SUIT Initiative Water and Carbon Footprint Training
The first training session under the Sustainable Industry Transformation Initiative (SUIT Initiative), financed through EU–Türkiye financial cooperation, brought together key project stakeholder organisations.
The water and carbon footprint modules within the session titled “Water Footprint, Carbon Footprint and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)” were delivered by Mert Güller, a project consultant and member of the ESG PM team.
What is the SUIT Initiative?
The SUIT Initiative is a sustainable industry transformation programme implemented under the technical assistance project officially titled Technical Assistance for Support to Sustainable Industry Transformation in the Key Sectors of Apparel, Textile, Chemical and International Transport.
In brief, the project aims to support sustainable industry transformation in the apparel, textile, chemical and international transport sectors. Its work focuses on supporting reductions in the carbon and water footprints of textile and apparel production and exports, while bringing the chemical and transport sectors into the transformation of this value chain.
Project financing is provided within the framework of financial cooperation between the European Union and the Republic of Türkiye. GIZ – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH and BYS Group / BYS Grup are involved in the project, whose implementation period is planned from 14 November 2025 to 13 November 2028.
Over the course of the project, the work aims to develop sectoral policy and action frameworks, conduct value chain studies, strengthen the capacity of business organisations, and raise awareness of environmental footprint calculation and reduction.
Bringing together public institutions, industry bodies and technical organisations
The SUIT Initiative brings public institutions, exporters’ associations, capacity-building organisations and representatives of the target sectors together around a shared transformation agenda.
Prominent organisations on the programme and project side include:
- Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Industry and Technology / T.C. Sanayi ve Teknoloji Bakanlığı
- Delegation of the European Union to Türkiye / Avrupa Birliği Türkiye Delegasyonu
- Competitive Sectors Programme / Rekabetçi Sektörler Programı
- GIZ – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH / German international cooperation agency
- BYS Group / BYS Grup
Leading organisations in the project’s sectoral and technical stakeholder ecosystem include:
- İTKİB – Istanbul Textile and Apparel Exporters’ Associations / İstanbul Tekstil ve Konfeksiyon İhracatçı Birlikleri Genel Sekreterliği
- İHKİB – Istanbul Apparel Exporters’ Association / İstanbul Hazır Giyim ve Konfeksiyon İhracatçıları Birliği
- İTHİB – Istanbul Textile and Raw Materials Exporters Association / İstanbul Tekstil ve Hammaddeleri İhracatçıları Birliği
- İKMİB – Istanbul Chemicals and Chemical Products Exporters’ Association / İstanbul Kimyevi Maddeler ve Mamulleri İhracatçıları Birliği
- TİM – Türkiye Exporters Assembly / Türkiye İhracatçılar Meclisi
- UND – International Transporters’ Association of Türkiye / Uluslararası Nakliyeciler Derneği
- Istanbul Fashion Academy (İMA) / İstanbul Moda Akademisi
- İHKİB Digital Transformation Center (DDM) / İHKİB Dijital Dönüşüm Merkezi
- EKOTEKS Laboratory and Inspection Services Inc. / EKOTEKS Laboratuvar ve Gözetim Hizmetleri A.Ş.
This is not an exhaustive list of the project’s stakeholders; it highlights organisations with leading roles across different sectors and capacity areas.
Environmental footprints at the centre of the first training
As noted in the SUIT Initiative’s official training announcement, the first training covered international standards and sectoral practices for calculating, reporting and reducing environmental footprints.
The main topics presented by Mert Güller included:
- ISO 14064
- Emission categories under the Greenhouse Gas Protocol
- Net-zero roadmaps and the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)
- The approach to water footprint calculation
- Emission calculation approaches for the logistics sector
- The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)
- Good practice examples from different sectors
The session was designed to help project stakeholders from different sectors work from a shared technical framework for environmental footprint calculation.
In addition, Semtrio trainers provided information on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF).
The ESG PM team in the SUIT Initiative
Gözde Sağlam and Mert Güller from ESG PM serve as sustainability experts and NKEs (Non-Key Experts) under the SUIT Initiative.
Mert Güller delivered the water and carbon footprint modules of the first training for the project’s key stakeholders. This assignment enables the ESG PM team to apply its experience in carbon and water footprint calculation to work that contributes to the sustainable transformation of the textile sector.
For more information about the project and updates on its activities, follow the SUIT Initiative LinkedIn page.
