TÜRKBESD Press Release_27 January 2026
TÜRKBESD Announces 2025 Data:
Export Volume Falls Back to 2017 Levels
In 2025, domestic sales across six main product groups contracted by 3% compared to the previous year. While the downward trend observed in exports in recent years continued, exports declined by 10% year-on-year in 2025. The ongoing decrease in exports was also reflected in production volumes, with total production falling by 9% compared to the previous year. Stating that export volumes have returned to 2017 levels, TÜRKBESD President Alper Şengül drew attention to the risk of losing the gains achieved over the past decade. Şengül said, “As a sector that exports nearly 70% of its production, we need policies that support exports more than ever to prevent these losses from becoming permanent.”
The Turkish White Goods Manufacturers’ Association (TÜRKBESD) shared its assessment of the sector’s 2025 performance. According to the data released by TÜRKBESD—which represents domestic, international, importing, and manufacturing companies such as Arçelik, BSH, Dyson, Electrolux, Haier Europe, Miele, Samsung, Versuni (Philips), and Vestel—domestic sales across six main product groups declined by 3% in 2025 compared to the previous year. Total domestic sales amounted to 9.9 million units in 2025. Meanwhile, the downward trend in exports observed in recent years continued, with exports decreasing by 2.2 million units, or 10%, year-on-year in 2025. The continued decline in exports also affected production volumes, with total production falling by 9% compared to the previous year.
With a 7% share of global production, Türkiye ranks as the largest white goods production hub in Europe and the second largest in the world. Operating with an annual production capacity of 29 million units as of 2025, the white goods sector provides employment for 60,000 people directly and 600,000 indirectly. Emphasizing that export volume, recorded at 20.2 million units in 2025, has returned to 2017 levels, TÜRKBESD President Alper Şengül underlined that this situation poses a risk of losing the gains achieved by the sector over the past ten years.
“We Need Policies That Support Exports More Than Ever”
Şengül stated, “In our sector, where exports are the lifeblood, the fact that export volumes have fallen back to levels seen ten years ago is worrying for our industry. This indicates that we have reached a critical threshold in terms of maintaining our competitiveness.” Emphasizing that the sector exports approximately 70% of its production, Şengül stressed that policies supporting exports are needed more than ever to prevent these losses from becoming permanent. He added that rising input, energy, and financing costs, along with uncertainties in trade policies, are making competitiveness increasingly fragile. In addition, Şengül noted that market share gains by Far Eastern players in foreign markets, achieved through competitive costs, are placing additional pressure on the sector.
“Access to raw materials and input costs are among the leading factors affecting competitiveness. The conclusion of anti-dumping investigations launched for certain product groups with protective measures, as well as ongoing investigations, pose a risk of further increasing our already high input costs,” Şengül said. Considering all these factors together, he emphasized that balanced and predictable policy steps to protect industrial production, exports, and competitiveness have become critical for the sector.
“Türkiye Should Not Be Excluded from the ‘Made in Europe’ Process”
Şengül stated that the sector is closely and sensitively monitoring the recent “Made in Europe” discussions within the European Union. He said, “If the ‘Made in Europe’ regulation comes onto the agenda, we believe that Türkiye should not be excluded from this process, taking into account the current level of economic integration, regulatory alignment, and climate targets.” Şengül also pointed out that the impact of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), another key element of strong integration with EU industry, could directly affect competitiveness. He added, “We believe it is extremely important that practices such as CBAM and approaches like ‘Made in Europe’ are evaluated by considering Türkiye’s position in supply chains, so as not to create a loss of competitiveness for our industry, which is deeply integrated with the EU.”
“2026 Points to a More Cautious Period”
Drawing attention to the risk that the decline in production levels observed alongside shrinking exports may become prolonged, Şengül said, “Revitalizing the domestic market in a renewed and sustainable manner is more important than ever. Especially in white goods, which are now considered basic necessity products, strengthening installment options for consumers and taking steps to facilitate access to financing will contribute to the healthy functioning of the domestic market.”
