Until recently, production models developed according to market conditions focused on reducing costs and increasing profitability at the expense of the destruction of natural resources and the deterioration of ecological balance and human health. However, today, with the effects of the deterioration in the ecosystem reaching sensible dimensions and being accepted as a global threat, a new production approach is needed. Due to environmental pressures, new markets and scarce resources, development, and economic growth are being tried to be redefined. Traditional production methods and environmental technologies are no longer sufficient to provide resource efficiency and increase environmental performance. Therefore, the need for new systems, processes and technologies has arisen for the restructuring of the industry and the creation of green business models. In this chapter, it is discussed how the cleaner production approach will contribute to this transformation, considering the green transformation efforts in question and considering the current situation of the Turkish industry.
Top1. Introduction
The world economy, which continues to grow in an uncontrolled way, brings an intense consumption pressure on raw materials and energy resources, and causes environmental problems to increase. Especially in the period from 1980 to the present, there has been a significant increase in the use of global resources and, accordingly, environmental problems. In addition to ensuring economic growth and prosperity, countries need to take more effective decisions in the long term to prevent the adverse impacts of these economic activities on the environment and to protect natural assets.
With population growth and more consumption, production has gradually increased. The basis of the production approach is the linear economy model based on fossil fuels. In this model, economic activities based on carbon emissions, which are based on growth, first brought the world to the climate crisis, and then overcome the deepening problems of the crisis, the consequences of the destruction of nature such as weather events (hot and cold air waves, storms, floods, droughts, forest fires, etc.), loss of biodiversity. By confronting humanity with the last global health threat, the Covid-19 pandemic. All of the five hottest years on record were experienced after 2015, 25 percent of all plant and animal species on the planet are in danger of extinction (OECD, 2020), and as a result of record increases in greenhouse gas emissions and heavy destructions, the planet's oceans, glaciers, forests, etc. It has been demonstrated by many different studies that vital variables are moved to irreversible limit points (Ripple et al. 2021).
Today, economic development and growth are tried to be redefined due to environmental pressures, new markets and scarce resources. It is obvious that traditional production methods and environmental technologies are no longer sufficient to ensure resource efficiency and increase environmental performance. To struggle these problems, the restructuring of the industry and the emergence of sustainable business models are important. At this point, new methods, systems, processes and technologies that use resources more efficiently are needed. Sustainable production/business models, low-carbon and resource-efficient industry and green growth should be targeted in the upcoming period.
If there is a quality interaction between the environment and the economy, the concept of sustainability can be mentioned in countries. However, ensuring that this relationship between economic activities and the environment is effective is a challenging process that is not easy. As a result of human activities all over the world, the environment has come under great pressure, and it has become inevitable for this issue to become a global problem. In recent years, biological environmental risks and damages have clearly proven their existence. The basis of these losses is based on some indices such as energy, investment and employment used in industrial and economic activities (Zahra et.al, 2019).
In the first part of the study, a conceptual framework was drawn on cleaner production and green (or clean) technologies. Then, the issue of cleaner production practices in the industrial sector, especially in the manufacturing industry, was revealed. In the third part, the existing situation in the era of cleaner production in Turkey is explained. In this context, information on national legislation, relevant organizations, activities, and projects carried out, practices in the industrial area, particularly in the manufacturing industry, and a general assessment were presented. In the fourth chapter, the steps to be taken towards the green transformation of the industry in Turkey are discussed.