türkiye's COP31 Presidency, the environmental transformation and zero waste agenda in Antalya, the host city of COP31, were addressed through a multi-stakeholder workshop.
The Antalya Zero Waste Workshop, organized within the scope of the "Türkiye Zero Waste, Environment, and Climate Change Workshops" implemented by the Zero Waste Foundation under the vision and auspices of First Lady Emine Erdoğan—Founder of the Zero Waste Movement, Chairperson of the United Nations Advisory Board of Eminent Persons on Zero Waste, and Honorary Chairperson of the Zero Waste Foundation—was held under the auspices of the Antalya Governorate with the theme "From Local to National: Squander and Waste."
Approximately 400 people, including about 350 legal entities, attended the workshop held at the Kepez Municipality Mimar Sinan Congress Center in cooperation with the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality, Antalya Provincial Directorate of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, Antalya Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry, and Akdeniz University.
Environmental Priorities Determined for Antalya, Host of COP31
Within the scope of the workshop, the current situation of Antalya in the fields of climate change, resource management, waste, and combating squander was evaluated, and the city's environmental priorities ahead of COP31 were discussed.
In the workshop, which was held with the participation of representatives from public institutions, local governments, universities, non-governmental organizations, professional chambers, and the private sector, solution proposals for preventing squander, increasing resource efficiency, strengthening the circular economy, combating climate change, and developing local environmental policies were evaluated.
The local needs, problem areas, and good practice examples put forward at the workshop aim to contribute to Antalya's preparations during the COP31 process and to Türkiye's national climate policies.
Key Messages from the Workshop
Samed Ağırbaş (President of Zero Waste Foundation and COP31 Climate Champion)
"We are organizing environment and climate change workshops in our 81 provinces. Our main goal here is to gather citizens and stakeholders living in the cities at the same table and find solutions to the city's problems with a common mind. Environment and climate change are our common problems that affect all people in the city."
Ağırbaş also announced that a comprehensive meeting on plastic pollution will be held in Antalya with the participation of 14 ministries and 40 provincial directorates, aiming to combat plastic pollution on the Mediterranean and Aegean coasts.
Hulusi Şahin (Governor of Antalya)
"There are achievers in Antalya. They exist in tourism and industry. We want to tell these stories at COP31. How many cities are there where you can swim anywhere along a 640-kilometer coastline? Let's share the good examples. The workshop, which adds a link to the chain of our Zero Waste Foundation, is an opportunity. Greater opportunities will come. And the biggest opportunity will come on November 9."
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu (Antalya Deputy and Head of the Turkish Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly)
"This crisis affects not only the environment but also intergenerational justice and the economy. Squander stands before us not only as an economic issue but also as an environmental and moral one. True transformation begins locally and within life. Our municipalities are the most important implementers of this transformation."
Prof. Dr. Özlenen Özkan (Rector of Akdeniz University)
"As a city, we are right in the middle of this crisis. The Mediterranean Basin is warming 20 percent above the global average. The right steps starting in a home or a school turn into a massive healing movement. Akdeniz University will be a university that not only talks about the environment but also produces science."
Antalya's Environmental Future Discussed at 16 Thematic Tables
Environment and resource management were evaluated with a holistic approach at 16 thematic tables formed within the scope of the Antalya Zero Waste Workshop.
In the studies carried out under the headings of nature and resource management, production and consumption cycle, living spaces and service sectors, and governance and financing; topics such as climate change and disaster management, water efficiency, food waste, plastic and packaging management, energy transition, industry and circular economy, sustainable tourism, public space management, social awareness, institutional coordination, green financing, and data management were addressed.
A Strong Step from Local to Global on the Road to COP31
The table reports prepared at the workshop will form the basis for the preparation of the Local Zero Waste Target Document, which will be announced at the Antalya Workshop Results Conference. By transferring the local knowledge and experience put forward in Antalya to national evaluation processes under the coordination of the Zero Waste Foundation, it is aimed that the workshop outputs will contribute to the development of Türkiye's zero waste, environment, and climate policies.
The evaluations put forward at the workshop will contribute to the environmental transformation agenda of the city that will host COP31 starting on November 9, 2026, in Antalya, while also forming a significant foundation for carrying local-to-national efforts to global climate action.
