Who gains from saving nature
Ledger 1 : 33 — For each dollar financing nature-based solutions in 2023, about $33 financed activities harmful to nature. (UNEP)
Cases / Plastic waste and recycling claims · Türkiye · 2017–2024

Turkey's plastic bag fee and advertising penalties on green claims

Short record: the main facts, with sources. A full case file has not been prepared.

Nature's voice · report
No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Did nature suffer? Not measured.
Not on record
  • The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.
What the record lacks: 2 none on record · 2 insufficient · 1 not measured See the gaps

Turkey has required at least 25 kuruş per plastic bag since 2019, and Turkish news reports say bag use fell by 70 to 78.4 percent. The Advertising Board penalised four companies in 2024 for generic 'nature-friendly' and 'climate-friendly' claims, so the stake is whether green claims about bags are accurate.

What?
Turkey set a minimum charge for plastic shopping bags from 2019, and the Advertising Board penalised four companies in 2024 for generic green claims. TGRT Haber
Where?
Türkiye. TGRT Haber
When?
From 2019 (bag charge); 2017 (review of bag labels); 2024 (penalties). TGRT Haber
Who?
Gained
None on record
Lost
  • Four companies penalised in 2024 — Penalised for generic 'nature-friendly' and 'climate-friendly' claims; names not given in the sources reviewed Ministry of Trade (Türkiye)
Harmed
None on record
Why?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
How?
A minimum bag charge, and Advertising Board rulings on green claims. TGRT Haber
6 of 6 questions answered from the record

What happened

The record, in order.

Shopping bags in Türkiye have cost at least 25 kuruş since 2019, according to Turkish news reports from 2019 and 2026.

Those reports put the fall in bag use at 70% to 78.4%, depending on the source.

In 2017 the Advertising Board took up bag labels such as '100% soluble, oxo-biodegradable'; the outcome is not stated in the sources reviewed.

In 2024 the Advertising Board penalised four companies for generic 'nature-friendly' and 'climate-friendly' claims, according to a Ministry of Trade statement.

    In court and with insurers

    Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.

    Lawsuits and rulings

    No court case on record. No court has ruled on this case.

    Insurers

    No insurer decision on record.

    What we don't know

    Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.

    Nature

    • Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.

    Record

    • Insufficient Reported but not verified: 2.84 million tonnes of waste said to be prevented, which is a hypothetical estimate.
    • Insufficient Reported but not verified: demand for thin bags at greengrocers rose by more than 100% (sector claim).
    • None on record The outcome of the 2017 Advertising Board review is not stated in the sources reviewed.
    • None on record The four companies penalised in 2024 are not named in the sources reviewed.

    Did the harm stop?

    Not stated in the sources reviewed.

    Who paid?

    Not stated in the sources reviewed.

    Sources

    Voices on record: — Company or project— Government and regulators— Courts✓ Press and investigations— Communities and civil society— Researchers

    Press and investigations

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