Is sustainable textile manufacturing possible in the context of Turkey's development strategies?: A criticism of the changing production structure of the textile industry

Sustainable development is a concept that has gained weight since the 1990s and is discussed based on the acceptance that growth has not only economic but also ecological and social consequences. Discussions emphasise the importance of using production resources such as raw materials, energy, and labour force within the needs of societies and individuals, but without harming the ecological whole for the continuation of the system. For this purpose, sustainable development goals were determined by the United Nations, and it was emphasised that it would be necessary for countries to transform their production and consumption structures within the framework of these goals. The reflection of sustainable development goals on the production area is directly related to the industrialisation goals of the countries. Export-led industrialisation practices constitute the main development strategy of the Turkish economy, especially since the 1980s. In this sense, one of the most important sectors in the manufacturing industry is the textile sector. The dependency on imported inputs, which dominates the Turkish economy in general, is also a rule for the textile sector. Despite the sustainable development goals, the changes of the basic input used in the textile sector to technology-intensive polyester, especially since the 1990s, have changed the input dependency. Today, the main condition for Turkey to compete with the world market in the textile sector is to increase the production of polyester. However, the technology-intensive structure of polyester production appears to be problematic for the development of the textile industry in Turkey, which is mostly based on the labour force. In addition, polyester, a product of the chemical industry, is a material that has both high energy consumption and more difficult waste management compared to natural fibres in ecological terms. In this sense, ecological and sustainable textile production emerges as a controversial area in the short term for Turkey, which has focused its main target on producing more polyester in the textile sector and thus on integration with global textile production. This study aims to discuss to what extent Turkey's development and growth strategies can be compatible with sustainable development goals. By examining the 11th Development Plan, the reports of the capital organisations, the statements of the manufacturers, and the reports of the Supreme Council, it will be argued that the reflection of sustainable textile production in Turkey is in contradiction with the current development strategies.