At a meeting organized by the Zero Waste Foundation, the United Nations in Türkiye and UN Global Compact Türkiye, the contribution of Türkiye’s private sector to the COP31 process was addressed through the themes of biodiversity, water management, inclusiveness and just transition.
Efforts to strengthen the role of the business community in climate action continue ahead of COP31, to be held in Antalya under Türkiye’s hosting.
The third meeting of “Towards COP31: The Role of the Private Sector in the Climate Action Agenda – Private Sector Engagement Series”, organized by the Zero Waste Foundation, the United Nations in Türkiye and UN Global Compact Türkiye, was held in Istanbul.
At the meeting, themed “Biodiversity and Just Transition”, participants focused on reflecting climate goals in the business community’s production, investment, supply chain and employment processes, identifying the challenges companies face, and developing concrete solution proposals that can be carried into the COP31 process.
The vision put forward by Emine Erdoğan, Founder of the Zero Waste Movement, Chair of the United Nations High-Level Advisory Board on Zero Waste and Honorary President of the Zero Waste Foundation, on protecting resources, preventing waste, strengthening a culture of sustainable living and spreading the circular economy approach formed an important framework that intersects with the multi-stakeholder climate action approach addressed at the meeting.
At the meeting, organized in line with the implementation-oriented approach that stands out in COP31 preparations led by Murat Kurum, Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change and President of COP31, it was assessed that the private sector should be positioned not only as an implementer of climate goals, but also as a partner in solutions and investment.
New Areas for the Business Community in COP31’s Implementation Agenda
Samed Ağırbaş, President of the Zero Waste Foundation and COP31 High-Level Climate Champion, also attended the meeting.
Drawing attention to how the “The World Is Our Shared Home” understanding put forward by Emine Erdoğan, Chair of the United Nations High-Level Advisory Board on Zero Waste and Honorary President of the Zero Waste Foundation, has spread globally, Ağırbaş said that the journey of the Zero Waste Movement, which began in 2017, was carried to a global stage when the United Nations General Assembly declared 30 March the International Day of Zero Waste and a Zero Waste Advisory Board was established under the UN.
The Private Sector Will Be an Implementation Partner in Climate Transformation
Also drawing attention to the role of the private sector in climate and environmental transformation, Ağırbaş said that, as the Zero Waste Foundation, they hold consultation meetings and workshops in all 81 provinces of Türkiye and in different regions of the world, and strive to bring different groups together around a common table. Stating that work carried out without involving the private sector cannot be sustainable or lasting, Ağırbaş said they had presented to the nation a TRY 10 billion financing package in cooperation with the Zero Waste Foundation and VakıfBank, and that they aim to make available more than TRY 100 billion in financing packages over the next two years through cooperation with banks in Türkiye. Noting that a shared understanding had been built at today’s meeting on biodiversity, water management, inclusiveness and just transition, Ağırbaş stressed that the goal is to answer not only the question of “what should be done,” but also “who will do it, how will they do it and how will we measure it.”
The Realities on the Ground Will Be Brought to the Agenda in Antalya
Also referring to Türkiye’s preparations for COP31, Ağırbaş said that COP31, whose preparations continue under the leadership of Murat Kurum, Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change and President of COP31, will bring together more than 100,000 people from 197 countries across different parts of the world in Antalya. Saying, “We say let COP31 be everyone’s COP. Let it be a meeting where the realities on the ground are discussed,” Ağırbaş stressed that the realities of the climate crisis on the ground must be brought to the diplomatic table and that action must be taken rather than making new commitments. Ağırbaş said: “We want to approach climate and environmental issues with a results-oriented and solution-oriented mindset.”
Nature and Just Transition Will Be Addressed Together on the COP31 Agenda
Dr. Babatunde A. Ahonsi, UN Resident Coordinator in Türkiye, said: “Climate action cannot be separated from how we manage our land, our water, our forests and our biodiversity. COP31 offers an opportunity to turn the sustainable management of natural resources and a just transition that leaves no one behind into concrete action.”
