DeFacto became the first Turkish retail brand invited to the UN Private Sector Forum
DeFacto, Türkiye's global fashion brand, took part in the United Nations General Assembly Private Sector Forum, which is attended by invitation only. As the first retail brand invited from Türkiye, DeFacto shared at the forum its work in line with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with participants including leading private sector representatives, government spokespersons and civil society organizations from around the world.
DeFacto became the first Turkish retail brand to be invited to the Private Sector Forum, held as part of the 78th United Nations General Assembly week this year. The forum, which addressed major global issues such as climate change, sustainable development and human rights, was held in the United States under the chairmanship of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. At the forum, attended by leading private sector representatives, government spokespersons and civil society organizations from around the world, DeFacto Online General Manager Önder Şenol was among the invited participants.
DeFacto Online General Manager Önder Şenol, who attended the UN Private Sector Forum on behalf of DeFacto, said: “It is a great source of pride for us to represent our country on the international stage at the UN Private Sector Forum, to which only 90 people from around the world were invited. At DeFacto, our founding philosophy is built on ecosystem-conscious production, protecting the planet and natural resources, adding value to people, being sensitive to social issues and maintaining a transparent stance. In line with this philosophy, by making a commitment to the United Nations Global Compact (UN Global Compact) in 2014, we became one of the first two Turkish brands in the apparel and fashion sector to sign it. In line with our commitment to being one of the pioneering organizations in our sector on sustainability, to date
we have carried out work on many important global issues, from climate change to the water crisis and from human rights to gender equality.”
Noting that DeFacto's participation in the Private Sector Forum is also an important step for Türkiye, Şenol said: “At DeFacto, we are carrying out many initiatives, particularly for global and local sustainable development, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are targeted for completion in 2030. At the Private Sector Forum, we explained how we reflect the SDGs in our company, our employees, our production facilities, our stores and our society, and shared with participants the path we will follow in the coming years and our goals. Being part of this forum also created an important opportunity to promote the Turkish apparel and fashion sector internationally and to highlight the Turkish business community's commitment to sustainability. Through our participation in the event, we showed the scale of Türkiye's work in the field of sustainability as well as its progress in this area at the international level. We also believe that our participation will further increase the visibility of the Turkish business community on the global stage and contribute to strengthening Türkiye's international economic relations. As a leading brand present in 93 countries, we will continue to represent our country on international platforms.”
At the UN Private Sector Forum, participants described their work in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations Global Compact (UN Global Compact), the world's largest sustainability platform. DeFacto Online General Manager Önder Şenol also shared DeFacto's sustainability work to date under the SDGs and its plans to become a ‘climate positive’ brand after 2050.
