Şişecam to found a global joint venture with biotechnology company 7CBasalia

A global player in glass and chemicals, Şişecam announced plans to invest in Basalia Technology, a groundbreaking solution in the green and circular economy space and a significant Turkish innovation in bioeconomics. This decision marks Şişecam's first-ever investment in biotechnology. Şişecam signed a memorandum of understanding to found a global joint venture with 7CBasalia, the owner of Basalia Technology which was developed to make the world more sustainable.

Upon establishment of the global enterprise set forth in the protocol under the Şişecam-7CBasalia partnership, Şişecam will further test the innovative technology, which has already registered positive results, first in its own facilities as part of a pilot project. After evaluating the outputs of this testing effort, Şişecam will ensure that 7CBasalia's circular business model – which turns waste into added value products – reaches across the globe.

Şişecam's Chairman of the Board of Directors Prof. Dr. Ahmet Kırman stated the following: "We saw that Basalia Technology yielded positive results in our initial testing. We believe that this solution will mark a revolutionary breakthrough in the emerging field of bioeconomics. We signed a memorandum of understanding with 7CBasalia, a biotech start-up, to found a global joint venture in order to help develop and disseminate this technology globally. Şişecam will bolster R&D efforts in this key area with its investment in Basalia Technology, a solution that recycles all sorts of wastes and turns them into harmless substances and value-added products. In addition, we will significantly contribute to the international dissemination of this technology, which closely aligns with our sustainability goals, after implementing it as a pilot project at Şişecam and seeing its results on a larger scale. Having production activities in 14 countries and reaching 150 countries with its value-added products, Şişecam is the point of origin and the global representative for the Turkish glass industry. Note that glass is the world’s most sustainable material. Şişecam, with its new investment will play an active role in the global distribution of Basalia Technology, which we believe will give a huge boost to sustainability.”

Ahmet Başal, the inventor of Basalia Technology and one of the founders of 7CBasalia, added: "This innovative system stops wastes from being an environmental problem and turns them into eco-friendly value-added products. Thanks to Basalia Technology, wastewater is rendered reusable, while solid waste that is combined with organic waste is first made harmless. The next step is the generation of hydrogen, an eco-friendly source of energy. Basalia provides solutions to companies that face waste problems while also working in conjunction with city and national governments to develop Green City projects. As a leader of corporate R&D operations in Turkey, Şişecam will play a major role in the further development of this innovative solution with its strong know-how and advanced capabilities in technology development. I am certain that this unprecedented innovation will rapidly spread across the world, with the assistance of the expansive global footprint of Şişecam, which has production operations in 14 countries worldwide and reaches 150 countries with its products."

A global setter in the glass and chemicals industries, Şişecam announced plans to invest in Basalia Technology, an innovative solution developed to ensure a sustainable world. Şişecam signed a memorandum of understanding with 7CBasalia, owner of Basalia Technology and an enterprise focused on the green and circular economy. With the investment in this technology that is developed for turning all types of waste into harmless materials, Şişecam and 7CBasalia will support R&D efforts in this emerging field.

Şişecam considers this technology as a game-changing solution. Successful results were recorded in initial testing following a pilot project in Şişecam’s facilities. As a result, Şişecam will support dissemination of Basalia Technology across all its international platforms worldwide. This investment will mark the first-ever biotechnology investment of Şişecam, which operates in nine business lines across Turkey.

Circular innovation that creates added value through waste

7CBasalia, founded in Turkey in 2020, holds patents for Basalia Technology, a groundbreaking solution that features an innovative system inherently different from conventional technologies. The system is designed to stop wastes from being an environmental problem by turning them into eco-friendly value-added products. Contamination of the natural environment by wastewater is currently one of the biggest problems facing the world today.

However, Basalia Technology turns wastewater into distilled water. As a result of this process, wastewater is recovered as a resource that can be reused. The revolutionary system also serves as a critical solution to the solid waste problem. First, solid waste that is combined with organic waste is rendered harmless. Then, the system generates hydrogen – an eco-friendly source of energy. 7CBasalia works in cooperation with international organizations on issues related to climate change, the environment, and sustainability to deliver solutions for companies that face waste-related problems. In addition, 7CBasalia partners with city and national governments to create Green City solutions.

