Source:pagev.net

At the Traditional PAGEV Iftar, Our Students Came Together with the Industry…

 

PAGEV, the unifying force of the plastics industry, brought together its members and industry representatives at its traditional iftar dinner held at the Istanbul Congress Center. The iftar, which also included the graduation ceremony of students from Gebze and Küçükçekmece PAGEV Vocational and Technical Anatolian High Schools, was marked by the announcement made by PAGEV, PAGÇEV, and SEM Plastik Chairman Yavuz Eroğlu regarding debt restructuring support from Eximbank. Eroğlu stated that Eximbank would restructure the debts of plastic bag manufacturers, resolving an issue that PAGEV had highlighted earlier this year concerning the paid plastic bag regulation.

The Turkish Plastics Industry Foundation for Research, Development, and Education (PAGEV) hosted industry representatives at its traditional iftar dinner at the Istanbul Congress Center. Turkey’s rapidly growing plastics sector also witnessed the excitement of the graduation ceremony for students from Gebze and Küçükçekmece PAGEV Vocational and Technical Anatolian High Schools. The event, organized under PAGEV’s auspices, was attended by Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO) President Şekib Avdagiç, Provincial Director of National Education Levent Yazıcı, as well as key figures from the chemical, plastics, and recycling sectors, representatives of NGOs, and various institutions supporting the industry.

Speaking at the iftar gathering, PAGEV Chairman Yavuz Eroğlu highlighted that the paid plastic bag regulation had caused significant difficulties for manufacturers due to its flawed implementation. He said, “Today, around 2,000 of our member companies produce plastic bags, contributing to the national economy. However, the paid plastic bag regulation introduced at the beginning of the year contained numerous procedural and substantive deficiencies, putting these companies in a very difficult position. Manufacturers were never opposed to paid bags; they only demanded a fair application, aligned with EU regulations.

As PAGEV, we give a voice to our companies, presenting their legitimate demands on every platform and working intensively to ensure the necessary adjustments are made. So far, we have held direct meetings with eight of our Ministers, outlining the deficiencies in the legislation and proposing solutions. When decisions affecting industries are made, it is crucial that thorough impact analyses are conducted. During the preparation of regulations, sector representatives must be included in consultations; otherwise, serious damage can occur to production and industry. Unfortunately, these shortcomings can also have tragic human consequences. Recently, we received the sad news that a plastic bag manufacturer in distress took their own life.

To prevent such tragic outcomes, every step must be carefully calculated. When this law was enacted, our producers were adversely affected, and many companies unaware of the regulation incurred various debts. Even our Ministry of Economy was providing incentives to bag manufacturers just one month before the law was changed. Unfortunately, the 10 kuruş that retailers received from the 25 kuruş paid by consumers created a powerful lobbying group behind this process. PAGEV had delayed this process back in 2018, but it was enforced again in 2019.

As a result, most of our manufacturing companies now have significant debts to banks. PAGEV has worked intensively on this matter. We requested debt restructuring for both tax obligations and bank loans at the government level and through the Banks Association. One of the meaningful results of these efforts came on Friday, May 10. In a letter from Eximbank, we were informed that debt restructuring for plastic bag manufacturers with loan obligations had been approved. Consequently, companies with such debts can directly contact Eximbank to request restructuring. We thank everyone who heard our voice and supported our sector. We will continue to fight for our other legitimate demands regarding legislation.”