Türkiye has moved to link its polar science programme with international climate diplomacy in London, unveiling a book on waste reduction in the Arctic and Antarctic and signing a cooperation agreement with London Climate Action Week, as the country prepares to host COP31.
The two developments, announced in August, were led by The Zero Waste Foundation, which has spent recent years promoting Türkiye’s zero waste initiative both domestically and abroad. The Foundation first published a book examining how zero waste principles can be applied to scientific expeditions in the polar regions, then followed this ten days later by signing a formal protocol with London Climate Action Week covering climate action, zero waste and the circular economy.
A book that joins two national projects
The book, titled “Zero Waste in the Polar Regions”, was launched on 7 August and prepared in partnership with the Polar Research Institute of TÜBİTAK, the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye. It brings together 18 articles written by scientists who have taken part in polar research, covering the scientific, technical, administrative and communication sides of applying zero waste thinking in extreme environments.
Rather than focusing narrowly on waste collection, the book examines how scientific expeditions are planned from the outset, how materials and resources are used during research, and how energy, water and logistics are managed in the Arctic and Antarctic. The underlying argument is that waste is best addressed by preventing it before it happens, using resources efficiently and reducing the environmental footprint of research activity altogether.
The publication also frames the polar regions as early warning indicators for global climate change, noting that environmental shifts recorded there carry consequences well beyond the Arctic and Antarctic themselves. That framing is intended to give the research relevance far outside the specific locations where it was carried out.
Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Türkiye’s Minister of Industry and Technology, said the book connected two initiatives that both began in the same year. “The Zero Waste initiative launched under the leadership of H.E. Emine Erdoğan has grown step by step from a national initiative into a global one,” he said.
He added: “At the same time, we began organising scientific expeditions to Antarctica and the Arctic under the auspices of the President of the Republic of Türkiye, enabling Turkish scientists to strengthen the country’s presence in polar research. Through this book, these two initiatives have come together.”
The work also reflects the broader zero waste vision associated with H.E. Emine Erdoğan, who founded the Zero Waste Movement, chairs the UN High-Level Advisory Board on Zero Waste and holds the position of Honorary President of the Zero Waste Foundation.
London agreement widens the circle
Ten days after the book’s launch, the Zero Waste Foundation signed a cooperation protocol with London Climate Action Week, an event that brings together representatives from government, cities, business, finance, academia, civil society and local communities. The agreement is designed to strengthen knowledge exchange, joint initiatives and international dialogue on zero waste and circular economy approaches.
The protocol was signed by Samed Ağırbaş, President of the Zero Waste Foundation and COP31 High-Level Climate Champion, alongside Nick Henry, Climate Action Founder and CEO. Ağırbaş said the agreement opened the door to further collaboration in the run-up to the climate summit. “After this cooperation protocol, I hope we will carry out strong work and organize joint events at COP31 and London Climate Action Week,” he said.
The arrangement gives Türkiye’s zero waste and circular economy experience a direct link to London’s international climate network, connecting a programme rooted in national policy to a wider gathering of global actors working on climate issues.
COP31 provides the wider backdrop
Both developments sit against the backdrop of Türkiye’s preparations to host COP31, the next major United Nations climate conference. While the immediate focus of the new partnership is on practical exchange between the Zero Waste Foundation and the London Climate Action Week network, the upcoming summit provides a broader diplomatic context for the cooperation.
Taken together, the polar research book and the London protocol are intended to show that Türkiye’s zero waste approach extends beyond domestic recycling and waste management, reaching into scientific research practice and international climate policy alike. Officials involved in the initiative have framed the timing, coming ahead of COP31, as a deliberate effort to demonstrate how resource efficiency and circular economy thinking can be woven into wider climate action rather than treated as a separate, narrower concern.
For now, attention turns to how the Foundation and London Climate Action Week intend to translate the newly signed protocol into concrete joint activity, with both sides pointing to COP31 itself as a likely venue for further cooperation between Türkiye’s zero waste programme and the international climate community gathered around the London event.
