Export Stars of the Chemical Industry Announced

Export Stars of Chemistry Sector Announced for 2023 The chemistry sector, which achieved USD 30.6 billion in exports in 2023 and ranked second among Turkey's highest-exporting sectors, continued its success with 16 sub-sectors exporting to 230 countries and regions, capturing approximately 13.8 percent of Turkey's total exports according to TİM data. The 2023 İKMİB Export Stars Award Ceremony, held for the ninth time this year by İKMİB to honor and incentivize member companies in the chemistry sector for their successful exports, took place on 22 February 2024. The ceremony, which was also broadcast live on İKMİB's YouTube channel, was attended by Deputy Minister of Commerce Özgür Volkan Ağar, Turkish Exporters Council (TİM) Chair Mustafa Gültepe, İKMİB Board Chair Adil Pelister and representatives of award-winning companies. At the Award Ceremony, 170 companies ranking in the top 5 across a total of 34 categories in chemistry sub-sectors and product groups were awarded, while plaques were presented to 102 companies at the ceremony, those ranking in the top 3.

"A Strong Chemistry Sector Indicates a Strong Economy"

Deputy Minister of Commerce Özgür Volkan Ağar, noting that Turkey has continued to increase exports despite economic, political and social changes occurring globally, stated: "Our country has demonstrated solid foreign trade performance in recent years. While a 5 percent contraction in global merchandise trade was estimated for 2023, our country succeeded in raising exports to USD 255.8 billion in the centennial year of our Republic. Since 2002, we have demonstrated the success of increasing our exports more than sevenfold. Our share of global exports reached 1.6 percent as of September 2023. The chemistry sector has become an integral part of economies in many fields with its strong sub-sectors. More than 80 percent of chemicals produced in the world are used as raw materials or intermediate products in other sectors. Chemistry sector products occupy an important place in every area of our lives. Therefore, a strong chemistry sector is an indicator of a strong economy. As the ministry, we will always stand by our exporters in our vision of reaching high value-added, innovative, highly competitive, dynamic, stable and sustainable exports. I congratulate everyone who played a role, especially İKMİB, and commend our chemistry exporters." [caption id="attachment_159875" align="aligncenter"] From Left to Right: Adil Pelister, Özgür Volkan Ağar, Mustafa Gültepe[/caption]

"We Exported Chemical Products to Over 200 Countries and Regions"

Turkish Exporters Council (TİM) Chair Mustafa Gültepe, saying that chemistry exporters achieved very significant accomplishments with their performance in 2023, stated: "In the centennial year of our Republic, we reached the highest level in our history with USD 255.8 billion in exports. Our chemistry sector has a special place in this success. Chemical substances became our second-largest exporting sector last year with USD 30.6 billion. The Turkish chemistry sector completed 2023 with its head held high, when global trade contracted by approximately 2 trillion dollars. All the companies present in this hall tonight achieved very important accomplishments with their performance last year. We exported chemical products to over 200 countries and regions. From Africa to Europe and Asia, from the Middle East to the Americas, we exported to every region. We succeeded in reaching every part of the world. I sincerely congratulate all our companies that add value to our exports. We have major goals in exports. We started the second hundred years of our Republic with the goal of placing Turkey among the top 10 countries in exports. We will take our first serious test in 2028. As you know, we have an export target of USD 375 billion for 2028 in the 12th Development Plan. Our chemistry sector has an export target of USD 35 billion this year and USD 48 billion for 2028. I believe that by working harder together, we will reach these targets. I sincerely congratulate our award-winning companies."

"We Will Realize the Opening of Our Chemistry Technology Center, Which We See as the First Step of Our Future Vision, in a Few Months"

