Textile Sector Mobilized for the Earthquake Victims
On February 6, Turkey was shaken by earthquakes of 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude with epicenters in Pazarcık and Elbistan districts of Kahramanmaraş, affecting 10 provinces. More than 40 thousand people lost their lives, and more than 100 thousand people were injured in the earthquake disaster. Thousands of houses and workplaces were destroyed, and thousands of buildings were severely damaged. Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, Adıyaman, Malatya, Diyarbakır, Diyarbakır, Şanlıurfa, Gaziantep, Osmaniye, Adana, Kilis and Elazığ were declared disaster zones. Aid campaigns started across Turkey and in many countries from the first day of the earthquake. State institutions, industry associations, factories, schools, national and international non-governmental organizations joined hands to help the earthquake victims.
Aid Solidarity from Exporters Associations
Mustafa Gültepe, President of the Turkish Exporters’ Association (TİM) and Istanbul Ready-to-Wear and Apparel Exporters’ Association (İHKİB), announced that 61 exporters’ associations under the leadership of TIM have started a mobilization for in-kind and cash aid for earthquake victims. The unions, including Istanbul Textile and Apparel Exporters’ Association (İTKİB), delivered all kinds of winter clothes, socks, underwear, winter shoes, boots, blankets, fleece, sleeping bags, diapers, electric stoves and dry food to the earthquake zone with trucks.
Prefabricated Housing Initiative from the Business World
Exporters have also developed a project to solve the housing problem of earthquake victims under the coordination of TİM. Within the scope of the ‘Prefabricated Mass Housing Building Project’, mass housing will be built in regions to be determined by the authorities. A house with a size of 580.35 square meters will be able to accommodate 100 people. There will be a sofa bed, bunk bed, wardrobe, double bed, domestic appliances, and toilet in one compartment.
‘‘Today is the day for unity’’
Ahmet Öksüz, President of Istanbul Textile and Apparel Exporters’ Association (İTHİB), who is also from Kahramanmaraş, is in charge of the project coordinated by TİM. Öksüz stated that they followed the earthquake disaster with great sadness; ‘‘Today is the day of unity. As exporters under the leadership of TIM, we started an aid campaign for our citizens in the earthquake region. We will deliver the items we have collected to the families damaged in the earthquake. We also aim to deliver a house to our earthquake victims every 3 days.’’
Aid to earthquake victims from TİHCAD
Textile Exporters and Employees Association (TİHCAD) also took action to send the materials needed by the earthquake victims to the region. Textile exporters gathered their winter ready-to-wear products under the roof of the association in order to be sent to the disaster zone, which is struggling with severe winter conditions. Two trucks containing products such as sweaters, pants, socks, coats, scarves, beanies, tracksuits, sweatshirts, shoes and blankets set off for the provinces suffering from the earthquake. In addition to textile products, diapers, wet wipes, feminine hygiene products, food supplies and snacks, which were frequently mentioned as urgent needs, were also sent to the region.
50 thousand pairs of winter shoes and boots will be delivered to the earthquake region
Güven Karaca, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Istanbul Leather and Leather Products Exporters’ Association (İDMİB), said in a written statement: ‘‘As İDMİB, we have contacted our related associations and foundations. With the decision we have taken, we have taken action with the aim of delivering 50 thousand pairs of winter shoes and boots to the disaster area.’’
Full support from industrialists for disaster victims
Undoubtedly, the most considerable support in this period came from the producing side of Turkey, from the industrialists. In this context, the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (İTO) announced that 32 trucks consisting of emergency supplies were sent to the region in the first phase. In the statement made by İTO, it was also indicated that 6 shipments were carried out by air and 24 truckloads of materials were on their way.
Textile Facilities Became Homes for Earthquake Victims
Southeastern Anatolia is a region that can be considered the heart of Turkey’s textile and ready-to-wear production. The region’s exports in 2022 amounted to 12 billion 345 million 313 thousand dollars. Provinces in this region such as Kahramanmaraş, Gaziantep, Adıyaman and Malatya were affected by the earthquake. Many of the textile factories in the region lost their employees and many of their facilities were damaged. The undamaged facilities in the region opened their doors to earthquake victims. Factories in the region, especially in Malatya and Diyarbakır, became shelters for thousands of earthquake victims. After the Diyarbakır Textile Specialized OIZ, dozens of facilities from Talu Tekstil, Özak Tekstil and Zevigas to Fetih Tekstil, Trikotek and Taha Giyim, which are among the largest ready-to-wear facilities in Malatya, opened their doors to disaster victims. More than 5 thousand earthquake victims are hosted in these facilities and their food and shelter needs are met.
