About UN Women

Founded by the United Nations General Assembly in July 2010, UN Women operates as the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. In line with Sustainable Development Goals, it works to accelerate efforts to meet the needs of girls and women across the world. 

Aiming to ensure that women and girls reach their full potential, the program collaborates with governments and non-governmental organizations to create and effectively implement policies and standards to this end. 

About the Collaboration of UN Women & Yıldız Holding

Women's Entrepreneurship Accelerator - Yıldız Holding

As an organization adopting the United Nations Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), we signed an agreement with UN Women Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia to contribute to equal opportunities. We became a member of the multi-stakeholder “Women’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator” (WEA) initiative, founded by the United Nations and run by UN Women, which aims to create favorable ecosystems for all women entrepreneurs across the globe.  

As part of our agreement to support women’s entrepreneurship and active inclusion in the supply chain, we establish collaborations to help spread the Gender Responsive Procurement and Investment (GRPI) Program in the targeted countries. Within the framework of this collaboration and with the support of UN Women, we accelerate practices that encourage women’s entrepreneurship. We commit to investing USD 4 million in women entrepreneurs in Asia and Central Asia within three years to support inclusion and encourage cultural diversity, two of our most significant global values. 
 

About Earthworm Foundation

Earthworm Foundation is non-profit organization built on values and driven by the desire to positively impact the relationship between people and nature.

With most of its staff operating directly on the ground where the issues are, the foundation works with its members and partners to make value chains an engine of prosperity for communities and ecosystems. 

We see a world where forests are a boundless source of materials and a home for biodiversity; communities see their rights respected and have opportunities to develop; workers are seen as productive partners; and agriculture becomes the instrument to feed a hungry planet and keep our climate stable. 

About the Collaboration of Earthworm & Pladis 

Responsible Value Chain- pladis

Pladis became a member of Earthworm Foundation in 2018 and is working in partnership with Earthworm Foundation ever since. As an outcome of its collaboration with Earthworm Foundation, a traceability of 93% has been achieved in its palm oil supply chains.

In 2021, the company aims to work with Tier 1 palm oil suppliers for the traceability of all palm oil supplies, to establish a follow-up system for the existing complaints in the supply chain and to extend the use of satellite monitoring system.  

Besler, one of the major suppliers of pladis has been working to reduce 3-MCPD in palm oil even below the targeted levels and has developed new technologies. Besler has been certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) in 2019 and holds the subject certificate ever since. Interim audits are conducted within the scope of the certification process and 100% traceability is achieved by applying the Mass Balance (MB) supply chain model. 

 pladis Progress Report 2022
 

About the Collaboration of Earthworm & GODIVA 

Rurality Initiative - GODIVA

Prioritizing the environmental and social sustainability of its cocoa sourcing, GODIVA supports Rurality Initiative in collaboration with Earthworm Foundation. This initiative, which aims to start a change in cocoa producers and the entire value chain, has oriented its actions around two main axes which are strengthening the resilience of farmers and minimizing the environmental impact. Within the context of the initiative, the company is working with farmers and supports farmers through innovative agricultural practices. Additionally, with GODIVA’s support, about 23 hectares of degraded land in Mont Kourabahi Forest Reserve have been rehabilitated with more than 1,500 trees planted enabling a progress in protection and restoration of forests. Within the scope of the program, native tree saplings have been grown in tree nurseries and members of a youth group were on duty in the forest reserve to help strengthen the tree saplings.

*For more information on the project that Pladis and Godiva have worked in partnership with Earthworm

About The Collaboration of Earthworm Foundation & Ülker

More Than Cocoa - Ülker

In cooperation with the Earthworm Foundation, we planned meetings with all cocoa bean suppliers in order to reduce the level of cocoa traceability to cooperatives and farmers. We collected information on topics such as deforestation, agroforestry, pesticide use or the prevention of child labor. We conducted field audits of suppliers and cooperatives through Earthworm.

We do some of the cocoa supply through our export company, Fildisi Company, established in Ivory Coast. In this way, we find the opportunity to work directly with cooperatives and farmers in the supply chain. We use high quality and controllable raw materials as a result of direct processing of purchased kernels. We increased the volumes we supply directly from Ivory Coast from 6,000 tons in 2020 to 13,000 tons in 2021. We procured these 13,000 tons from four private and qualified producers who wanted to participate and support Fildisi Company's "More Than Cocoa" sustainability initiative. The cocoa supply we realized through our export company made up 33% of the total supply. We have reached our 2021 target of 25% supply and increased this target to 39%.

 

About RSPO

Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is non-profit organization from unites stakeholders from the 7 sectors of the palm oil industry which are palm oil producers, processors or traders, consumer goods manufacturers, retailers, banks/investors, and environmental and social non-governmental organizations (NGOs), to develop and implement global standards for sustainable palm oil.

