The transformation of industrial policies in Turkey within the framework of industrial ecology and circular economy

Since the 1980s, sustainability has become a central theme in industrial and environmental policies, with growing criticism of linear production systems and increasing emphasis on circular production. Unlike linear systems, which rely on one-way resource flows and generate waste, circular models promote reuse, repair, and recycling, aiming to preserve materials and reduce ecological impact. Within this framework, industrial ecology proposes a closed-loop approach that combines economic growth with environmental sustainability and has laid the conceptual foundation for the circular economy. Highlighted in EU industrial policies, this paradigm seeks to minimize waste and extend the life cycle of raw materials. This study examines the transformation of industrial policies in Turkey within the framework of “industrial ecology” and the “circular economy”. Since 2010, initiatives centered on industrial symbiosis have been introduced in Turkey, strengthening awareness of a production model based on by-product exchange among producers. During this period, practices were implemented in two main categories: the development of regional industrial symbiosis schemes and the transformation of existing Organized Industrial Zones into Eco-Industrial Parks. After 2020, under the influence of the EU Green Deal, the circular economy discourse has become the dominant narrative in policy documents. By analyzing policy documents over the past 15 years, the study demonstrates both the growing institutionalization of circularity and its structural weaknesses. Notably, insufficient attention to spatial dimensions and the risk of reducing circularity to bureaucratic waste trading emerge as critical challenges. Achieving genuine environmental sustainability requires reframing the circular economy beyond technical or economic efficiency, integrating ecological principles, and embedding it holistically within spatial, social, and governance contexts.