Emissions

Emissions and Environmental Permits

Cement factories hold the necessary permits and licenses to be obtained pursuant to Turkish environmental legislation.

The "Environmental Permit/Environmental Permit and License" required to be obtained in accordance with the "Regulation on Permits and Licenses Required Under the Environmental Law", which entered into force in 2010 and combines all permits/licenses under a single heading, has been obtained by almost all factories.

Cement factories are required to carry out "Environmental Measurements" before they can obtain environmental permits from the Ministry. These measurements are carried out periodically as stipulated in the regulations, while control measurements are carried out continuously through measurement devices installed in the chimneys after a permit has been obtained. The calibration of continuous measuring devices is also carried out periodically at the frequencies stipulated in the legislation. All environmental measurements in the sector are carried out by “independent accredited laboratories” that have been authorized by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change.

In accordance with the "Regulation on Waste Incineration", a trial incineration is carried out by accredited laboratories authorized by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, after which periodic measurements are made.

Position of the Turkish Cement Sector

The “Environment Declarations of the Cement Sector” were signed between TÜRKÇİMENTO and the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, as it is now known, in 1993, and again later in 2004. Through these declarations, the cement sector pledged to reduce its emissions even below the limits specified in the regulations. In the years following the signing of the declarations, the sector made necessary investments into emissions control, improved its processes and obtained all environmental permits. It has also conducted pilot studies in many areas to facilitate its adaptation to the new environmental legislation, and was the first sector to complete the approval processes with the Ministry in this regard.

By investing in bag filters in recent years, many facilities have achieved emissions much lower than the legal limits.

In 2018, nitrogen oxide reduction systems that use ammonia have been installed in many facilities to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions. Türkiye imports the ammonia that is used for the removal of NOx. During operations, aside from the costs associated with the import of ammonia, there are also logistical problems. There are ammonia production facilities in the Marmara and Mediterranean regions, and so the gas must be brought from facilities more than 1,000 km away from plants located in regions such as the Black Sea and Eastern Anatolia.

Regulation on the Management of Industrial Emissions Published in the Official Gazette dated January 14, 2025, and numbered 32782, the Regulation on the Management of Industrial Emissions aims to minimize environmental pollution by reducing emissions and waste from industrial sources at their origin. The regulation also promotes compliance of industrial facilities with environmental sustainability goals and encourages more active participation in green transformation processes.

Under the regulation, industrial activities listed in Annex-1 and Annex-2 are covered, including energy production, metal production and processing, the mineral industry, the chemical industry, waste management, and industries that use organic solvents.

The cement sector falls under Annex-1 of the regulation:

Annex-1/3 Mineral Industry / 3.1.a: Production of cement clinker in rotary kilns with a daily production capacity exceeding 500 tons, or in other kilns with a daily production capacity exceeding 50 tons.

Annex-1/5 Waste Management / 5.2: Disposal or recovery of waste in waste incineration or co-incineration plants:

a) Disposal or recovery of non-hazardous waste with a capacity exceeding 3 tons per hour, b) Disposal or recovery of hazardous waste with a capacity exceeding 10 tons per day.

Facilities listed in Annex-1 are required to obtain the Green Transformation in Industry (GTI) Certificate, which is mandatory for the cement sector. These facilities must implement Best Available Techniques (BAT), comply with the emission limit values to be determined and published by the Ministry according to BAT, and carry out green transformation. (Sector-specific BAT guidelines have been published in draft form.)

The compliance levels for activities listed in Annex-1, according to the provisions of this Regulation, are scored as follows:

A (100 points)

B (90–99 points)

C (80–89 points)

D (70–79 points)

E (60–69 points)

F (50–59 points)

Based on studies conducted in projects between 2015 and 2021, the Ministry has determined that the current compliance level of the cement sector is 59% (F level). Facilities that are operational on the date the regulation comes into force, or have submitted applications under Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) legislation, are required to:

Obtain at least F level GTI Certificate by December 31, 2028, Obtain at least D level GTI Certificate by December 31, 2030.

Facilities must obtain at least D level GTI Certificate from the effective date of the regulation onward. As part of the Green Transformation in Industry Certificate process, cement plants are required to prepare the following reports:

GTI Certificate application Evaluation Report Compliance Report Review Report Current Status Report

European Union Legislation Followed

EU Green Deal Industry Plan

The EU Green Deal Industry Plan increases the competitiveness of Europe's net zero industries and accelerates the transition to climate neutrality. The Green Deal Industry Plan is designed to create a more supportive environment for the development of net zero technologies and products, and to increase the capacity of the EU's manufacturers to achieve the EU's ambitious climate goals.

EU Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA)

The Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA) aims fundamentally at promoting the use of clean technologies in the EU and accelerating the EU's transition to clean energy. The Act is intended to create better conditions in Europe for the encouragement of net zero projects and investments. According to the European Commission, the Net Zero Industry Act is designed to increase production and to ensure the effective use of technologies to achieve climate neutrality. This law sets a target for net zero production capacity sufficient to meet 40% of the EU's annual technology needs by 2030.

 

EU Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA)

The EU has enacted the European Critical Raw Materials Act covering 30 critical raw materials that are considered to be of strategic importance to the European economy. The EU aims to access critical raw materials under this Act. This is crucial for the EU's net zero emission targets. The EU Commission also aims to reduce dependence on other countries by increasing the number of sources of critical raw materials. The objective is to ensure that 10% of the critical raw materials used in the EU are extracted in Europe by 2030, and for 15% of each critical raw material consumed annually within the EU is obtained from recycling. Within the scope of the Act, 65% of critical raw materials consumed annually in the EU will originate from a single third country by 2030, and the EU will increase its raw material processing capacity and produce at least 40% of its critical annual raw material needs.

Last Updated: 14 July 2025