The RSPO has developed a set of environmental and social criteria which companies must comply with in order to produce Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO). When they are properly applied, these criteria can help to minimize the negative impact of palm oil cultivation on the environment and communities in palm oil-producing regions.

The RSPO has more than 5,000 members worldwide who represent all links along the palm oil supply chain. They have committed to produce, source and/or use sustainable palm oil certified by the RSPO.

About The Collaboration of RSPO & Yıldız Holding

Yıldız Holding’s Efforts on Palm Oil Traceability

Palm oil is a key and versatile plant-based raw material widely used in food and non-food industries. The significant rise in global demand for palm oil causes substantial damage on rainforests and peatlands where palm is grown extensively and violation of the rights of local communities.  Our goal is to prevent deforestation and to respect the rights of workers and local communities in the sourcing of palm oil and its by-products to ensure a traceable, transparent and sustainable palm oil supply chain. As a member of RSPO, we adopt RSPO standards and practices in the supply chain and aim to extend these standards. We expect all subsidiaries of Yıldız Holding to supply their raw materials in line with these standards. Being a member of RSPO and in line with our efforts for sustainable palm oil sourcing, we are committed to sharing the list of our palm oil suppliers and relevant complaints with the public, to supervising the compliance of our palm oil suppliers with the Raw Material Sourcing Principles listed in the Responsible Purchasing Policy and supporting their progress in this area, and to transparently sharing our sustainable palm oil sourcing strategies, targets and performance. 

 Yıldız Holding RSPO Report 2020

 Yıldız Holding RSPO Report 2019

 Yıldız Holding RSPO Report 2018

About WWF 

WWF-Turkey is the national organization of WWF, which is among the world’s leading organizations for conservation of nature.  WWF-Turkey aims to protect the valuable natural habitats and species in our country reducing the human footprint in nature and help create a nationwide change in this respect.  

WWF-Turkey works to stop the degradation of the natural environment on earth and to create a future world where people live in harmony with nature. In order to achieve this, WWF-Turkey:

• Preserves biodiversity,
• Supports sustainable use of renewable natural resources,
• Tries to reduce pollution and excessive consumption.

About The Collaboration of WWF & Yıldız Holding

Yıldız Holding has responded for the 2nd time to WWF Palm Oil Buyers Scorecard in 2021. Yıldız Holding score covering all global consumptions by our confectionery and fats & oils businesses is 8,8 over a total of 24 points.

The major reductions were:

• 8,7 points: for the level of RSPO certified palm consumption– Total Certified palm usage of Yıldız Holding is %21,9
   
• 5 points:  for lack of support to on-the-ground projects and membership to an action-oriented platform other than RSPO
   
• 1,5 points: for improvement needed to cover “conversion” in addition to deforestation in our policies and further strengthening our supplier requirements.

 Yıldız Holding scored 9 points in 2019 WWF Scorecard. The evaluation of the certified palm ratio has been different in 2019 (Certified palm consumption score 2019: 5 points, 2021: 1,77 points)
 
Yıldız Holding has initiated actions to develop sustainable palm sourcing in 2021:

• Yıldız Holding sustainable sourcing policy covering NDPE has been issued
   
• Besler has formally declared sustainable sourcing policy and expectations regarding sustainable palm oil/PKO with the Tier 1 suppliers. The collaboration with our suppliers has been initiated including review of NDPE policies, traceability, and grievance system actions.
   
• Palm oil/PKO traceability to mills has been made a minimum requirement for every shipment by Besler; which led to developing an up-to-date mills list.
   
• Earthworm has supported the process through their partnership with Pladis. The satellite monitoring system and grievance records have been started to be reviewed by Besler and their suppliers.
   
• We aim to issue the current Besler mills list as required by our sustainability policy by the end of 2021 as phase 1, on Yıldız Holding web site.

About WCF

World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) is a non-profit international organization with a vision of a thriving and sustainable cocoa sector, where farmers prosper, communities are empowered, and the planet is healthy. WCF’s members include cocoa and chocolate manufacturers, processors, supply chain managers and other companies worldwide, representing more than 80 percent of the global cocoa market. WCF's activities benefit farmers and their communities in cocoa-growing regions of Africa, Southeast Asia and the Americas. Its vision is a thriving and sustainable cocoa sector, where farmers prosper, communities are empowered, and the planet is healthy.

About The Collaboration of WCF & Ülker 

As Ülker Çikolata, Turkey’s largest cocoa buyer, we are a member of WCF since 2012 taking our place on the same platform with other chocolate producers of the world. As a member of this platform, our goal is to support economic and social development of cocoa farmers by adopting sustainability principles in agricultural production that will improve the welfare of the people in the world.  

