KASAD President and Duran DOĞAN Printing and Packaging General Manager Alican Duran was the guest of Ahu Orakçıoğlu in Ekotürk TV’s Mid-Day programme. In the programme, he shared valuable information about industrial production and performance in the packaging sector. Alican Duran made a comprehensive assessment of the current situation of the sector, the challenges it faces and its expectations for the future.
In a period of low exchange rates, high interest rates and inflation, where the industry has become a difficult art, the Turkish cardboard packaging sector is going through a significant transformation process. However, the low Turkish Lira and increasing inflation pose serious challenges for industrialists. This situation both increases production costs and limits export opportunities. New regulations and sustainability issues, especially in Europe, further increase competition in the sector.
Challenges in the cardboard packaging sector
The biggest challenges in the cardboard packaging sector include economic fluctuations, low exchange rates and inflation. This negatively affects the ability to do business and makes it difficult for new business opportunities to emerge. In addition, environmental regulations and sustainability goals in Europe reveal that forest management and villager participation must be improved in order to increase Turkey’s competitiveness. Emphasizing that sustainability is no longer just a choice but a necessity, Duran said, “Cardboard packaging is important as an environmentally friendly raw material that decomposes rapidly in nature. While Europe stands out with environmentally friendly production methods, Turkey needs to make breakthroughs in this area. New regulations increase competition in the sector and direct companies to more environmentally sensitive practices.”
Stating that the contributions of young designers to innovations in the sector have attracted attention in recent years, Duran said, “Young people have proven themselves in the international arena with the awards they have won in recent years. Their presentations during the award ceremony of the Pro Carton Young Designers Award competition, which KASAD has supported for the last 5 years, at the ECMA congress in Berlin created a great impact by introducing their own products and contributed to the understanding of sustainability in the design world.” Duran said, “The increase in young designers in the sector supports the development of the sector and strengthens Turkey’s presence in international markets.”