İhsan Erbil Bayçöl, Board Member of UN Global Compact Türkiye, said: “An inclusive and just transformation is critically important for realizing COP31’s goals on clean energy transition and green industrialization. The shift to new technologies will change jobs and required skills in some sectors, and will affect the employment structure and the economic conditions of local communities. At today’s workshop, we will address who will be most affected by this change, how companies will prepare their skills development and employment plans, and which partnerships and financing instruments can support those plans. We aim to put forward a strong implementation perspective based on the business community’s experience for the COP31 Action Agenda. In the period ahead, the most critical factor determining our success in climate action will be the capacity of different stakeholders to move together toward the same goal.”
At the meeting, Sarp Kalkan, COP31 Business Envoy, shared the framework for the COP31 Business Forum and the business community’s participation in the process.
Measurable Results in Companies’ Climate Action Are on the Agenda
At the meeting, held in line with COP31’s focus on implementation, the responsibilities the private sector can take on in carrying climate goals into the transformation of sectors were assessed.
While the contributions the business community can make to climate action were addressed across areas ranging from production processes to supply chains, and from investments to technology choices and employment policies, proposals were developed to strengthen cooperation among the public sector, the private sector, international organizations and other stakeholders.
The importance of supporting Türkiye’s work on green transformation, low-carbon development, resource efficiency and sustainable production with the private sector’s transformation capacity was stressed.
Solution Areas for Business on Biodiversity and Water
In the first working group, titled “Biodiversity and Water Management”, the biodiversity- and water-related risks that businesses face in terms of their operations, supply chains and raw material sourcing regions were assessed.
Approaches to developing companies’ capacity to identify, assess and manage their dependencies on biodiversity and their impacts on nature were addressed.
In addition, the challenges encountered in setting nature-related targets, increasing water efficiency, managing water resources effectively and developing collective action at the basin scale were discussed.
Assessments were made of the measurable commitments, partnerships, initiatives and policy proposals that Türkiye’s private sector can put forward on biodiversity and water management during the COP31 process.
Employment and Skills Transformation in Just Transition Were Addressed
In the second working group, titled “Inclusive and Just Transition”, the social and economic effects of the transition to a low-carbon economy on Türkiye’s economy and workforce were assessed.
While the sectors and social groups that may be more affected by the transformation were addressed, how companies can integrate a just transition approach into their climate and decarbonization strategies was assessed.
In addition to the challenges encountered in terms of policy, finance, capacity and institutional structure, the support mechanisms needed were also discussed.
Within the scope of the new skills and employment needs brought by the green transformation, the steps companies can take to help employees reskill and develop their existing competencies were addressed. Cooperation models that can be established among the public sector, the private sector, educational institutions and other stakeholders were also considered.
The working group also worked on concrete commitments, partnerships, initiatives and policy proposals that Türkiye’s private sector can offer the COP31 process on just transition.
Dialogue with the Business Community Deepens on the Road to COP31
The second meeting of the Private Sector Engagement Series, which began on 21 May 2026 under the theme “Climate Action and Sustainable Finance”, had been held on 3 July 2026 under the title “Circular Economy and Innovation”.
The first meeting had addressed mitigation and decarbonization pathways, climate change adaptation and resilience, climate finance and investments, and corporate climate targets and reporting.
The second meeting had assessed circular business models, the transformation of value chains, waste management and resource recovery, green technologies, innovation and digital solutions, and the financing and market mechanisms that support circular transformation.
With the third meeting, the focus of the series shifted to biodiversity, water management, inclusiveness and just transition.
Meeting Outcomes Will Contribute to the COP31 Action Agenda
At the meeting, the assessments made in the working groups were addressed in the plenary session, and the private sector’s experiences, needs and solution proposals on climate action were evaluated on common ground.
The proposals emerging from the working groups are intended to contribute to shaping the thematic contributions and commitments of Türkiye’s private sector on climate action during the COP31 process.
While the Private Sector Engagement Series creates a multi-stakeholder dialogue platform that brings the business community’s experience and needs together with decision-making processes in line with COP31’s implementation approach, it aims to continue work on developing the private sector’s concrete contributions until COP31 in Antalya.