Kipaş schools host 6 thousand earthquake victims
Kipaş Holding, one of the largest yarn manufacturers in Kahramanmaraş, rushed to the aid of the disaster victims from the first moment of the earthquake. Ahmet Öksüz, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of KİPAŞ Holding; ‘‘We employ approximately 14 thousand people in Kahramanmaraş with our many investments, especially in textiles. After the earthquake, we opened Kipaş Education Institutions to 6 thousand people. We also started to build prefabricated houses for the victims.’’
Turkish Red Crescent doubled its daily tent production
In the Tent Textile section of the Turkish Red Crescent’s Etimesgut Campus, where disaster tents have been produced for 70 years, the orders of AFAD are being produced. Ömer Faruk Özgün, General Manager of Turkish Red Crescent Tent Textile Group, said that 200-250 tents were produced per day during the normal period and that they immediately doubled the production capacity after the disaster. Özgün; ‘‘We are currently producing day and night, 24 hours a day. We can produce 500 tents a day. We can send 4-5 trucks to the disaster area every day.’’
Winter clothing aid from ready-to-wear brands
Within the scope of the Earthquake Relief Mobilization initiated by the Ministry of Trade, ready-to-wear brands such as LC Waikiki, DeFacto, Colin’s, Koton, Adidas, Marks & Spencer, Mango, H & M, Zara, Bershka and Pull&Bear, Hugo Boss sent winter clothes, food and other needs to the region with more than 10 trucks. In addition, e-commerce companies such as Amazon Turkey, Trendyol and Hepsiburada delivered the aid to the disaster zone free of charge. FLO provided shoes, socks, scarves, berets and coats to the disaster victims. It was announced that LC Waikiki customers contributed to the campaign by purchasing 11 million TL worth of products. LC Waikiki prepared 36 thousand additional blankets and 50 thousand additional scarves to donate to the earthquake regions. LC Waikiki also opened its textile factories in Malatya OSB 1st and 2nd regions to earthquake victims for their food and heating needs.
Defacto Will Cover Clothing Requirements of Earthquake Victim Children for 1 Year
DeFacto announced that in accordance with the protocol they signed with the Ministry of Family and Social Services, they will meet the clothing needs of all children under the auspices of the Ministry in the earthquake region for one year.
Mehmet Kaya, Chairman of the Board of TYH Tekstil, stated that they have converted all lines into blanket production. Kaya expressed, ‘‘The fleece clothing production lines in our factories have been spinning to produce blankets since the earthquake. We have sent a lot of clothes to the region, but now we are concentrating on this product because blankets are in demand.’’
Yataş also delivered trucks containing products such as blankets, quilts and pillows needed in the earthquake zone to those in need under the coordination of AFAD in the region.
Uşak Produces over 50 thousand blankets a day
Textile and ready-to-wear garment factories in other parts of Turkey have also rolled up their sleeves to produce blankets, coats, scarves, beanies and pyjama sets for earthquake victims. In Uşak, the center of blanket production, more than 50 thousand blankets are produced daily for earthquake victims. So far, approximately 1.5 million blankets have been sent to the disaster zone by air and land with 281 vehicles.
Women Knit Sweaters, Scarves and Beanies at Public Education Centers
In addition, textile workers and trainees in different regions of Turkey are volunteering for earthquake victims in Public Education Centers and workshops. Public Education Center trainees in provinces including Edirne, Kırklareli, Tekirdağ, Bolu, Balıkesir, Konya, İzmir, Erzincan, Giresun, Gümüşhane, Kocaeli, Kütahya, Yozgat, Elazığ, Mardin, Tekirdağ, Sakarya, Bursa, Denizli, Amasya, Niğde, Çorum are sewing winter clothes to protect earthquake victims from the cold weather. The trainees prepare scarves, berets, hats, sweaters, underwear, tracksuits, sweaters, children’s items and cloth toys at their homes and at the public education center.
Container Support from EFFE to Earthquake Victims
Turkish textile machinery manufacturers have also mobilized to send public relief and cash aid to the disaster areas since the first day of the earthquake. Machinery manufacturers especially called their customers in Kahramanmaraş, Malatya, Adıyaman and Gaziantep, which are textile regions, to convey their condolences and get well wishes. Some domestic machinery manufacturers also supported container city projects. One of them was Effe Makine. The Effe family, which started the aid campaign with its 250 employees, was supported by its representatives around the world, especially in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Russia, Egypt, Iran, Uzbekistan, Poland and India. Effe Makine delivered the containers containing all the belongings, including the toilet, bathroom and stove, to the earthquake zone, organized by the cash aids sent by the representatives and the support of the devoted Effe employees.
Kıray Makina and Eltekmak Produced Furnaces for Earthquake Victims
Some companies suspended their machinery production and started manufacturing stoves for the earthquake victims. One of them was Kıray Makina, which produces textile finishing machinery units and accessories. In the statement made by the company on social media, it is expressed as follows; ‘‘As Kıray Makina, we are sharing with all our colleagues in the manufacturing and machinery sector in order to enable the mass production of the furnace design we have realized in order to provide heating support to our citizens in the earthquake region, in this period, we share the design link for companies whose manufacturing processes are suitable (furnace manufacturing, parts production). The furnaces we produce are wood stoves. They are suitable for heating areas such as tents and containers.’’