Advanced technology that aligns with Şişecam's sustainability goals

Prof. Dr. Ahmet Kırman, Şişecam's Chairman of the Board of Directors, announced and remarked on the new investment decision: "Throughout its 86-year history, Şişecam has remained committed to respecting people and the environment. From the beginning, Şişecam has offered solutions for a more sustainable world with its value-added products developed via its robust R&D infrastructure. More recently, we have been evaluating new investment areas that support our strong growth objectives. Şişecam recognized the remarkable harmony between 7CBasalia’s innovative circular biotechnology and Green Cities vision and its own sustainability-oriented development goals. We signed a global partnership MOU to turn this harmony into synergy and to support the global distribution of Basalia Technology. We firmly believe in this revolutionary technology’s benefits and its development potential following our preliminary trials. Having production operations in 14 countries and reaching 150 countries with its value-added products, Şişecam is the point of origin and the global representative for the Turkish glass industry. Note that glass is the most sustainable material in the world. With this new investment, Şişecam will implement Basalia Technology. We believe this groundbreaking innovation will make a positive contribution to our planet which is facing ever-growing risks from climate change. First, Şişecam plans to deploy the technology at its own facilities for additional testing. Based on the results of our internal implementation, we will play an active role in distributing Basalia Technology globally. Şişecam keeps sustainability at the center of all its business processes – from raw material to end product. We are committed to making value-generating investments for the benefit of our planet as well as each and every stakeholder."

Mr. Kırman continued: "Şişecam is currently the world’s second largest glassware producer in terms of production capacity. We also rank among the top five manufacturers of flat glass and glass packaging worldwide. In addition to being the eighth largest producer of soda ash globally, we are the world leader in chromium chemicals. As we move ahead toward our goal of positioning Şişecam Group as one of the top three producers in its core business areas, we are proud to represent our home country across a wide geography. Şişecam focuses on ensuring that the value it creates in all its activities can deliver a better future. Our Care for Next sustainability strategy embodies Şişecam’s approach to sustainability. With each investment we make, every innovative technology that we develop, and every stakeholder that we empower, we further embrace sustainability. As a groundbreaking innovation that we have great faith in, our latest investment in Basalia Technology is a clear demonstration of our compherensive and inclusive sustainability approach."

A technology that responds to the current alarm bells of global climate change 

Ahmet Başal is the inventor of Basalia Technology and one of the founders of 7CBasalia. He elaborated on the launch of the innovative technology following many years of extensive R&D efforts and on the new joint venture to be established with Şişecam: “Warning signals linked to global climate change have started to appear through the growing number of natural disasters that have occurred around the world. We started to work intensively on green and circular technologies that would respond to these impending threats and that would present a value-added solution to the waste issue. Upon completing the development process of Basalia Technology that we have worked on for many years, we became ready to make it available for widespread use across the world. In 2020, we founded 7CBasalia. Capable of capturing and bonding carbon and other contaminators in combustion gas, our revolutionary system offers significant benefits, such as generating hydrogen from all organic and inorganic waste. Basalia Technology consists of next-generation microorganism groups and physico-chemical systems that are evolved under extreme conditions and that function in synergy with one another. The technology that we developed can be used in areas such as waste disposal, precious material recovery from waste, deionized water generation, production of environmentally-friendly isolation materials, and organic land grading generation. Our system is much more effective, efficient, sustainable, and affordable compared to alternative bio-remediation systems. Basalia Technology is designed to be a holistic and bio-cycle solution that addresses global warming and chemical waste issues, which rank among the most pressing long-term problems facing the world today. I believe that Şişecam, one of the pioneers of corporate R&D operations in Turkey, will play a significant role in further development of this effort with its strong know-how and capabilities in technology development. Engaging in production activities in 14 countries and reaching consumers in 150 countries worldwide, Şişecam will assume a pioneering role in leveraging Basalia Technology on a much larger scale. We are tremendously delighted to have the support and confidence of Şişecam, the founder of the glass industry in Turkey, and the country’s global representative in glass and chemicals. I am certain that this game-changing innovation will spread around the world at a well-deserved speed thanks to Şişecam's extensive global footprint."