As the first Turkish company to become a member of WCF, we support the sustainability of cocoa sector and the prosperity of cocoa farmers through the activities conducted under the umbrella of the foundation. 

About Bahri Dağdaş International Agricultural Research Institute 

The mission of the Institute is to provide economic, environmental and social benefits by producing new information and technologies, by making all kinds of international quality researches related to plant and animal husbandry, including its own field of duty and country needs, and using international knowledge and technology by its researchers.

About The Collaboration of Bahri Dağdaş International Agricultural Research Institute & Ülker

Aliağa Biscuit Wheat Project 

With the aim of being able to produce high quality, sustainable production and to secure the wheat supply for many years, we started to work on developing the ideal wheat variety for biscuit production together with Ülker and Bahri Dağdaş International Agricultural Research Institute in Konya in 2007.

The first trials were carried out in the fields of the Institute between 2007 and 2011, while the wheat developed between 2011 and 2014 was tested in different regions. As a result of the studies, the wheat called Aliağa was selected and an application was made in 2014 for the registration of wheat. Aliağa Wheat, which successfully passed the tests in different regions and conditions of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock Seed Registration and Certification Central Directorate for two years, was found eligible for registration.

Between 2017 and 2019, seed production activities were carried out by the Institute in their own planting areas for the spread of wheat.

The first harvest of Aliağa Wheat, the first planting of which was carried out on 700 decares of land in Konya and Ankara in November 2019, was also made in July 2020. We achieved our seed production target of approximately 300 tons in this harvest. We planted these seeds on 10 thousand acres of land in the provinces of Ankara, Konya and Kırıkkale in the sowing period of 2020. We produced 2100 tons of seeds. In 2021, Aliağa Biscuit Wheat was planted on a total of 80 thousand decares of land in ten provinces, namely Ankara, Konya, Çankırı, Kırıkkale, Kırşehir, Yozgat, Kayseri, Eskişehir, Tekirdağ and Çorum. 15 thousand tons of wheat and 3 thousand tons of seeds were produced from these plantings, all of which were contracted.

As Ülker, we aim to meet a significant portion of our wheat needs with Aliağa Wheat in the coming year.

Aliağa Biscuit Wheat yields 17 to 20 percent higher yields in irrigated land and 35 to 40 percent more per decare in dry land than existing wheats. Another advantage of Aliağa Biscuit Wheat being more productive than existing wheat varieties in arid lands is that it enables less water resources to be consumed in wheat production.
The Aliağa Biscuit Wheat project was also deemed worthy of the "People Carrying Agriculture to the Future" award held by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Turkuvaz Media Group and Para Magazine. 

About SKD Turkey 

Business World and Sustainable Development Association (SKD Turkey) is a business association that was established in 2004 under the leadership of 13 private sector representatives and only accepts corporate membership.

SKD Turkey, the regional network and business partner of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) in Turkey, shares the sustainability experience brought by this cooperation with its members and stakeholders on various platforms through the activities of working groups.

About The Collaboration of SKD Turkey & Ülker 

Water Risks Project

We became the main sponsor of SKD Turkey's "Water Risks Project", which aims to analyze the impact of climate change on water resources and to develop efficient irrigation strategies in agriculture. We believe that the project will make a significant contribution to sustainability in agriculture and efficient use of water resources, and useful data will be obtained.

Within the scope of the project, which also includes Ankara University Water Management Institute; A drip irrigation system was established in Kırıkkale for the production of wheat on 40 decares of land, silage corn on 33 decares, and grain corn on 18 decares. By comparing the production to be realized with conventional irrigation in areas of the same size, product efficiency and water footprint analyzes will be prepared in wheat and corn. In addition, considering the results of the project, an irrigation guide will be created and training programs will be implemented.

About Ethics & Reputation Society

Founded by Türkiye’s leading companies in 2010, the Turkish Ethics and Reputation Society (TEİD) operates with the vision of making the corporate culture approach built on business ethics, coherence, and reputation a fundamental part of a law-based and sustainable economic order. 
 
With 200 corporate members consisting of domestic and foreign-capital multinational companies, TEİD aims to guide its members and stakeholders in devising and implementing business ethics policies and supporting the adoption of an organization’s ethical values by all its administrative and commercial functions as a way of doing business.
 
It contributes to the development of organizations and the business world through events, such as its Sanctions Programs and Coherence Awareness in Companies Webinar, Internal Investigation and Labor Law Effects Webinar, Reputation Management Webinar, Diversity and Inclusion Study Group Webinar, and Ethics and Coherence Panel and Ethics Summit, as well as many comprehensive projects it implements.