Elteksmak, which manufactures textile finishing machines, also supported the furnace production project initiated by Kıray Makina. The company made a statement titled ‘We couldn’t warm up while you were cold’ and continued as follows: ‘‘We slowed down our routine production and started to produce tent furnaces for our citizens who are trying to survive in difficult conditions. First of all, we would like to thank the management of Kıray Makina who started this act of kindness, our staff who work wholeheartedly and all our suppliers who provide material support in the production of furnaces.’’
International Textile Machinery Manufacturers Aid to the Earthquake Region
After the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş, which left Turkey in mourning and caused great destruction in 10 provinces, many aid campaigns were organized abroad. Foreign textile machinery manufacturers working in textile companies in the textile regions of Kahramanmaraş and Gaziantep also participated in the campaigns. Textile machinery manufacturers with branches in these regions constantly received information about the health status of their employees. The companies that sent aid materials to the region also sent their condolences and get well wishes to the people of Turkey in their social media posts.
Trützschler sent clothes, baby food and hygiene supplies
One of the companies that took action after the earthquake was Trütszchler, which has an office in Kahramanmaraş. Trütszchler shared the following statement on its social media: ‘‘We are working hard to provide support to our colleagues, their families and local communities affected by the devastating earthquake in Turkey. We have sent trucks with relief supplies to Kahramanmaraş, distributing warm clothes, baby food, water and hygiene items. Our customer HRN supported the distribution on its company premises. Longer-term accommodation for our employees is being organized. We also started an internal donation program for our colleagues and their families in Gaziantep and Kahramanmaraş. We express our gratitude and utmost respect to the Trützschler team in Turkey who is coordinating these activities.’’
Vandewiele donated money and goods with 600 employees
Textile machinery manufacturer Vandewiele, which has a technical support service in Gaziantep, which was affected by the earthquake considerably, started a campaign for goods and money aid at its head office. Aid campaign coordinator Mario Vansuyt explained in his statement, ‘‘The need is great. Today I had a colleague from Turkey on the phone. Judging by his voice, it was not so good. There is cold, destruction up to and including. We cannot imagine how that’s what it’s all about. But the service center has remained intact and in the first days it also functioned as a reception center, a help center for the people. The first thing our colleague asked for was blankets, something to keep people warm. That’s why we also call on the staff to donate blankets, pampers, infant food if they have it available. There is also a need for food, which can be bought it’s best to be on site. Because the truck is on the road for a few days. Hence the need for money, financial resources, so that they can buy food there on site.’’
Rieter We continue our efforts to provide all kinds of support to our customers
The statement from Reiter Group regarding the devastating earthquake in Kahramanmaraş is as follows, ‘‘As a company, we are taking care of our employees and their families to the best of its ability under the current circumstances. The earthquake struck the heart of Türkiye’s textile industry and the home of many customers of the Rieter Group. We also send our sympathies also go out to our customers and agents struck by this disastrous tragedy. We stand in solidarity with them and are getting preparations underway to deliver any support required including textile expertise, products, and services as soon as possible.’’
Donation campaign from Saurer Employees
Saurer company, which has an office in Kahramanmaraş, has been continuing its aid activities since the first hours of the earthquake. In the statement made by the company; ‘‘We were all shocked when the news of the earthquake in the Turkish-Syrian border region reached us last week. It was soon clear that it was one of the worst natural disasters of the last hundred years. Our management decided to make a corporate donation the very day after the catastrophe. Food and necessities were procured and delivered immediately. In addition, Saurer Germany initiated a fundraising campaign among its employees. We could raise a considerable sum which will support our colleagues in Türkiye and their families who were so badly hit by the earthquake.’’
Ready-to-Wear Giants to Establish Aid Fund
The European Clothing and Textile Organization and the International Apparel Federation (IAF) took action to help Turkey after the earthquake. Financial and public relief aid are being collected for the earthquake region through the umbrella organizations of textile production. Hadi Karasu, TGSD Representative of EURATEX, stated that he met with the president of EURATEX and that all textile and garment factories internationally are organized to help Turkey. Karasu said, ‘‘We are working and planning with a large group of professionals for tents and prefabricated houses. We have solved the clothing issue. We are talking about creating an aid fund for the future.’’
Sasa Polyester, Bossa and Rubenis Tekstil Continue Production
In Kahramanmaraş and Gaziantep, two of Turkey’s textile centers, search and rescue operations continue after the earthquake, while production activities continue in undamaged facilities. Sasa Polyester, Bossa and Rubenis Tekstil stated in a declaration to Borsa Istanbul’s Public Disclosure Platform (KAP) that their facilities were not damaged and that they continued their production.
