The Zero Waste Festival, held on June 4-7 at Istanbul Atatürk Airport under the auspices of H.E. Emine Erdoğan and organized by the Zero Waste Foundation in cooperation with the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources as part of Istanbul Zero Waste Week, welcomed more than 1 million visitors through workshops, exhibitions, interactive spaces and hands-on sustainability experiences designed to bring zero waste practices into everyday life.
“The scale of public participation in İstanbul shows that zero waste is no longer an abstract environmental concept,” said Samed Ağırbaş, President of the Zero Waste Foundation and COP31 High-Level Climate Champion. “It is becoming a shared culture shaped by families, children, young people, artists, innovators and citizens who want to be part of the solution. As Türkiye prepares to host COP31 in Antalya later this year, the festival demonstrated how public participation can complement international climate efforts by turning sustainability principles into everyday action.”
A major environmental gathering with people at its center
Recognized as one of Europe’s largest environmental events, the festival highlighted growing public interest in sustainability and resource efficiency while reinforcing Istanbul’s role as a hub for large-scale environmental engagement.
The festival was not designed as a passive exhibition. Visitors were invited to take part in practical activities across environmental awareness, energy efficiency, sustainable living, culture, art and technology.
Through recycling and upcycling workshops, sustainability education areas, cultural programs, exhibitions and interactive experience zones, the event connected zero waste principles with daily choices at home, in cities and across communities.
Sustainability experienced across generations
The festival offered an inclusive structure for families, children, young people and visitors from different age groups. Dedicated children’s areas, art workshops, environmental games, exhibitions and learning experiences helped younger visitors engage with zero waste in a practical and memorable way.
For adults and families, the event created opportunities to explore energy efficiency, circular economy practices, conscious consumption and sustainable living through accessible public programming. This approach helped frame zero waste not only as an environmental responsibility, but as a lifestyle culture that can be learned, shared and practiced.
Culture, art and technology bring zero waste to daily life
Across the festival grounds, sustainability was presented through both creative and practical experiences. Art installations, exhibitions and transformation-focused workshops showed how materials can gain new value when waste is prevented and resources are used responsibly.
Technology-focused areas introduced visitors to the role of innovation in sustainability, including energy efficiency applications and interactive experiences that made environmental impact more visible. By promoting waste prevention, resource efficiency and circular economy practices, the festival highlighted the role that zero waste approaches can play in reducing emissions and supporting broader climate objectives.
The festival helped bring zero waste principles beyond policy discussions and into the daily experiences of citizens.
A public example for the road to COP31
The COP31 context gave the festival broader strategic significance, without overshadowing its main public mission. As climate and sustainability discussions increasingly focus on implementation, the Zero Waste Festival showed how public participation can support a wider climate agenda.
The festival underscored that the zero waste approach is not limited to government policy, international negotiations or institutional commitments. Its impact grows when communities participate directly, helping turn environmental awareness into lasting behavioural change.
In Istanbul, the Zero Waste Festival brought that idea to scale. More than 1 million visitors joined a shared sustainability experience that connected awareness with action and placed public participation at the center of the zero waste movement.
Two initiatives to strengthen the road to COP31
The Zero Waste Festival took place within a broader momentum created by the Zero Waste Forum. Together, the two events helped show how Türkiye’s zero waste vision can connect international dialogue with public participation.
While the Zero Waste Forum provided a platform for discussing the policy, diplomatic and strategic dimensions of sustainability, the festival carried the same agenda into public life. This combination gave the zero waste movement a wider reach.