“THE GREEN TRANSITION HAS BECOME THE MOST IMPORTANT COMPETITIVE FACTOR FOR THE TURKISH CONSTRUCTION SECTOR IN THE GLOBAL MARKET”

The accelerating global green transition is reshaping the construction sector not merely based on technical capacity, cost and speed, but according to criteria such as climate change, carbon footprint, resource efficiency, biodiversity, social impact management, cultural heritage and sustainable financing. Following the European Green Deal, low-carbon production, circular economy practices, ESG compliance and adherence to international environmental and social standards have become the most critical competitive criteria for the Turkish construction sector in the global market.

As Kalyon Construction, we are integrating this transformation into the financing, design, implementation and operation processes of our projects. The Bandırma– Bursa–Yenişehir–Osmaneli Railway Project being one of Türkiye’s first green ECA-supported transportation projects—and its structuring in accordance with IFC Performance Standards, the Equator Principles, and internationally recognized sustainability criteria—is a concrete example of this approach. We continue this approach in our railway investments, such as the Kars– Iğdır–Aralık–Dilucu High-Standard Railway Project; through electric train infrastructure, we contribute to the widespread adoption of transportation systems with zero exhaust emissions, low carbon footprints, and high energy efficiency during the operational phase. For us, sustainable infrastructure does not merely mean low-carbon transportation or energy efficiency; it also means identifying the option that will have the lowest environmental and social impact even before the project begins. For this reason, we conduct a multi-layered assessment process ranging from alternative route analyses to flood and climate change modeling that accounts for 500-year rainfall runoff, as well as studies on biodiversity and cultural heritage and social impact analyses. In the communities affected along the route, we address stakeholder meetings, resettlement, support for livelihoods, local employment, and community-level needs not merely as compliance requirements, but as an integral part of our “good neighbor” philosophy.

We do not view our carbon reduction approach as limited to transportation infrastructure alone; we address it holistically in superstructure, airport, residential and hotel projects through the use of low-carbon materials, energy efficiency, water management and circular economy practices. At Istanbul Airport, the LEED Gold-certified terminal building, along with water recovery, a zero-waste approach and the 2050 net-zero emissions target, stands as a powerful example demonstrating that green building principles can be transformed into design and operational standards within a mega-scale project. At the Istanbul International Financial Center Ziraat Towers, the LEED Platinum-level green building approach demonstrates how energy performance, resource efficiency, user comfort and environmental quality criteria can be elevated to high standards in superstructure projects. From a circular economy perspective, the noise barriers produced from recycled waste tires on the Northern Marmara Highway stand out as a concrete application that combines the reduction of environmental impact with the reintroduction of waste into the economy within a single solution.

Today, the competitive strength of the Turkish construction sector abroad is measured not only by its capacity to complete largescale projects but also by its ability to implement these projects in a low-carbon, climate-resilient, nature-friendly, socially responsible and internationally compliant manner. At Kalyon, by combining our engineering expertise with this holistic sustainability approach, we continue to add value to Türkiye’s global infrastructure vision.