Sustainable Brands 2016 Istanbul Brought Together Brand Leaders Working Towards a Sustainable Future.
The Istanbul edition of the global Sustainable Brands conference series, ranked among the world’s 50 most important conferences, took place at Swissotel The Bosphorus on 26–27 May. Held this year under the theme ‘The Power Of And’, Sustainable Brands 2016 Istanbul brought together the evolving brands of the future to discuss new brand strategies, innovation, digitalisation, new consumer trends and social impact.
Delivering the opening address at the conference, which brought together sustainable brand leaders and participants, Sustainability Academy Board Member Semra Sevinç highlighted that Istanbul, Turkey, was among the first three locations to host the Sustainable Brands Conference, following San Diego, USA, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Turkey’s leading sustainability brands and leaders shared their vision for the future with Sustainable Brands Conference participants. Prefabrik Yapı A.Ş., a Hekim Holding group company that has participated as a sponsoring brand for three years, emphasised the importance of sustainable buildings for sustainable cities at this year’s conference, its fourth edition.
On the second day of the conference, Prefabrik Yapı A.Ş. Deputy General Manager Mustafa Tolunay took to the stage in a session moderated by Meltem Çakıcı, Middle East Field Marketing Director at Schneider Electric. Discussing the sustainability of prefabricated buildings, he stated: “As in every sector, it is certainly possible to create sustainable buildings in the prefabricated building sector with the right approach. In fact, the prefabricated building sector may have even greater advantages than other construction sectors.”
Continuing his address, Tolunay shared examples from around the world illustrating the sustainability of prefabricated buildings. He noted their widespread use in countries that lead in both technology and economic development, such as Germany, France and the USA, and explained that sustainable products can always be manufactured using the right materials and techniques, making it possible to build sustainable cities.
Finally, addressing innovation, Tolunay said: “If you do not make an impact through innovation, your competitiveness declines day by day. Innovation keeps your organisation, your stakeholders and the sector dynamic at all times. With this understanding, innovation is essential to being a sustainable brand in the construction sector too.”
