Yasemin Köse

Yasemin Köse is an industrial designer, entrepreneur, and researcher who believes in the power of design to address one of the world’s most pressing challenges: waste. For the past decade, she has dedicated her design practice to waste systems through ROKA, the brand she founded in 2016. ROKA’s recycling bins and waste separation systems are used by leading private and public institutions across Türkiye and Europe. With licensed production in the Netherlands, multiple registered industrial designs, and a patent, ROKA brings design thinking and innovation into waste management.

During her master’s studies in Industrial Design at Istanbul Technical University, she introduced “İleri Dönüşüm” as the Turkish equivalent of upcycling in her master’s thesis, marking the term’s first use in Turkish academic discourse. Her pioneering upcycling designs gained international media attention, including MAKE Magazine and Recyclart. Convinced that a world without waste must be designed from the beginning, she recently founded the Circular Design Center, an initiative focused on material futures and circular production systems. Her background in chemical engineering supports this interdisciplinary approach.

She also contributes to circular and social design education through lectures, workshops, and university programs, serving as a guest lecturer and jury member at universities, including the Istanbul Planning Agency. She is currently focused on expanding ROKA’s presence in and product range worldwide, while developing an exhibition and a book on industrial upcycling.