İKMİB Board Chair Adil Pelister, who delivered the opening remarks of the Award Ceremony, said: "We went through a painful process of serious change and transformation in 2020 and 2021. Then in 2022, the recovery year, as a result of the superior efforts and performance of our chemistry exporters, we became Turkey's first-largest exporting sector with USD 33.6 billion. In 2023, following the devastating earthquake disaster that occurred on 6 February and affected 11 provinces, in which more than 50,000 of our citizens lost their lives and thousands were injured, despite the global recession, we became Turkey's second-largest exporting sector with USD 30.6 billion in exports. The driving force for economic fluctuations to return to an upward trend is high technology, innovation and, accordingly, the ability to create high value-added. With this motivation, as İKMİB we developed our Chemistry Technology Center project, in short, CTM. We view our Chemistry Technology Center as the first step of our future vision. We will, God willing, hold the opening of the CTM in a few months again together. We attach great importance to the CTM, which will provide international certifications, reference testing and analysis laboratories, an entrepreneurship center, an R&D center and a digital library, being the first step for the great Turkish Chemistry sector of the future. Our chemistry sector, which holds an important place in our country's rising exports, accounts for approximately 13 percent of our country's total exports. As İKMİB management, we would like to thank our brave and courageous exporters once again. In 2024, our new target in exports is to exceed USD 35 billion. To achieve this goal, we will carry out many activities together with our exporters."

"We Aim to Exceed USD 50 Billion in Exports and Build a Sustainable Future in a Technology-Compatible Society"

Pelister, emphasizing that as the chemistry sector they supply raw materials, semi-finished and finished products to all 27 sectors, and thus directly or indirectly touch all of them and are therefore proud of the chemistry sector, continued his remarks as follows: "The chemistry sector will be the most important locomotive in Turkey's development. Without chemistry, nothing can be done and a future without chemistry can never be conceived. In this context, our vision is 2030. In determining our vision, we based it on compliance with norms and standards put forward in particular regarding sustainability. For this purpose, we created the Chemistry Sector Sustainability Action Plan report that we announced to the public in recent months. We are also preparing to organize a major chemistry congress with national and international participants in 2025 to create our 2030 Chemistry Industry Strategy together. Our goal now is to move from innovation to digitalization, and at the same time, with a sustainable future framework, capture sectoral growth, exceed USD 50 billion in exports and build 'a sustainable future in a technology-compatible society'. More importantly, we believe and are convinced that it is essential to establish the 'Turkey Chemistry Agency' and, through this agency, establish a 'Chemistry Science and Technology City' similar to Japan's Tsukuba and South Korea's Innopolis science cities, containing a Chemistry Science and Technical University, research institutes, sectoral technology startups and highly qualified employees. This is our main vision that will take us to 2050."

"We Will Continue to Support Our Exporters Around the World"

Pelister, stating that İKMİB has left its mark on dozens of trade fairs, workshops, buying delegations and market research events in pursuit of new markets around the world, said: "We took hundreds of our exporters in this direction to all parts of the world. Together with our individual sub-sectors and sectoral business organizations, we organized various events to increase our exports. We are determined to continue supporting our exporters with these activities. At tonight's 2023 İKMİB Export Stars Award Ceremony, which we are organizing for the ninth time, we will announce our exporters ranking in the top 5 in 34 separate categories. We will present plaques to our exporters ranking in the top 3, to a total of 102 of our companies. Subsequently, we will also present awards to our designers who won prizes in the 'Plastic' category of our Industrial Design Competition, which we are organizing for the 19th time this year. On behalf of our İKMİB Board of Directors, I express our gratitude to our award-winning exporters and designers for both their participation and their contributions to our sector and our country. In the coming period, we will be committed to larger projects and the effort to take our chemistry sector to much greater heights."

Plastic Category Winners Announced

With the partnership of İKMİB and İDDMİB, aiming at the development of high value-added products, the dissemination and encouragement of industrial design activities, and the increase of competitiveness towards exports, the concept of the 2023 İMMİB Industrial Design Competition, organized for the 19th time this year with the support of the Turkish Exporters Council (TİM), T.C. Ministry of Commerce and in cooperation with the Professional Organization of Industrial Designers (ETMK), was determined as "Natural Disasters and Emergency Situations". The winners in the "Plastic finished products" category of the competition, which took place in two categories, "Plastic" and "Metal", were announced at the 2023 İKMİB Export Stars Award Ceremony. First place was won by Nur Sena Selek and Gizem Eldeniz with their Kon project. Second place was won by Menekşe Ban with the Fer Project. Third place was won by Öznur Özbey with the Hugmergency Project. The award-winning designers received their awards from İKMİB Board Chair Adil Pelister and İMMİB General Secretary Dr. S. Armağan Vurdu. You can access the list of all companies that won awards at the 2023 İKMİB Export Stars through the following link. 2023 İKMİB Export Stars Award-Winning Companies