Policies for Green Transition of the Turkish Industry: An Evaluation through Istanbul’s Organized Industrial Zones

The goal of this study is to make policy implications for the Turkish industry's green transition by taking the opinions of stakeholders active in the field on the supporting drivers, hindering barriers and the policies that should be implemented accordingly.There is a significant gap in the academic literature regarding the studies focusing on the evaluations through stakeholder opinions on the green transition of the Turkish industry, the related drivers and barriers, and the policy needs.To fill this gap, a qualitative study based on content analysis was conducted through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with mid-level managers of organized industrial zones (OIZs) in Istanbul.Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey in terms of economic activity, population, industrial production, trade and employment.Since OIZs are crucial actors in Turkey's industrialization experience, current industrial production, trade and employment, they also have been identified as stakeholders in the green transition by Turkish officials.According to the findings, the prominent drivers supporting the green transition of the Turkish industry consist of the awareness and willingness of the public and large exporters on the significance of the green transition.The prominent barriers consist of the firms' inability to understand the importance of the green transition, economic and financial concerns regarding the transition.The most significant policy recommendations are the government's strong political will regarding green transition, active participation of stakeholders in relevant policies, a legal framework for transition establishing legislation and providing transparent and comprehensive incentives based on reciprocity.