Turkish First Lady Emine Erdoğan, chairperson of the UN High-Level Advisory Board on Zero Waste, visited the "Zero Waste Installation Exhibition" at the UN headquarters in New York.

Erdogan has been accompanied by Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum, UN High Representative Rabab Fatima, UN Deputy Secretary-General Ligia Noronha, members of the Zero Waste Advisory Board, fashion designers and representatives of diplomatic missions during her visit to the exhibition organised in the garden of the UN building in cooperation with the "Zero Waste Foundation", UN-Habitat and the UN Environment Program (UNEP).

Emine Erdogan, who visited the exhibition, which was prepared as part of the International Zero Waste Day on March 30 and will be open to art lovers until April 11, received detailed information about the exhibition’s sections.

Based on the main theme of the March 30th International Zero Waste Day 2025, "Zero Waste in Fashion and Textiles", the exhibition aims to raise awareness for Zero Waste Day.

The exhibition conveys the message that people have enough resources and products and can, therefore, reduce their consumption habits. At the same time, it emphasises that there are enough solutions, knowledge, and people for change so that a better future is possible.

The "We have enough" sculpture, which is at the centre of the exhibition and attracts great interest from art lovers, represents the textile waste produced worldwide. The textile wastes inside the sculpture show the amount of textiles generated in the world during the time the exhibition was open.

The work, which visitors can enter and "feel the infinity of textile waste" thanks to the mirrors placed on the ceiling and floor, transforms the amount of waste from abstract numbers into a concrete reality that visitors can directly experience.

All textile waste used here is donated for recycling after the event.

9 sections 9 messages

The surroundings of the "We Have Enough" sculpture also offer a "journey" consisting of 9 different areas. This "journey" describes the current state of the world, the place of textile waste in this picture, individual and collective roles, and current solutions for the future.

In the first area of the exhibition, the "Reality Zone", an experience supported by real images, data and sounds with the message "Our World is Drowning" is presented, aiming for visitors to directly feel the seriousness and gravity of the situation.

The information here draws attention to the fact that pollution claims the lives of 9 million people every year, an increase of 66 percent in the last 20 years.

The "Interactive Experience Area", which conveys the message "Change is in Our Hands", features the words "Seas, People, Animals, Air, Water and Soil", which visitors can press on with an interactive system to obtain information with data and visuals.

Visitors encounter striking facts about textile waste on the screens, welcoming them in the "Information Area".

In the striking information in question, it is pointed out that while watching a 90-minute football match, 5,400 garbage trucks full of textile waste are released into the environment, the textile industry uses 215 trillion litres of water every year, which is equivalent to 86 million Olympic swimming pools, 92 million tons of textile waste is produced worldwide every year and this is equivalent to the weight of 9,109 Eiffel Towers.

Visitors who step into the "Confrontation Zone" confront the impact of the individual role. In this area, visitors are first greeted by a beautiful and colourful view of the world. However, as they step into the space, visitors encounter "their own silhouette in that world, made of waste plastic and textile pieces" and have the opportunity to see their own impact directly.

Here, visitors are conveyed the message: "It's hard to accept, but we are all a part of this picture."

In the "Our Role in Solutions" area, guests can see the impact of their daily clothes on the environment through water consumption on touch screens.

In this area, visitors are encouraged to "Reduce. Appreciate what you have. Buy only what you need. And prioritise quality products that will last a long time."

In the "Screen Experience" area, visitors are reminded of the importance of reuse and shown its impact on the world.

Visitors are greeted by four-sided screens in the "Recycling Journey" area and witness the recycling process of clothes used in daily life on a visual journey.

In the "Reflection and Commitment Area" with the message "Rethink", visitors are greeted by a wardrobe "suitable for a zero waste lifestyle". Visitors are given the opportunity to sign the Zero Waste Declaration located opposite the wardrobe via a QR code.

Finally, in the "Best Practices Zone", visitors encounter the message "Change starts with us, it's not a utopia, it's real and possible." and are presented with examples of successful zero waste and recycling projects implemented around the world.

The different technologies, experience areas and physical installations in the exhibition aim to encourage visitors to see the current situation and take steps towards a zero waste lifestyle.

Awards for best practices

Another section of the exhibition provides visitors with information about the Emine Erdogan Zero Waste International Award.

This award, which was established under the leadership of Emine Erdogan to recognise and encourage inspiring practices in the field of zero waste on a global scale, was launched by the Zero Waste Foundation in cooperation with the UN Environment Program (UNEP) and UN-Habitat.

The award aims to make visible, encourage and popularise zero waste practices implemented by individuals, institutions and communities around the world.

'Awareness journey'

In a post on her social media account, Emine Erdogan stated that the Zero Waste Installation Exhibition, which was opened at the UN Headquarters with the message "Enough is Enough!" as part of the International Zero Waste Day on March 30, celebrated this year with the theme "Towards Zero Waste in Fashion and Textiles", is a call for a solution.

Stating that the exhibition is an invitation to live in harmony with nature, to question, to discover new solutions offered by technology and to build a more sustainable future together, Emine Erdogan said:

"Because we know that there are enough people and enough opportunities to realise change. We had the opportunity to experience the exhibition together with the esteemed representatives of the United Nations and members of the UN Zero Waste Advisory Board. The exhibition, which explains the waste crisis in the world, the place of textiles in this cycle and the steps that can be taken for a green future, will be open to visitors for one month. I hope that all nature friends will take part in this journey of awareness."