With Its GRI Compliant Sustainability Report, Alarko Leaves A “Simple” Yet Powerful Mark In History

Alarko Holding has released its 2024 GRI-Compliant Sustainability Report, sharing its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance. The report prepared by Alarko under the title “Only Sustainability” presents its sustainability performance comprehensively, encompassing data, best practices, stakeholder expectations, and future goals, while standing out with its clear language and responsible design. Prepared in line with Alarko Holding’s Responsible Communication Policy to minimize its environmental footprint, the report deliberately forgoes visuals, photographs, graphic elements, and an extensive color palette; once again reminding us that every reduced negative impact amplifies the future.

Alarko Holding, which regards sustainability not merely as a reporting requirement but as a responsible business model, has shared its 2024 GRI-compliant Sustainability Report with the public, reaffirming that it is possible to “multiply by reducing,” following the release of its first TSRS-compliant Sustainability Report in August. The new report showcases the Alarko Group of Companies’ sustainability performance, its transformation across environmental, social, and governance areas, best practices from various sectors, stakeholder expectations, and future goals through a design concept centered on simplicity. Published under the title “Only Sustainability,” the report redefines the balance between form and content, visibility and essence, leaving a simple yet powerful mark in the history of sustainability reporting. In line with Alarko’s Responsible Communication Policy, carbon emissions from search engines, graphic software, artificial intelligence applications, and monitors are minimized by consciously foregoing photographs, visuals, colors, and graphic elements.

Ümit N. Yıldız: “We communicate our new value ecosystem, built on our identity as a responsible investor, to all our stakeholders through a responsible communication approach.”

Ümit N. Yıldız, CEO of Alarko Group of Companies, commented on the report: “We embrace sustainability not merely as a reporting obligation, but as a priority area of responsibility that forms the foundation of our investments, all our business processes, and objectives. Our 2024 Sustainability Report, designed to minimize our environmental footprint, stands as a tangible reflection of this approach. In line with our 2050 Net Zero target, the report presents our indicators across all sectors in which we operate, our role in the energy landscape of the future, best practices in efficiency, technology, and the circular economy, as well as our social initiatives and future projections. We have strived to communicate our new value ecosystem, built on our identity as a responsible investor, to all our stakeholders through a responsible communication approach. I hope that our GRI-compliant Sustainability Report, which we aim to set as an example for the business world through its high-quality content and low-carbon design, serves as a stepping stone toward even greater achievements for our entire Group.”  

Key Highlights from Alarko’s Sustainability Report

With a pioneering identity that transcends being merely an international portfolio company and places people and nature at its core, Alarko Group of Companies is committed not only to financial growth but also to building a value ecosystem grounded in meaningful, positive, and impact-driven relationships. Drawing on over 70 years of experience, Alarko views the 2050 Net Zero target as a strategic opportunity for transformation. While expanding into new sectors through responsible investments, it implements multidimensional sustainability initiatives across its existing business lines.  

•    Alarko Plays an Active Role in the Energy of the Future

Building on its growing renewable energy generation capacity, Alarko not only facilitates the transition to clean energy through its distribution operations but also champions green energy adoption both within the company and across the wider business community through I-REC certificates. Alarko Energy Group directs all its new investments toward clean energy. The Group aims to increase its current installed capacity of 140 MW by 3.5 times to 640 MW in the next five years.  The Group also remains committed to playing an active role in Turkey’s energy transformation by investing in future technologies, including energy storage systems and lithium-ion battery production.

•    Boosting Access to Sustainable and Safe Food

By building a comprehensive agricultural ecosystem, from modern greenhouse cultivation and niche fertilizer production to seed breeding and high value-added dried food, Alarko has rapidly become the country’s largest agricultural investor.   With a goal of establishing 10,000 decares of modern greenhouses in Turkey and Kazakhstan by 2028, Alarko Agriculture Group is raising the bar for productivity by integrating technology, science, and the invaluable contribution of women’s labor. Adopting a circular resource management approach, geothermal energy, water, and plant waste are reintegrated into the economy, while biological pest control methods ensure the cultivation of residue-free crops. This business model positions Alarko as a driving force that makes a meaningful impact not only in domestic production but also in sustainable exports.

Through R&D initiatives grounded in modern scientific approaches, Alarko develops innovative solutions in fertilizer and seed production, while its activities in the dried food sector contribute to reducing waste across agriculture. Europe’s largest next-generation microgranular fertilizer production facility employs environmentally friendly manufacturing techniques, with over 55% of its energy supplied by solar power.

•    Focusing on Sustainable Impact in Industry, Tourism, and Aviation

Operating in the industrial and commercial sectors, Alarko Carrier enhances resource efficiency by prioritizing production processes centered on eco-transformation. This year, the company sourced 100% of the electricity used in its production processes from renewable energy. Seventy percent of the electricity generated at the facility was fed into the grid, marking a significant milestone in achieving energy efficiency and green production targets.
Through its Hillside brand, Alarko sets an exemplary model by integrating environmental and social responsibility in tourism. Hillside not only offers guests a unique vacation experience but also actively supports ecosystem preservation, biodiversity continuity, the empowerment of local producers, and the sustainable well-being of tourism professionals. 

In the aviation sector, Alarko applies circular economy principles by converting end-of-life wide-body passenger aircraft into cargo planes, introducing an innovative and environmentally responsible business model to the industry.  

•    A Social Responsibility Approach That Amplifies Social Impact

Gender equality, women’s entrepreneurship, quality education, and social development form the core pillars of Alarko Group’s impact strategy. 

As a signatory of the WEPs (Women’s Empowerment Principles), Alarko champions equal representation of women both within the company and across all spheres of business and social life. Together with its Group Companies, it undertakes impactful projects spanning environmental protection, biodiversity, innovation, as well as culture and the arts. In 2024, the Group generated a positive impact by directly reaching over 180,000 people through 25 distinct social responsibility projects and aims to set an even higher benchmark in its social initiatives. 

•    Group-Wide Sustainability Targets, Autonomous Performance Across Companies

While the Holding’s Ortaköy Headquarters retains its “Carbon Neutral Building” status, initiatives promoting effective carbon management are being rolled out across all companies.  The “Positive Impact – Green Collar Program,” implemented across the Group Companies, aims to embed sustainability competencies throughout the entire organization. Synergy is fostered across the Group through various platforms under the “Joint Impact” perspective, promoting the adoption of best practices in corporate governance, sustainability, digitalization, and human resources.  While the overarching policies and targets are tailored to each company’s sector and business model, sustainability-focused metrics contribute 5–10% to corporate scorecards across the Group. 

Pioneering in Turkey with its “Responsible Communication Policy,” Alarko embraces a transparent, data-driven, and accountable communication culture, while undertaking Group-wide initiatives to raise awareness of greenwashing and promote sustainability consciousness.

As a result of these decisive actions, Alarko Holding remains among the top 25 companies in the Borsa Istanbul (BIST) Sustainability Index and continues to expand its achievements, certifications, and awards in this domain.