Environmental Sustainability in Humanitarian Supply Chains: A Case Study on the 6 February Earthquakes

Abstract

Aim: This study aims to examine the relationship between humanitarian supply chains and environmental sustainability and to evaluate the effectiveness of sustainable approaches implemented in crisis regions. Method: The study was conducted as a case analysis based on the blankets distributed by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in response to the earthquakes that struck Türkiye and Syria on 6 February 2023. The environmental impacts of the materials used in the production process were calculated using Güneşhan Group’s 2023 recycling report and IOM’s official distribution data. Findings: The research results show that approximately 1.47 kg of textile waste was reused in the production of each blanket, and 773 litres of water were saved compared to cotton-based production. When scaled up, a total of 508,000 kg of textile waste was recovered and about 13,461 million litres of water were saved. In addition, reductions in energy and natural resource consumption were achieved. Despite the addition of polyester and acrylic to enhance fibre durability, the environmental gains remained largely preserved. These findings confirm that recycling-based production models provide significant environmental and economic benefits in humanitarian logistics. Conclusion: The study demonstrates that environmental, economic, and social dimensions of sustainability can be jointly addressed in the context of humanitarian logistics, offering practical implications for policymakers in designing more sustainable humanitarian operations.

Keywords

• Sustainability
• Humanitarian Aid
• Logistics
• Recycling
• Disaster

İnsani Yardım Tedarik Zincirinde Çevresel Sürdürülebilirlik: 6 Şubat Depremleri Üzerinden Bir Vaka Analizi

Abstract

Amaç: Bu çalışma, insani yardım tedarik zinciri ile çevresel sürdürülebilirlik arasındaki ilişkiyi incelemeyi ve kriz bölgelerinde uygulanan sürdürülebilir yaklaşımların etkinliğini değerlendirmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Yöntem: Araştırma, 6 Şubat 2023 tarihinde Türkiye ve Suriye’de meydana gelen depremler örnek alınarak, Birleşmiş Milletler Uluslararası Göç Örgütü (IOM) tarafından dağıtılan battaniyeler üzerinden vaka analizi çerçevesinde yürütülmüştür. Üretim sürecinde kullanılan malzemelerin çevresel etkileri Güneşhan Grup’un 2023 yılına ait geri dönüşüm raporu ile IOM’un resmi dağıtım verileri kullanılarak hesaplanmıştır Bulgular: Araştırma sonuçları, her bir battaniye üretiminde yaklaşık 1,47 kg tekstil atığının yeniden kullanıldığını ve pamuk tabanlı üretime kıyasla 773 litre su tasarrufu sağlandığını göstermektedir. Bu değerler ölçeklendiğinde, toplamda 508.000 kg tekstil atığı geri kazanılmış ve yaklaşık 13.461 milyon litre su tasarrufu elde edilmiştir. Ayrıca, enerji ve doğal kaynak kullanımında azalma gerçekleşmiştir. Elyaf dayanıklılığını artırmak için eklenen polyester ve akrilik katkılara rağmen çevresel kazanımların yüksek düzeyde korunduğu görülmektedir. Bu sonuçlar, geri dönüşüm temelli üretim modellerinin insani yardım lojistiğinde hem çevresel hem de ekonomik açıdan önemli avantajlar sağladığını doğrulamaktadır. Sonuç: Çalışmanın sonuçları hem akademik literatüre katkı sağlamakta hem de uygulayıcılar için sürdürülebilir insani yardım operasyonları tasarlamada önemli çıkarımlar sunmaktadır.

Keywords

• Sürdürülebilirlik
• İnsani Yardım
• Lojistik
• Geri Dönüşüm
• Afet

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