Concluding his remarks, Şengül stated: “The weak performance observed in exports and the domestic market points to a more cautious period for our sector in 2026. During this process, maintaining our production and export capacity will be decisive in terms of sustaining employment and preserving our international competitiveness. Therefore, balancing input costs and avoiding additional burdens that would weaken competitiveness in foreign markets are of critical importance.”
“Anti-Dumping Practices Increase Input Costs and Weaken Competitiveness”
Sharing up-to-date information on protectionist policies related to flat steel, safety glass, and polystyrene material groups—key input costs in critical manufacturing sectors such as white goods—TÜRKBESD Vice Chairman of the Board Mehmet Yavuz stated that concluded and ongoing investigations directly affect sector input costs.
Evaluating recent developments, Yavuz said, “It is of great importance that the ongoing anti-dumping investigation into cold-rolled, galvanized, and coated steel sheets—classified under flat steel products, which account for approximately 17% of our input costs—is conducted by taking into account the needs of our sector and concluded without measures, in line with the overall economic interests of our country. In addition, some of these products have technical specifications that cannot be met by domestic production and can only be supplied through imports in specific quality and dimensions. Keeping input costs at reasonable and predictable levels is vital for maintaining our sector’s competitiveness, sustaining export capacity, and preserving employment. Otherwise, imposing an additional tax as a result of the investigation, on top of existing customs duties, will weaken our competitiveness both in domestic and international markets.”
“Cost Items Not Present in Competing Countries Create a Burden on the Sector”
TÜRKBESD Board Member Benay Bakışkan stated that the white goods industry has experienced a decline in exports over the past four years due to both contraction in global markets and rising cost factors, emphasizing that increases in the Recycling Contribution Fee (GEKAP) have created serious cost pressure on the sector. Bakışkan said, “While unit prices implemented in 2020 increased by 1,550%–1,666.7% as of December 2025, the increases in Producer Price Index (PPI) and Consumer Price Index (CPI) during the same period were 735.5% and 596.1%, respectively. Today, the annual GEKAP burden reflected on our sector has reached approximately TRY 3 billion. When the cumulative effect between 2020 and 2025 is evaluated, it is estimated that GEKAP revenues collected solely from the white goods sector have reached approximately USD 250 million.”
Stating that these increases place serious pressure on production planning and cash flow, Bakışkan said that, considering the urgency of the current loss of competitiveness, temporarily reducing GEKAP obligations to zero or by half would be of great importance for the sector. She also noted that calculating GEKAP based on product weight leads to disproportionate calculations due to structural elements of products (such as balancing weights in washing machines), emphasizing the need to exclude such products from the same unit weight basis and to transition to an alternative calculation method.
“Any Incentive That Facilitates Access to Energy-Efficient Products Contributes to National Wealth”
Stating that the white goods sector represents a broad ecosystem ranging from production to sales and after-sales services, TÜRKBESD Board Member Semir Kuseyri emphasized the importance of continuity in the domestic market for the sector. “It is of great importance that steps to support the domestic market and strengthen sustainable demand are implemented without delay,” said Kuseyri, expressing the need for a comprehensive action plan to promote the widespread adoption of energy-efficient products.
Kuseyri continued: “As is well known, thanks to advancing technologies and innovation, we as the white goods sector produce and offer products with increasingly higher energy efficiency every day. This efficiency not only helps protect natural resources but also directly contributes to our consumers’ budgets. We believe that this approach will serve the common benefit of our country, consumers, and sector, and will be the key to environmental, economic, and industrial sustainability.”
Sharing details of a recent study, Kuseyri underlined that although volumes in the refrigerator product group increased by 18% compared to 2014, energy consumption was reduced by 16%. “In light of these data, the widespread adoption of energy-efficient products will not only increase our country’s annual energy savings, but will also strengthen production by ensuring efficient use of resources and play a leverage role in exports,” Kuseyri said, emphasizing that any incentive facilitating consumers’ access to energy-efficient products would contribute to national wealth and sustainable growth.