Our world has limited resources. Time is needed for the renewal of these resources. In recent years, population growth and regional famines due to the effects of the climate crisis encourage us all to act economically. Sustainability studies such as energy efficiency and waste management are basically aimed at being economical. Because there is no other world!

31 October World Savings Day was adopted at the International Savings Congress in 1924. In those years, saving was recognised as an indicator of the maturity level of the country and society. Epidemics, extreme climatic events and wars accelerated the spread of savings awareness in societies. This day is celebrated every year to encourage people to be thrifty and raise social awareness.

The importance of saving against the climate crisis

Today, the effects of climate change are felt over a wide area. Approximately 3.5 billion people live in conditions highly vulnerable to the climate crisis. In the last century, saving became a necessity as our environmental impact increased. Our excessive and wasteful consumption habits deplete natural resources and amplify our ecological footprint. Businesses, by the nature of their activities, also bear environmental responsibilities. To prioritize sustainability, companies must place saving world resources at the top of their agenda. But how does this saving contribute to sustainability? Let's take a closer look.

Benefits of savings for businesses

Sustainability projects primarily aim to achieve savings by emphasizing efficient resource utilization to reduce environmental impacts, especially in the battle against the climate crisis. Within this context, businesses contribute to sustainability through various practices like responsible resource management and waste reduction, resulting in a range of benefits. Let's explore these benefits.

Energy and resource efficiency

We can count energy and resource efficiency first and foremost. In this way, both the environmental impact of the business is reduced and it may be possible to reduce costs. Studies can be carried out to get the highest efficiency with the least resources. For example, using LEDs for lighting can be a simple but effective saving method. Incorporating such measures into processes can increase the efficiency of the business. In addition, ensuring and improving waste management can also contribute to reducing environmental impacts. Incorporating waste carbon into processes by converting it into reusable materials can also be considered as a cost-saving process.

Enhancing business processes

Each process has a separate cost for businesses. This cost can be evaluated and reduced in terms of time and resources. Improvements in processes can offer significant savings opportunities to businesses. Steps to be taken in areas such as automation, inventory management and data analytics can help businesses reduce costs and increase efficiency. On the other hand, improving the supply chain can make the business and its stakeholders more efficient.

“Improving the supply chain can make the business and its stakeholders more efficient.”

Social responsibility

It is also important for businesses to be aware of their responsibilities towards society. In addition to reducing environmental impacts and saving efforts, employees and society can be encouraged to save within the framework of social responsibility. Social awareness can be increased through projects such as volunteering and training to be prepared under the leadership of the enterprise. This is one of the important steps for a sustainable future. On the other hand, trainings to be given to employees on saving can also have a positive impact on the financial success of the business.

Green technology investments

Technology, evolving daily, is a key factor in enhancing enterprise productivity. Investment in eco-friendly green technologies can boost energy and resource efficiency, providing innovative solutions for reducing carbon emissions improving waste management, and harnessing renewable resources. This makes them pivotal in mitigating environmental impacts for businesses.

With today's responsibility, towards a brighter tomorrow

At SOCAR Türkiye, we take our responsibility to the environment and society seriously. We continuously strive to reduce our environmental impact, investing in new technologies to reach net zero emissions as part of our decarbonization strategy. We aim to reduce carbon emissions by an average of 1% annually until 2025. To this end, we are realising our savings efforts in energy efficiency, electrification and resource management.

Our goal is to achieve 40% emission reduction by 2035 and reach net zero emissions by 2050. With our 56 sustainability-focused projects, we saved 29 thousand MWh of electricity, 17 thousand tonnes of natural gas, 16 thousand tonnes of fuel gas, and 108 thousand tonnes of water in 2022.

As SOCAR Türkiye, we calculate and report our carbon footprint using the Green Meter project, measuring carbon emissions at both the source and facility levels. Thanks to the SOCAR Green Meter Portal, we track carbon emissions at a total of 22 consumption points, including our headquarters buildings and storage facilities powered by green energy.

Working with our Group companies, we saved 1,056 trees by recycling 62 tonnes of expired paper. We donated 10,000 saplings to the Aegean Forest Foundation with the income generated from this event. We organised a tree planting event in Menemen with the participation of SOCAR Türkiye Volunteers who work, produce and think for our future. This place became the SOCAR Türkiye Volunteers Memorial Forest. We lead the sector by focusing on savings in all our processes for a sustainable future.

We are working today for a better tomorrow, fueled by our energy.