Outlining Turkiye’s efforts to diversify its energy mix and expand renewables, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently cautioned about significant risks of relying on a single country or source for energy requirements.

He was addressing the 11th Energy Efficiency Forum and Fair in Istanbul.

Outlining Turkiye’s efforts to diversify its energy mix and expand renewables, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently cautioned about significant risks of relying on a single country or source for energy requirements.
He said Turkiye has turned one of the leading economies investing in green energy in recent years and the share of renewable energy in its total installed capacity has crossed 60 per cent.

Erdogan stressed that diversification remains key to the security of supply. “Being dependent on a single country, source, or route for energy procurement carries significant risks,” he said. Turkiye imports over 90 per cent of its energy needs.

“Our goal is to expand the economy to $1.9 trillion and lift per capita income to $21,000 by 2028,” Erdogan said, mentioning about targets of the government’s new medium-term programme.

The country’s population is expected to exceed 88 million by 2030 and reach 94 million by 2050, according to the president, up from nearly 86 million as of the first half of this year.

“We all know very well what this means in terms of energy demand and consumption,” the president was quoted as saying by domestic media outlets.

He said the country has turned one of the leading economies investing in green energy in recent years and the share of renewable energy in its total installed capacity has surpassed 60 per cent this year.

Natural gas consumption has also grown rapidly, he said. While in 2002, only five cities in the country had gas infrastructure, all 81 provinces now have such access, Erdogan said. “The share of our population with access to natural gas has risen from 33 per cent to 85 per cent,” he noted.

Turkiye’s transition to clean energy remains a government priority, and the Climate Law adopted in July was an important move toward the 2053 net-zero emissions target, he added.

Turkiye will host the COP31 climate summit next year.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)

The Union Minister of State for Textiles Pabitra Margherita inaugurated the 4th Global Cotton Conference in New Delhi on October 7. Margherita also released a White Paper on Cotton titled ‘Cotton 2040: Shaping the Future Through Technology, Climate Resilience and Global Competitiveness’ jointly developed by the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) and the Indian Chamber of Food and Agriculture (ICFA) on the occasion.

Union Minister of State for Textiles Pabitra Margherita inaugurated the 4th Global Cotton Conference in New Delhi on October 7, releasing a White Paper titled ‘Cotton 2040.’
Organised by CITI, the Ministry of Textiles, and CCI, the event highlighted India’s leadership potential in cotton, focusing on technology, sustainability, and competitiveness.

The 4th Global Conference is being jointly organised by CITI, the Union Ministry of Textiles, and the Cotton Corporation of India as part of the World Cotton Day 2025 celebrations. The theme of the Conference is ‘Cotton 2040: Technology, Climate & Competitiveness’.

The International Labour Organization (ILO), the Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council (TEXPROCIL), and CITI-CDRA are supporting the program. The Indian Chamber of Food and Agriculture is the Knowledge Partner.

In 2021, the United Nations General Assembly officially recognised October 7 as World Cotton Day in recognition of the vital role played by cotton in society.

In his address, Margherita said India must strive to attain leadership position in quality, sustainability, and ethical production. The Kasturi Cotton initiative has the potential to contribute immensely to the ‘5F’ (farm-fibre-factory-fashion-foreign) vision of the Government, he pointed out.

The Minister said India and Russia could forge deeper ties in the textiles and apparel arena. He added that the government was committed to the welfare of farmers.

CITI chairman Ashwin Chandran said India has the potential to dominate the global cotton economy. Cotton Corporation of India CMD Lalit Kumar Gupta stressed on the need for improving the yield of the Indian cotton sector. He added that there was a need to accord more focus on innovation, improved farm practices, and the use of technology.

TEXPROCIL vice chairman Ravi Sam said cotton remains a pillar of India’s textile sector. He said that 63 per cent of India’s apparel exports are cotton-based.

Textile Commissioner Dr M Beena reiterated that a focus on technology and innovation is the need of the hour. Federation of Seed Industry of India vice chairman Dr Rajvir Singh Rathi highlighted the role of the seeds ecosystem in the development of India’s textile sector.

Cotton Analytics global consultant Dr Terry Townsend underlined the importance of the cotton sector in the global economy and how greater use of technology could mitigate the impact of climate change.

CITI deputy chairman Dinesh Nolkha delivered the Vote of Thanks at the session.

Cotton is one of the most important commercial crops cultivated in India, lies at the heart of the country’s textile ecosystem, and is a source of livelihood for millions of farmers and those engaged in related activities. However, the cotton sector in India lags in productivity compared to many of its peers, CITI said in a release.

For the benefit of lakhs of cotton growing farmers, India’s FY26 Budget had announced a ‘Mission for Cotton Productivity’. “This 5-year mission will facilitate significant improvements in productivity and sustainability of cotton farming and promote extra-long staple cotton varieties. The best of science & technology support will be provided to farmers. Aligned with our integrated 5F vision for the textile sector, this will help in increasing incomes of the farmers and ensure a steady supply of quality cotton for rejuvenating India’s traditional textile sector,” Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said in her Budget speech.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (HU)

IKEA has acquired U.S. logistics technology firm Locus, the two companies said on Tuesday, a deal the Swedish furniture retailer said would make its deliveries to shoppers smoother and faster as it invests to expand online sales.

The takeover is in addition to a $2.2 billion push by Ingka Group, the biggest global IKEA franchisee, in the U.S. where it competes with Wayfair and Walmart and is also contending with higher tariffs on imports that are increasing its costs.

IKEA declined to disclose the value of the deal. Locus was valued at $300 million in its most recent funding round in 2021, according to reports at the time.

IKEA said acquiring Locus would simplify its logistics and reduce its delivery expenses by an estimated 100 million euros ($117.41 million) a year globally.

Locus uses artificial intelligence to group orders and predict routes that minimize the time delivery vehicles spend in traffic, a planning process that is currently done manually by IKEA workers, Parag Parekh, chief digital officer at Ingka Group told Reuters in an interview.

Locus will also enable IKEA to offer customers more delivery windows and options, and give live updates on where their package is, as well as delivering faster, Parekh added. It will likely pilot the technology in the U.S. and UK before using it globally.

“Speed is one aspect of it, but more importantly for us, it will be the flexibility, it will be the ability to track… and more importantly, through all of this, help drive a better customer experience,” he said.

Locus’ shareholders included Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC and private equity firms Alpha Wave, Tiger Global, and Qualcomm Ventures prior to the all-share acquisition by Ingka Investments, the retailer’s investment arm.

Under the deal, Locus will operate independently and continue to work with clients beyond IKEA.

Known mostly for its bright blue big-box suburban stores showcasing sofas, beds and bookcases in a labyrinth layout, IKEA has shifted focus onto its online business over the past five years and invested in smaller city-centre stores as it targets younger and more urban shoppers.

Online sales accounted for 28% of total IKEA retail sales in its 2024 financial year, up from 11% in 2019.

The acquisition comes just a week after Ingka Investments bought a building in Manhattan for $213 million, pushing ahead with U.S. expansion despite President Donald Trump imposing higher tariffs on furniture imports.

“In terms of the macroeconomics around us … probably there’s uncertainty on the quarters ahead,” Parekh said. “But as a company we remain committed to the U.S.”