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October 15, 2024

A SHORT GUIDE TO THE RESPONSIBLE® PROGRAMME

7 Min. Read
green graphic drawing on a road photo

The Notice on the Responsible® Programme, which was introduced by the Ministry of Trade of the Republic of Türkiye to comply with the Green Deal, entered into force in June. The announcement of the programme brought along many questions such as how the programme will be implemented, who will benefit from it, and what will be supported under the programme. In this resource, we have compiled answers to many important questions about the programme.

WHAT IS THE RESPONSIBLE® PROGRAMME?

The Responsible® Program was implemented within the framework of compliance with the Green Deal, which covers the strategies developed by the European Union in line with its goal of becoming the first climate-neutral continent in 2050. The program,which aims to increase the performance of companies in environmental, social and governance (ESG) areas in Türkiye within the scope of compliance, aims to provide consultancy and support services needed by companies in this regard.

Companies that are determined to be above a certain level of maturity will also be granted permission to use the Responsible® brand for 5 years to raise awareness among producers and consumers on sustainability.

WHICH COMPANIES CAN BENEFIT FROM THIS SUPPORT?

Manufacturing and exporting companies can benefit from the support if they exceed a total export of 300,000 USD in the last three years. Companies already benefiting from different support mechanisms can also apply to the programme. Within the scope of the support, the following 10 main sectors and their sub-sectors are included:

  • Metal Industry
  • Mechatronics, Automotive and Defence Industry
  • Petroleum, Rubber and Plastic Based Products
  • Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals
  • Stone and Soil Based Industry
  • Paper, Cardboard and Forestry Products
  • Food Products
  • Textile Products
  • Mining
  • Agriculture and Livestock

WHERE/HOW CAN COMPANIES APPLY?

Applicant companies must first open a user account on the Responsible® Portal. Companies should apply through the Support Management System (DYS) with the supporting documents and pre-assessment report card obtained by filling out the pre-assessment form on the website. Then, an evaluation is carried out by taking into account criteria such as the sustainability vision of the companies, the level of project ownership of the senior management and the quality of the project team, and the companies that are eligible to participate in the programme are determined. If the company does not qualify for support, it can reapply after 6 months from the date of the Ministry's rejection notification.

WHAT ARE THE AREAS OF SUPPORT?

Support is given for work to be carried out in three main phases and for the components that support these phases. Approval of each phase is required for the transition to the next phase.

Phase 0: This phase covers the completion of the pre-assessment question set consisting of 72 questions to determine the current maturity levels of companies based on sustainability and digitalisation. This phase is preparatory to the support process and includes data based on declarations from companies.

Phase 1 - Current Situation Analysis and Sustainability Roadmap: It is the process of analysing the current situation and creating a sustainability roadmap for the companies included in the scope of support. At this stage, the current situation of the company in the areas of vision ,environment, social and governance is determined, projects for areas that need to be improved are identified and a roadmap is prepared. If the company's performance is above a certain level as a result of the current situation analysis,the right to use the Responsible® brand is granted.

Phase 2 - Technical and Financial Feasibility Implementation Consultancy : It is the stage of establishing the technical and financial feasibility of the projects determined within the scope of the sustainability roadmap created as a result of Phase 1.

Phase 3 - Monitoring and Verification Consultancy: In this phase, the results obtained after the implementation of the projects approved in Phase 2 are evaluated. The processes of measuring, monitoring,verifying and reporting the improvements achieved by company are carried out. After the evaluation of the results of this stage, the Ministry may grant permission to the company to use the Responsible® brand.

InformationTechnology and Sustainability Consultancy Supports:Within the scope of the Responsible® Program, companies' IT, software and sustainability consultancy expenses for green and digital transformation are also supported. Among the areas to be supported within the scope of IT consultancy are topics such as corporate performance management, where strategic goals and objectives are managed and performance is measured and supply chain management. Areas to be supported within the scope of sustainability consultancy include preparation of the sustainability report, development of the sustainability strategy, and carbon/water footprint calculation.

In addition, consultancy on the preparation of the sustainability report and participation fee in corporate sustainability reporting training programs approved by the Public Oversight, Accounting and Auditing Standards Authority are also supported.

WHICH COMPANIES CAN BE WORKED WITH THROUGHOUT THE PROGRAM?

Within the scope of the Responsible® Program, companies can work with:

  • Responsible® Program consultancy firms authorized by the Ministry for Phase 1,
  • Application consultancy companies authorized by the Ministry for Phase 2,
  • With consultancy firms authorized within the scope of Phase 1 or Phase 2, for Phase3.
  • For IT and sustainability consultancy, companies can work with institutions they prefer without the requirement of authorization.

Consultancy companies authorized by the Ministry have not been announced yet. Once determined, it will be announced via the Responsible® Portal.

WHAT IS THE SCOPE OF SUPPORT?

Consultancy service expenses received within the scope of the program can be supported at a rate of 50% for 5 years and up to a total of 10,000,000 TL. The support upper limit will be updated at the beginning of each calendar year.

The fees to be paid to consultancy companies within the scope of Phase 1 have been determined by the Ministry as follows:

  1. 1,500,000 TL for companies with more than 250 employees and/or annual sales revenue or financial balance sheet greater than 500 million TL,
  2. 1,000,000 TL for medium-sized companies whose number of employees is between 250 and 50 people and/or whose annual sales revenue or financial balance sheet is between 500 million TL and 100 million TL,
  3. 500,000 TL fo rcompanies whose number of employees is less than 50 people and/or whose annual sales revenue or financial balance sheet is less than 100 million TL.

ESSENTIAL INFORMATION TO KEEP IN MIND:

  • In order for companies to benefit from support within the scope of Phase 2, Phase 3 and IT and sustainability consultancy, the work to be carried out within this framework must be included in the sustainability road map created as a result of Phase 1.
  • It is not mandatory for companies to carry out all the projects included in the sustainability road map to be determined as a result of Phase 1.
  • Projects included in the sustainability road map can also be realized with the company's equity capital, without consultancy support. In this case, the company can benefit from Phase 3 as a result of the Ministry's approval of the final report on the completion of the project subject to monitoring and verification consultancy.
  • The support for Phase 1 can be provided by the Responsible® Programme consultancy firm authorised by the Ministry and assigned to the company. For Phase 2 and Phase3, the company can receive services from among the authorised consultancy firms in line with its own preference.
  • Within the scope of IT and sustainability consultancy support, there is no requirement for consultants to be authorized, the company can receive this support from the institutions it prefers.
  • Expenditure authority may be given to companies that are under the same holding umbrella as the company included in the scope of support, the holding company to which the company included in the scope of support is affiliated, and companies that have an organic connection with the company included in the scope of support. In this regard, companies with expenditure authority can benefit from Phase 2 and Phase 3, provided that they are related to a project on the sustainability roadmap, while only the company within the scope of support can benefit from Phase1 and support within the scope of sustainability and IT Consultancy.