Sustainability in the Natural Stone Industry Was Discussed at Marble İzmir
Sustainability in the Natural Stone Industry Was Discussed at Marble İzmir
The Goal in the Natural Stone Industry: "Sustainability"
The 28th edition of Marble İzmir brought together the global natural stone industry at fuarizmir while also providing industry representatives with valuable insights through organized seminars.
Hosted by Izmir Metropolitan Municipality and organized by İZFAŞ, the Marble İzmir International Natural Stone and Technologies Fair continues to contribute to the sector and serve as a gateway for Turkish natural stone to the world. Meanwhile, the seminars held during the event attracted great interest from participants and visitors. The seminar titled "Sustainability in the Natural Stone Industry" was moderated by Efe Nalbantoğlu, a board member of the Aegean Mine Exporters' Association, and featured speakers Anil Taneja, Director of the World Stone Association; Erdoğan Akbulak, Chairman of the Board of Silkar Mining; and Hüdai Kara, Founder and Manager of Metsims Sustainability Consultancy.
The Natural Stone Sustainability Guide Will Serve as a Roadmap for the Industry
Efe Nalbantoğlu, a board member of EMİB, stated:
"In recent years, global trade has been reshaping around sustainability. While green transformation and sustainability principles are at the core of companies' strategies, the natural stone industry has also been affected by this transformation. Even though natural stone production processes have a relatively low carbon footprint and water usage, enriching products and production processes with eco-friendly practices is crucial. To guide the sector, we have recently translated the Natural Stone Sustainability Guide into Turkish."
"In recent years, global trade has been reshaping around sustainability. While green transformation and sustainability principles are at the core of companies' strategies, the natural stone industry has also been affected by this transformation. Even though natural stone production processes have a relatively low carbon footprint and water usage, enriching products and production processes with eco-friendly practices is crucial. To guide the sector, we have recently translated the Natural Stone Sustainability Guide into Turkish."
New Applications Could Drive Growth in the Next-Generation Natural Stone Industry
Anil Taneja, Director of the World Natural Stone Association, emphasized:
"Sustainability is about meeting today’s needs without harming future generations. In many countries worldwide, especially in Northern and Western Europe and the U.S., sustainability criteria are becoming a key factor in projects. New applications could serve as a growth engine for the next-generation natural stone industry."
"Sustainability is about meeting today’s needs without harming future generations. In many countries worldwide, especially in Northern and Western Europe and the U.S., sustainability criteria are becoming a key factor in projects. New applications could serve as a growth engine for the next-generation natural stone industry."
Environmental Product Declarations Will Become Mandatory in Natural Stone
Erdoğan Akbulak, Chairman of the Board of Silkar Mining, highlighted the increasing importance of the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), which is now becoming a requirement in various industries worldwide, particularly in Europe.
"EPD is an independently verified and registered document that transparently presents the environmental impacts of products throughout their lifecycle, including carbon emissions. It provides insights into environmental performance, lifecycle assessment, resource usage, energy consumption, and various emission sources. Not only does it assess the production process, but it also measures carbon emissions during usage. For instance, if a building has a 50-year lifespan, the carbon emissions generated when removing the product from the building are also measured. Data is collected based on the product’s lifecycle, and an inventory is created. Every factor, from A to Z, including all materials consumed per square meter of the final product, is calculated, and the product is certified accordingly."
"EPD is an independently verified and registered document that transparently presents the environmental impacts of products throughout their lifecycle, including carbon emissions. It provides insights into environmental performance, lifecycle assessment, resource usage, energy consumption, and various emission sources. Not only does it assess the production process, but it also measures carbon emissions during usage. For instance, if a building has a 50-year lifespan, the carbon emissions generated when removing the product from the building are also measured. Data is collected based on the product’s lifecycle, and an inventory is created. Every factor, from A to Z, including all materials consumed per square meter of the final product, is calculated, and the product is certified accordingly."
Türkiye Ranks Third in Europe for the Number of EPD Certifications
Joining the seminar online, Hüdai Kara, Founder and Manager of Metsims Sustainability Consultancy, stressed the importance of knowing the environmental performance of construction materials:
"We are moving toward a system where the Environmental Product Declaration will soon be used in all construction materials and other products. We must be prepared to implement a circular economy. Most emissions originate from the construction industry. When evaluating buildings in compliance with the Green Deal, we need to know the carbon emissions per square meter. Questions such as 'What type of materials? High or low emissions?' must be answered. The only document that provides answers to these questions is the Environmental Product Declaration. Türkiye ranks third in Europe for the number of EPD certifications, following Italy and Sweden."
"We are moving toward a system where the Environmental Product Declaration will soon be used in all construction materials and other products. We must be prepared to implement a circular economy. Most emissions originate from the construction industry. When evaluating buildings in compliance with the Green Deal, we need to know the carbon emissions per square meter. Questions such as 'What type of materials? High or low emissions?' must be answered. The only document that provides answers to these questions is the Environmental Product Declaration. Türkiye ranks third in Europe for the number of EPD certifications, following Italy and Sweden."
Australia Presents a Lucrative Market for This Industry
Alper Demir, Management Consultant at Eletra Trade, shared insights on Australia, one of the world's largest importers of natural stone. He discussed business opportunities, cultural aspects of conducting business, and significant legal and commercial developments in the natural stone sector in Australia. The seminar attracted great interest from professionals working in or looking to do business in the natural stone, mining, and construction industries in Australia.
"Australia is a rich and advantageous market, ranking among the world's top 10 wealthiest countries. Türkiye and Australia are friendly nations, and the construction industry is continuously expanding. It’s a promising market," Demir concluded.
"Australia is a rich and advantageous market, ranking among the world's top 10 wealthiest countries. Türkiye and Australia are friendly nations, and the construction industry is continuously expanding. It’s a promising market," Demir concluded.