Emine Erdoğan, the wife of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, attended a ceremony held at Istanbul Airport for the introduction of the project "Waste to Art" (ARTWİST), inspired by the Zero Waste Project that she oversees.

Before the ceremony, Emine Erdoğan toured the exhibition organized by IGA in collaboration with Minister of Family, Labour, and Social Services Zehra Zümrüt Selçuk. The exhibition showcased recycled artworks created from waste materials, with all proceeds from the auction sales benefiting Child Support Centers (ÇODEM). In her speech during the ceremony, Emine Erdoğan emphasized that Istanbul Airport serves as a gateway for Turkey to the world and that every message conveyed from there reflects a vision they present to the world.

Key Points from Emine Erdoğan's Speech:

Recycling and Energy: Emine Erdoğan highlighted that waste materials, often regarded as trash, are actually untapped energy resources. The "Waste to Art" project was born from the idea of transforming construction waste from the Istanbul Airport project into art. To date, 100 tons of waste have been recycled, leading to various artworks in categories such as "botanical," "fashion," "sculpture," and "usable products."

Plastics in the Oceans: Emine Erdoğan warned about the plastic crisis, stating that the false promise of the "use-and-discard" mentality leads to plastics saturating the oceans. She provided alarming statistics, mentioning that one garbage truck of plastic enters the oceans every minute, a figure that is expected to double by 2030 and quadruple by 2050.

Preserving Nature: She stressed the importance of preserving the beauty of nature, noting that the gift of life is not just for humans but for all living creatures. She urged everyone to consider environmental issues as personal responsibilities and to approach them with awareness.

Call to Action: Emine Erdoğan encouraged individuals to monitor their waste production daily, recognizing that personal awareness is the first step toward minimizing waste. She advocated for rethinking how materials can be repurposed, turning plastic bottles into plant pots or vegetable crates into bookshelves.

Recognition: Following her speech, she presented plaques to various contributors to the project, including architect Seçkin Pirim, Yunus Karma, and others. The auction included 27 artworks, with all proceeds going to support ÇODEM. One highlighted artwork, “Anadolu,” made from waste cutlery, was sold for 500,000 lira.

Emine Erdoğan concluded her remarks by emphasizing that the legacies of civilizations in the 21st century should not be oceans of plastic and mountains of waste, but rather beautiful works that honor and preserve our environment.