The Conrad Istanbul has begun recycling its linens in an effort to become more sustainable. Sustainability is everywhere at the Conrad Istanbul Bosphorus. It's in the food and in the recycling program — and it's even in the linens.
The luxury hotel, which overlooks the Bosphorus, has a unique program that recycles used sheets and pillowcases instead of discarding them when they're worn out. "We repurpose the linens," explains Merve Seçkin, the director of marketing at the hotel. "We turn them into makeup bags in partnership with a Turkish food bank.
" The Conrad Istanbul is one of several properties in Istanbul making slow but steady progress toward sustainability. True, Turkey doesn't have the same reputation for tourism sustainability as other European countries. But don't tell that to the businesses that are moving forward with their own initiatives, from sustainable architecture to ambitious zero-waste projects, to socially conscious tours.
Turkey's sustainable tourism program , which was launched in 2022 and sets sustainability standards for a range of tourism-related businesses, including accommodation facilities, tour operators, and destinations. Istanbul's Metropolitan Municipality Directorate of Tourism, which promotes tourism in the city, also recently joined the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and the EBRD Green Cities Urban Sustainability Program — evidence that it is serious about being sustainable. It has, however, not yet cracked the closely watc.
