Chemicals 

The chemical industry is a field providing significant amounts of input to many branches of industry, such as automotive, leather products, glass, textile and paper products.

Turkey has competitive advantages as one of the main producers of soda ash, chrome and boron in the world. The primary products exported by the Turkish chemical industry mainly include petrochemicals, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, synthetic fiber and strings, soap and detergent, as well as paints.

There are about 314 companies with foreign investment in the Turkish chemical industry, an industry which has a share of 13 percent of total foreign capital in Turkey.

The export volume of the Turkish chemical industry is increasing steadily. In 2010, the chemical industry was one of the most important exporting sectors among total industrial exports.  

The value of chemical exports was about USD 7.5 billion in 2010, accounting a share of 6.5 percent in Turkey’s total exports. Major export products of the Turkish chemical industry are processed plastic products such as tubes, pipes, hoses and fittings. The second major export products include soaps, detergents and cosmetics, whereas other major product groups are inorganic chemicals and medicament mixtures-put in dosage.

Source:

Bektasoglu Songul, “Chemical Industry”
Undersecretariat of Foreign Trade Export Promotion Center, 2010
Timur Erk, “Turkish Chemical Industry”

Strengths Strong export potential Significant growth potential for many subsectors (e.g. pharmaceuticals, home & personal care, coatings, etc.) Industry’s awareness and support concerning REACH Young and talented workforce Turkey’s geostrategic importance Availability of some rare raw materials (soda ash, boron, chrome)		Weaknesses Relatively small scale by international standards Insufficient hazardous waste processing facilities Unregistered trading within the industry

Opportunities R&D investment and training of the workforce may increase efficiency Likely expansion of local refining capacity Turkey’s likely EU partnership Increasing investments in private sector Better trade ties with neighboring countries		Threats Fluctuating input prices Extended timetable for Turkey’s EU partnership