The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) pilot implementation started as of October 1, 2023. In order not to be affected by CBAM, which will come into full force as of 2026, Turkish export companies need to calculate the carbon emissions of their products and take measures to reduce their carbon footprints.
The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which were implemented to minimize the effects of the climate crisis, are preparing to change the course of global trade in the coming years. The pilot implementation of CBAM, which was implemented in line with the European Union’s (EU) goal of reducing the carbon footprint by 50 percent by 2030 and being carbon-neutral in 2050, started as of October 1, 2023. In the first place, there is a risk of carbon leakage; CBAM, which will be applied to sectors such as fertilizer, iron and steel, aluminum and cement, will cover all products exported to Europe. Companies that do not keep their carbon emissions within specified limits will face a “carbon tax”. Compliance with the pilot phase of CBAM will be completed with reporting every 3 months and the transition period will end on December 31, 2025. In this process, companies are expected to collect data on carbon emissions and report on the data they collect. In order to avoid being affected by SKDM, Turkish export companies need to calculate the carbon emissions of their products and take measures to reduce their carbon footprint.
“Carbon zero target is very important for the future of our world”
Making a statement about CBAM, which aims to reduce the carbon footprint in global trade, Olcay Yıldız, General Manager of TÜRKKEP said, “The increase in the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere causes the negative effects of climate change to be felt much more severely. The only way to prevent this is to reduce the carbon footprint. With this application, it is now a serious necessity for companies exporting, especially in sectors such as cement, iron-steel and aluminum, to digitalize their business processes in order to reduce carbon emissions. As of 2026, high costs such as tax burden or carbon credit await companies that do not comply with the determined emission criteria. Companies that remain below the emission limit will be in a more competitive position thanks to the extra carbon revenues they will generate. Therefore, it is very important that all Turkish companies exporting to the European Union take the necessary initiatives now. In order for our country to maintain its power in exports and move it forward, they must reduce their carbon footprint. As TÜRKKEP, with digital methods that we easily adapt to the business processes of institutions and companies; It is possible to significantly reduce the carbon footprint with an environmentally friendly approach by reducing paper consumption, logistics needs and physical archiving. We will be very happy to contribute to the digitalization processes of Turkish export companies with our innovative and effective solutions during the Carbon at the Border pilot application.”
“It is possible to reduce carbon footprint with TURKKEP”
Stating that TÜRKKEP solutions significantly reduce the carbon footprint, Olcay Yıldız said, “With the rapid change in technology, environmentally friendly digital transformation products have spread to many areas of business processes and even our private lives. Thanks to this transformation, the carbon footprint can be significantly reduced. For example; when a company with 1,000 employees completely digitalizes its payroll management, it can save 80 percent on costs such as printing, envelopes and shipping. By digitalizing payroll management alone, it prevents 12 tons of carbon emissions in an average of 3 years. This figure is equal to the oxygen provided by 480 mature trees in 1 year. Thanks to the services we offer as TÜRKKEP, we save time and cost by transferring many works and processes that proceed with traditional methods to the digital environment, and at the same time, we contribute to the protection of trees by minimizing the use of paper. As TURKKEP, with our market leader position, we will continue to contribute to our economy and protect nature and the environment by improving the e-transformation solutions we offer to institutions, businesses and individuals in our country every day.”
