SP Research

SP Research

Research on Sectoral Sustainability

Sustainability Platform conducted Sectoral Sustainability Research in 2019  The impact of the business world on sustainable development is well-recognized by all stakeholders.  Since 1990s,  business leaders, firms, and sector-based organizations in the business world have placed a special emphasis and put a great deal of effort on sustainable development. Measuring sustainability is of paramount importance to determine the overall impact of sustainability research and draw a road map for the future. Although there are several valuable declaration-based studies that are being carried out within specific firms in Turkey, sectoral analysis studies are rare. The goal of this project is to perform a sectoral sustainability analysis on the collected company data in the select sectors, and to determine the best and most appropriate policies for Sustainable Development in Turkey.

To that end, literature-recognized sustainability scales were reviewed, and the needs of the Turkish business world were determined through a series of meetings held with sector representatives. As a result of all these efforts, a methodology was developed to objectively measure the sustainability performance of firms.  Firms are analyzed across several sub-categories including environmental responsibility, corporate social responsibility, corporate governance, employee rights, human rights, and product and supply chain management.

BIST-listed manufacturing companies’ reports which may provide data for sustainability measures (i.e. sustainability, corporate social responsibility, activity, and corporate governance compliance reports) are evaluated using content analysis software. Thus, these reports are turned into quantitative and qualitative data on firms’ environmental and social sustainability. Company data are then aggregated to evaluate the impact of the sector’s environmental and social sustainability on its financial performance. The industry average is calculated with descriptive statistics, while good practices are identified with data envelopment analysis.

Within the scope of the project, sectors which constitute the manufacturing industry were evaluated, including the chemical, oil, and plastic & rubber sectors, food sector, weaving, clothing and leather sector, forest products and furniture, paper and paper products, printing and publishing; stone and stone products sectors, the main metal industry, metalware, machinery and equipment manufacturing sectors.  The evaluation criteria for each sector are reviewed and updated based on the current needs of the sector, and firms are evaluated based on the updated criteria.

This research will make two contributions to the sustainable development of Turkey.  First, with this research, an important step is taken towards redressing the lack of sufficient data about sustainability, which is one of the main shortcomings in Turkey. This study paved the way for more detailed research on sustainability at an industry and firm level.  Second, this research was instrumental in encouraging companies to prepare integrated reports and improving the quality of published reports.  Encouraging companies to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle is the Sustainable Development Goal 12.6 of the United Nations. This research is important for achieving this specific goal.

Research Methodology and Sectoral Reports (in Turkish)

OzU-TÜSİAD Sustainable Development Forum Research Named Among Best Practices in Sustainability in Turkey on July 15, 2019

Turkey submitted its 2nd Voluntary National Review Report (VNR), which provides a summary of its progress in achieving United Nations’ “Sustainable Development Goals”,  to the United Nations High Level Political Forum (HLPF) in New York on July 15, 2019.

The report presented Sectoral Sustainability Research conducted by the Özyeğin University-TÜSİAD Sustainable Development Forum as a best practice example for the Sustainable Development Goal 9 - Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure”.

 

This research on the integration of rural-urban economies in Turkey examined the integration based on districts on different axes, such as production, consumption, demographics, and manifestations of social life, and produced policy recommendations on these axes. Integration levels of 170 districts included in the scope of the research were measured and classified over 41 different variables. The research study also contributed to developing a set of methods and variables focused on concretely measuring rural-urban integration. The research project opened a discussion space for a spatial and integration-oriented approach to local and rural development for academia, civil society, and policymakers.