Everywhere we turn our heads, almost every conversation that comes to our ear starts with the same word; Covid-19! The Covid-19 epidemic, which influenced the whole world, entered our lives very quickly and created a global revolution from health to economy, from daily life activities to our habits.
These days we are in, are at least the time periods that we start to get over hard times in terms of health. While we all face once again the fact that nothing is important if there is no health, we realize that we need to protect both the human health and the health of the world-natural life we live in. Sustainability, production according to need, and the consciousness that our consumption habits change in a way that will not harm the nature were our important gains during this period.
While many countries that wanted to prevent the epidemic and overcome their effects with the least damage, took measures to restrict economic and social life, the demand shock caused by these restrictions brought the risks of slowing down in the world economy. In this process, our country gives an important test together with the whole world and passes through a threshold. We believe that Turkey, which has successfully survived all the crisis periods it has struggled until now and has a structure that is resistant to global crises, will overcome the negativities caused by the coronavirus outbreak as soon as possible. As the textile industry, we have accelerated our work with all our strength, especially the production of clothes and masks, which are the requirements of healthcare workers from the first moment of the epidemic. We have provided masks and medical equipment support not only for our country but also to the countries where the epidemic is felt most intensely.
As the textile industry in the process of combating Covid-19, we place much more emphasis on our R&D efforts according to new requirements. In this direction, we will see more about anti-virus products in apparel textiles, home textiles and especially technical textiles. However, the use of masks has become a part of our lives. Disposable masks are no longer a solution in the new normalization period. The demand for washable and reusable masks made of sustainable products has increased. Turkey has become an important position by leading this issue in a short span of time. In the upcoming period, we will continue to work on creating a trend in fashion and design and becoming a determinant country by creating functional products that do not hold bacteria with creative designs and have different features.
“ We have experienced the digital revolution with the epidemic.” One of the most important achievements of this challenging process, which is not exactly clear when it will end, is the increase in the use of technology and digitalization. The need to increase the level of digitalization in the textile industry, as in every sector, both personally and as a business world, once again manifested itself. During this period, virtual fairs, online digital trade delegation meetings and bilateral business meetings, webinar and digital trainings, zoom business meetings entered our lives. It is also a fact that the practices of doing business have changed radically with the Covid-19 outbreak. In this period when digitalization gains importance, we continue our activities by predicting that digital trade organization and activities from production to promotion, supply chain to export oriented activities will increase and new business lines will show up in the coming period.
I believe that if we read all these variable parameters in the epidemic process, which has huge and different effects on a global scale, and if we can manage the crisis effectively, we can get out of this difficult period in the most powerful way. We prepare ourselves in the best way for the coming days, where the demands will differ, and the orders will evolve and the consumer habits will change, and we work with full force. We wish to have healthier and more peaceful days as soon as possible, both for humanity and for the future of the world we live in.