Carbon Handprint Takes Center Stage at the 11th Istanbul Carbon Summit 2026
While the Carbon Footprint continues to affect the climate, the Carbon Handprint has emerged as a symbol of the positive impact and collective effort required in the fight against climate change. The 11th Istanbul Carbon Summit, held as a carbon-neutral event and attracting significant stakeholder participation, recognized organizations and individuals increasing their Carbon Handprint through sustainability initiatives.
Organized by the Sustainable Production and Consumption Association (SÜT-D) with the main support of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change and Istanbul Technical University, the summit was held on May 4–5, 2026, under the theme “Decarbonization, Carbon Markets and Climate Technologies.”
High Carbon Handprint Impact at a Carbon Neutral Summit
Prof. Dr. Filiz Karaosmanoğlu, President of SÜT-D and faculty member at Istanbul Technical University, emphasized the distinction between Carbon Footprint and Carbon Handprint concepts.
She explained that individuals and organizations contribute directly and indirectly to greenhouse gas emissions through daily activities and business operations, leading to climate change. However, in combating climate change, the focus should be on increasing the Carbon Handprint by creating positive impacts throughout production, consumption, and service processes.
According to Prof. Karaosmanoğlu, Carbon Handprint represents positive climate actions supported by innovative technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create measurable benefits.
She also noted that the summit was organized in accordance with Türkiye’s first and only ISO 20121 Sustainable Event Management System certification requirements and implemented as a Carbon Neutral event with support from ST Climate.
Supporting Climate Awareness Among Future Generations
As part of SÜT-D’s educational initiatives aimed at promoting sustainability culture and climate literacy among young generations, Beşiktaş Science and Arts Center (BİLSEM) participated as the stakeholder school for the 2026 program.
The BEŞİKTAŞ BİLSEM “İpsiz Karbon Team” designed and created puppets using separately collected waste materials, delivering a creative message on climate change and environmental awareness.
The SÜT-D 2026 Little Carbon Hero Award was presented during the summit by distinguished representatives from academia and public institutions.
SÜT-D 2026 Low Carbon Heroes
The summit also recognized organizations and individuals demonstrating exceptional achievements in sustainable production, consumption, services, and carbon management practices.
Among the SÜT-D 2026 Low Carbon Heroes were:
- AKSA Natural Gas
- AKSA Generator
- DANONE Türkiye
- ENDA Energy
- ETİ Copper
- HALKBANK
- İMMİB
- İNCİ Battery
- İSTAÇ
- KADOOĞLU Oil
- Kartal Municipality
- Kocaeli Chamber of Industry
- Shell & Turcas Petroleum
- SOCAR Türkiye R&D and Innovation
- TKYB
- TSKB
- VakıfBank
- Vakıf Katılım Bankası
Additionally, radio producer Neşe Yenice received a special SÜT-D Selection Award for her contributions to climate awareness through media and broadcasting initiatives.
Prof. Karaosmanoğlu congratulated all award recipients and emphasized the importance of collective action in accelerating Türkiye’s decarbonization journey.
