At Egedeniz Textile, we believe that sustainability is not just a business practice, but a dialogue with future generations. It is with this belief that we were proud to be the main case study for the international Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) project, hosted by Dokuz Eylül University.
This program went beyond a simple academic exercise, bringing together 30 students from 18 different nationalities to create a vibrant platform for exchanging ideas focused on the challenges and solutions in sustainable fashion.
💡 The Vision of Youth: Fresh Ideas from Diverse Perspectives
Students from Dokuz Eylül University (Türkiye 🇹🇷), Windesheim (Netherlands 🇳🇱), University of Alba Iulia (Romania 🇷🇴), Odisee (Belgium 🇧🇪), Karel de Grote-Hogeschool België (Belgium 🇧🇪), and Fontys University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands 🇳🇱) spent a week working on Egedeniz Textile’s sustainability strategies.
The program included a critical day of site visits and foundational presentations. On Tuesday, October 7th, the students, alongside their mentors, visited Egedeniz Textile for a deep dive into sustainable production. The day featured two key sessions:
- Regenerative Agriculture: Mrs.Ulfet Erdal from UTAEM (International Agricultural Research and Education Center) presented Egedeniz Textile’s holistic approach, detailing regenerative agriculture practices and showcasing the journey of textiles from farming to final products and garments.
- Mission and Transparency: Melody Malek, Head of ESG, delivered a presentation on Egedeniz Textile’s core mission and vision, emphasizing the importance of robust collaborations in fostering transparency and traceability within the supply chain.
The students also toured the Egedeniz and Kadeks Textile facilities to gain a firsthand understanding of the different departments and labor required to bring a T-shirt to life.
This immersive experience laid the groundwork for the students’ project: developing future sustainability strategies for Egedeniz. The project culminated in excellent presentations, where the youth shared brilliant ideas focusing on key areas such as transparent brand-supplier collaboration, digitalization, clean energy, farmer education, and circular production. We were greatly inspired by the youth’s innovative thinking.
Focusing on critical issues like the ‘behind the scenes of fashion’ and ‘farmer challenges,’ the teams provided us with visionary recommendations in three key areas:
- Sustainable Supply Chain Management: Addressing the difficulties faced by farmers, proposing concrete ideas to make our organic cotton supply chain more equitable and transparent.
- Circular Economy and Waste Reduction: Presenting the innovative digital platform solutions specifically designed to minimize waste during the production phase and redesign products according to circular fashion principles.
- Consumer Awareness and Transparency: Students demonstrated new ways to communicate our ESG data(Environmental, Social, and Governance) to consumers. Displaying a product’s entire journey transparently was met with great interest by applying digital QR codes, online software, and blockchain technology.
🤝 Collaborative Learning and Interaction: Egedeniz Representatives
At the culmination of the project, the students presented their ideas to our company representatives, Melody Malek(Business Development and ESG) and Selim Pilavcı (Human Resources Manager). The presentations, prepared through the passionate and intercultural collaboration of the students, were highly inspiring for us. Directly experiencing the expectations and innovative thinking of the younger generation is an invaluable step in our company’s sustainability journey.
“This BIP project was a critical turning point where we connected with the energy and knowledge of international youth. The future of the fashion industry is in their hands, and Egedeniz is proud to help shape that future.” – Melody Malek, Business Development and ESG
We extend our sincere thanks to Özge Özgen, Işınsu Atalay, Yeliz Güler, M. Banu Durukan Sali, and Derya Şenufuk from Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi for their unparalleled hospitality and excellent organization.
