Ankara:Turkish First Lady Emine Erdogan has urged a shift from a "throwaway culture" of single-use products to sustainable consumption focused on durable goods.

According to Anadolu Agency, Emine Erdogan, who also chairs the UN Secretary-General's Advisory Board of Eminent Persons on Zero Waste, delivered her message at the International Energy Agency High-Level Energy Transition Dialogue. She highlighted the link between rising energy demands, driven by consumption, and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events like record temperatures, wildfires, and floods.

Erdogan emphasized the importance of addressing waste's root causes, pointing out that energy, natural resources, and human labor are embedded in discarded products. She cited global food waste as an example, noting that the energy used in its production and distribution is also wasted.

The Turkish first lady stressed the need to abandon single-use products in favor of long-lasting ones for the sake of intergenerational justice. She described nature as a model for circularity, suggesting that production processes be designed to prevent waste and to recycle materials.

Erdogan highlighted Turkey's Zero Waste Project as a guide for energy and resource security, noting its progress since its launch in 2017. Turkey ranks fifth in Europe and 11th worldwide in installed renewable energy capacity and aims to expand solar and wind power capacity to 120,000 megawatts by 2035.

She also expressed Turkey's commitment to advancing the zero-waste approach in preparation for hosting the UN Climate Change Conference COP31 in November. Erdogan concluded by stating that zero waste is key to transformative change in production and consumption.

Following her speech, a roundtable meeting took place with Turkish Cabinet ministers and other officials participating.