Zonguldak Teacher’s Quiet Success: Nilüfer Günay’s Sustainable Fashion Project Wins Second Prize at the EU Green Skills Awards
Head of the EU Delegation to Türkiye Ambassador Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut states: “I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Nilüfer Günay for her remarkable achievement in winning second prize at the 2024 Green Skills Awards. Her creative project perfectly aligns with the European Union (EU) strategy for sustainable and circular textiles. We are very proud of her success and the inspiration she provides to others in Türkiye and beyond.”
20 tonnes of water for a kilo of cotton
Nilüfer explains how she came up with the idea for the project: “When I read an article describing how 20 tonnes of water is used for the processing of just one kilo of cotton in the textile industry, I was horrified.”
According to the European Training Foundation, the sector known as ‘fast fashion’ is responsible for 5% of global carbon emissions and 20% of water pollution. European textile consumption ranks fourth in terms of environmental impact in the EU, after food, housing and transport. The sector is also the third largest regarding water and land use, and the fifth largest in terms of raw material use.
EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles
The European Commission released the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles in June 2023 to support the development of a greener textile sector. The strategy aims to ensure that by 2030, textiles placed on the EU market are long-lasting and recyclable, made as much as possible with recycled fibres, free of hazardous substances, and produced with respect for social rights and the environment.
Europe is Türkiye’s largest export market for textiles. From cotton production to ready-to-wear clothing, the textile sector is one of the largest industries in the Turkish economy. According to Mustafa Gültepe, the President of the Turkish Exporters’ Assembly, the textile sector ranked third among the top export sectors with $9.2 billion out of $255.8 billion in exports in 2023.
EUROPEAN UNIOIN, 2024
Nilüfer Günay runs ‘Always New’ an ecological project which creates new clothes out of old ones
“The fashion industry constantly encourages consumers to buy and consume clothes. We are always buying new clothes, but we use them briefly and either forget about them in our wardrobes or throw them away. So, I started my project ‘Always New’ to make new clothes from old ones. It is about repurposing clothes destined for landfills, reducing fast fashion’s environmental footprint, and sharing our knowledge to inspire others to make eco-friendly choices,” she says.
Günay firmly believes her initiative can make a real difference: “Sewing is universal, just like music. If we develop awareness about preserving global resources, we can leave our children a more beautiful, livable world.”
EUROPEAN UNIOIN, 2024
Nilüfer Günay organised the first workshop for teachers at her school after the pandemic
EU projects are closely followed at the Yayla Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School, where Nilüfer Günay works; this is how Günay applied for the Green Skills Awards 2024, which was contested by 540 participants.
Workshops for teachers
As part of the project, she organised instructive workshops for teachers to redesign clothes that are no longer being worn.
Hülya Saltı is a teacher who attended the workshop. She shares her positive experience: “We learned useful techniques to redesign our old clothes, raising our awareness in the process. Thanks to the workshop, I can now contribute to the environment while simultaneously reducing my family’s clothing budget.”
Another workshop attendee, Aysel Dursun, says: “Since I started covering my hair, I could no longer wear my old clothes. Thanks to this workshop, I could redesign all my unused clothes. I truly value workshops like these in our consumer-driven society.”
Like Nilüfer Günay, these two teachers are very happy with the results of the 2024 Green Skills Awards.
Latvian participant wins first place
Latvian Andris Višnevskis, who initiated the Hemp School to promote sustainable agriculture and hemp’s environmental benefits, won this year’s Green Skills Award. Matthews Wafula from Madagascar came third with his ‘Green TVET’ initiative.
EUROPEAN UNIOIN, 2024
The Green Skills Awards is a global initiative launched in 2021. Selçuk Arslan, a computer science teacher at Ankara’s Atatürk Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School, secured second place at the 2021 Green Skills Awards with his project exploring coding and nature.
This beneficial initiative is a source of good practice that can inspire individuals and institutions to make a real difference in contributing to circular and carbon-neutral economies and societies.
The European Training Foundation is an EU agency that helps countries around the European Union reform their education, training and labour market systems.
