Plastic exports came to the fore

The plastics sector, which continues its rise in Turkey's exports, was the driving force of the chemical sector, with approximately $786 million in exports in August. According to a statement by the Plastics Industrialists' Federation (PLASFED), the chemical sector continues its rise in Turkey's exports. According to data from the Ministry of Trade and the Turkish Exporters' Assembly, Turkey's exports reached $21.8 billion in August 2025. Among the top exporting sectors, the automotive sector ranked first with $2.7 billion in foreign sales. The chemicals and chemical products sector maintained its second place with $2.6 billion in exports, representing a 12 percent share of the total. Plastics and chemical products, the strongest item in chemical exports, led the sector with approximately $786 million in exports. This was followed by mineral fuels and inorganic chemicals. "ACCESS TO FINANCE MUST BE FACILITATED FOR SUSTAINABLE GROWTH" PLASFED Chairman Ömer Karadeniz, whose views were included in the statement, highlighted the sector's strong export position, saying, "Plastics and their products have long led Turkish chemical exports. Our export figure, which reached $786 million in August, is an indicator of our competitive power and production capacity in global markets. Our sector contributes to the national economy with its high value-added products and demonstrates the dynamism of our industry." Ömer Karadeniz emphasized the importance of macro indicators for industrialists, stating that August inflation figures revealed that cost pressures on production continued. Despite this, Karadeniz stated that the strong performance of exports demonstrated the resilience and determination of industrialists to produce, adding, "The ISO Turkey Manufacturing PMI data stood at 47.3. The contraction appears to be continuing, but we observe that the pace of contraction has slowed compared to the 45.9 level in July. This picture points to a recovery trend in production despite global challenges." Karadeniz underlined that structural problems must be resolved for export success to become permanent. Stating that the industry continues to produce and export despite all global and local challenges, Karadeniz said: "For sustainable growth, access to financing should be facilitated, high energy costs should not weaken our competitiveness, and investment incentives should be used more effectively. With the right policies, it is possible to increase our sector's share of exports much higher. Türkiye's macro data has revealed the industry's capacity to survive global fluctuations. The plastics sector is an important part of this resilience. We continue to believe that Türkiye will achieve a stronger economic position in the coming period with a production- and export-focused growth strategy."