GSO-MEM continues its Green Transformation activities at full speed in line with the goals of sustainable production and environmentally friendly industry.

Taking important steps for industry to adapt to changing environmental conditions and transition to a more sustainable production approach, the Gaziantep Chamber of Industry Vocational Training and Consultancy Center (GSO-MEM) continues to guide industrial enterprises in the region with training and awareness projects.

GSO-MEM carries out activities in many areas such as carbon footprint calculation for industrial enterprises, energy efficiency training, the use of renewable energy resources in industry, and sustainable production techniques. In addition, support is provided to industrialists in green certification processes, contributing to making enterprises compliant with international standards.

Ali Can Koçak, Chairman of the Board of GSO-MEM, underlined the critical importance of green transformation for the future of industry in his statement on the projects carried out and said:

“In industrial production, the use of sustainable energy for efficiency and savings has now become not a choice but an obligation. As the Gaziantep Chamber of Industry Vocational Training and Consultancy Center, we are developing comprehensive training programs, consultancy services and projects for the implementation of new technologies in order to prepare our industrialists for this transformation. The adaptation of Gaziantep industry to green transformation is of great importance both for environmental sustainability and for competitiveness in international markets. With its environmentally friendly production approach, Gaziantep will play a leading role in Türkiye’s and the world’s economy and will shape its sustainable future within the scope of green transformation efforts.”

Stating that as of 2026, sanctions will be applied to products exported to the EU that do not comply with emission values, and that GSO continues its work in this regard, Ali Can Koçak said:

“Under the leadership of the Gaziantep Chamber of Industry, we at GSO-MEM carry out international-standard carbon footprint calculations for our companies, determine their green transformation roadmaps, and provide guidance to them. The software we use in our green transformation activities, verified on the broadest scale, has been approved by the Turkish Standards Institution (TSE). As the only TÜBİTAK solution partner in our region, with applications made to GSO-MEM, our SMEs can benefit from grant supports and their transformation process is carried out in cooperation with GSO-MEM. So far, within the framework of the TÜBİTAK Solution Partnership program, we have provided corporate carbon footprint calculation and reporting mentorship services to more than 32 SMEs from different provinces of our country and to more than 100 companies in total. Many of our companies whose service processes have been completed have received verification certificates from national/international accredited verification organizations.”

Koçak continued:

“In order to support the green transformation of SMEs in Gaziantep, we signed a cooperation protocol on SME eco-transformation between the Gaziantep Chamber of Industry Vocational Training and Consultancy Center and Akbank. With the Akbank SME eco-transformation package, companies that will invest in green transformation, energy efficiency and waste management will be provided with loans at advantageous interest rates within the framework of their own credit policies, and thus we will contribute to the green transformation processes of SMEs in Gaziantep. In addition, support programs are offered to companies within the scope of the Türkiye Green Industry Project. The participation of our companies in these support mechanisms will make significant contributions to this process.”

Stating that they are the first Chamber of Industry to receive an international green energy certificate, Ali Can Koçak said:

“All the electricity used by our Chamber is produced entirely from renewable energy sources and no carbon emissions are released into nature. As a result of our successful efforts, we became the first chamber to calculate, report and complete the verification of its corporate carbon footprint according to the ISO 14064-1 standard. By achieving a first in our country, we prepared the Climate Action Plan of the Gaziantep Organized Industrial Zone with the goal of becoming a green OIZ. From the beginning, we carried out the feasibility study for the Footwear Specialized Organized Industrial Zone with the aim of it being established as a green OIZ. When completed, our Polateli-Şahinbey Organized Industrial Zone, which will be Türkiye’s largest organized industrial zone with an area of 45 million square meters, will implement our symbiosis project, where waste from one factory will be used as raw material in another factory. With our symbiosis project, we will make an important contribution to the ‘Circular Economy,’ one of the most important components of the Green Deal. We installed solar panels on the roof of our Model Factory. In this way, we provide the electricity used in our GSO-MEM and Model Factory from renewable energy sources. In the 24th Public Quality Symposium / Sustainable Transformation in Energy program, organized in cooperation with the Turkish Quality Association (KALDER) Ankara Branch and the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EPDK), our ‘Gaziantep Green Transformation Movement Project’ received the Jury Encouragement Award. With the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism set to start at the beginning of 2026 within the framework of Green Deal criteria, we invite all our companies to our Vocational Training Center to realize their green and digital transformations.”