Scientific expeditions to some of the planet’s most fragile environments are being reshaped by zero waste thinking, according to a new publication from Türkiye that links polar research directly to resource efficiency and circular economy practice. The move comes as Türkiye prepares to host COP31, and as its zero waste programme extends its international reach through a fresh partnership with London Climate Action Week.
The Zero Waste Foundation unveiled the book “Zero Waste in the Polar Regions” on 7 August, produced in collaboration with the Polar Research Institute of TÜBİTAK, Türkiye’s Scientific and Technological Research Council. The publication applies zero waste principles to scientific work carried out in the Arctic and Antarctic, regions widely regarded by climate scientists as early warning systems for global environmental change. Ten days after the launch, the Foundation signed a cooperation protocol with London Climate Action Week (LCAW) covering climate action, zero waste and the circular economy, extending the initiative’s reach into one of the world’s most active climate diplomacy hubs.
Why polar research matters to the zero waste agenda
The book draws together 18 articles written by scientists who have taken part in polar expeditions, addressing the scientific, technical, administrative and communication dimensions of applying zero waste in extreme environments. Rather than focusing narrowly on waste collection at research stations, the work examines how expeditions are planned from the outset, how materials and resources are sourced and used, and how energy, water and logistics are managed throughout a scientific mission.
That framing matters for an environment audience because it treats waste reduction as a design principle rather than an afterthought, aiming to limit what is generated before an expedition even begins, rather than managing the consequences once waste already exists. The publication argues that the environmental footprint of scientific activity itself deserves scrutiny, given that the polar regions are already under mounting pressure from climate change and pollution.
The book also positions the Arctic and Antarctic as critical indicators of wider global climate change, noting that environmental shifts recorded there carry consequences that extend well beyond the polar geography in which the research takes place. That argument gives the study a relevance that reaches far past the scientific community directly involved in polar fieldwork, into broader debates about how resource use and environmental monitoring intersect.
Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Türkiye’s Minister of Industry and Technology, said the book brought together two national initiatives that both began in 2017. “The Zero Waste initiative launched under the leadership of H.E. Emine Erdoğan has grown step by step from a national initiative into a global one,” he said. He added that Türkiye had also begun organising scientific expeditions to Antarctica and the Arctic under the auspices of the President of the Republic of Türkiye during the same period, “enabling Turkish scientists to strengthen the country’s presence in polar research. Through this book, these two initiatives have come together.”
The study reflects the broader zero waste vision associated with H.E. Emine Erdoğan, Founder of the Zero Waste Movement, Chair of the UN High-Level Advisory Board on Zero Waste and Honorary President of the Zero Waste Foundation, whose work has increasingly positioned resource efficiency as a global rather than purely domestic concern.
A London link ahead of COP31
The cooperation protocol signed with London Climate Action Week is intended to strengthen knowledge exchange, joint initiatives and international dialogue on zero waste and circular economy approaches. It was signed by Samed Ağırbaş, President of the Zero Waste Foundation and COP31 High-Level Climate Champion, and Nick Henry, Founder and CEO of Climate Action.
“After this cooperation protocol, I hope we will carry out strong work and organize joint events at COP31 and London Climate Action Week,” Ağırbaş said.
London Climate Action Week brings together representatives from government, cities, business, finance, academia, civil society and local communities, making it a significant point of contact for organisations seeking to embed circular economy thinking into wider climate policy discussions. The agreement gives the Zero Waste Foundation’s experience, including its polar research work, a direct channel into that network ahead of COP31.
Setting the diplomatic and scientific context
COP31 provides the wider diplomatic backdrop against which this cooperation is taking shape, though the immediate emphasis remains on practical exchange between the Foundation and the LCAW network rather than on the summit itself. Taken together, the polar research publication and the London partnership illustrate an effort to connect scientific study, resource efficiency and circular economy principles with international climate action, while explicitly resisting a narrower framing of zero waste as simply recycling or waste management.
For an environment audience, the significance lies less in the diplomatic choreography around COP31 and more in the underlying claim being tested: that even scientific research conducted in some of the most remote and environmentally sensitive locations on Earth can, and perhaps should, be planned around resource efficiency from the outset. Whether that principle gains traction beyond this single publication and partnership will depend on how the ideas are taken up within the LCAW network and in the run-up to COP31 itself.