Rooftop Gardens, Recycled Linens: Inside Istanbul's Green Tourism Renaissance

Forbes

23-03-2025

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 watched GDSI Top 40 list.
Interest in creating sustainability programs is high in all sectors of Istanbul's tourism industry, according to Murat Alsaç, a co-founder of EsteNove, a popular hair transplant clinic on the Asian side of Istanbul. For example, the hospital in Istanbul affiliated with his clinic has been adding sustainability programs recently, "and we are planning to add a sustainability program soon," he says.
In other words, sustainability is very much a work in progress in Istanbul, just as it is in other places. But some outliers are going above and beyond.
The Peninsula Istanbul on the banks of the Bosphorus.
The Peninsula Istanbul is a new luxury hotel that partially occupies a renovated customs house on the banks of the Bosphorus. But the owners were thinking of sustainability long before it welcomed its first guest.
"We're devoted to making a positive social, economic, and environmental impact," says Jonathan Crook, the hotel's managing director.
The hotel has received an 'Excellent' rating from BREEAM, a sustainable building certification that rates its performance on 10 key assessment criteria, including energy efficiency, waste management, and water usage. The Peninsula Istanbul is also the first luxury hotel in Turkey to achieve a Sustainable Tourism Certificate from GSTC.
Perhaps the best place to see the Peninsula's obsession with sustainability is by taking the elevator to the top floor. There you'll find a rooftop herb garden, where lettuce, mint, and strawberries, are cultivated in partnership with a local urban farming collective. This garden not only reduces the hotel's environmental footprint but also provides guests with an opportunity to learn about sustainable agriculture and enjoy locally sourced ingredients in their meals.
The Ciragan Palace Kempinski Istanbul has implemented a variety of sustainability measures in its hotel.
The Ciragan Palace Kempinski Istanbul also distinguishes itself as a hotel deeply committed to sustainability, and it has the accolades to prove it.
There's the Sustainable Tourism Verification certificate from the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency. There's Kempinski's broad sustainability initiatives in which the hotel also participates. And the guest experience has a strong sustainability element.
The hotel has replaced plastic straws and stirrers with paper and bamboo alternatives, and glass covers are now paper instead of plastic. The hotel no longer uses any plastic bags in the rooms; they've been replaced by biodegradable trash bags. Takeout containers are cardboard rather than plastic.
The Ciragan Palace Kempinski's sustainability program extends far beyond just addressing plastic waste. A zero-waste project guides the property's waste management and recycling efforts, and energy efficiency is a key focus. A more efficient tri-generation system provides heat, electricity, and chilled water, minimizing greenhouse gas emissions.
The hotel also uses seawater-cooled condensers and has replaced traditional light bulbs with energy-saving alternatives throughout the property. Water conservation is another area of emphasis, with the hotel utilizing a cooling system that takes advantage of the cold water of the Bosphorus.
No measure is too small. Ciragan Palace Kempinski has a program to reduce paper consumption, too. Menus are on iPads. The hotel encourages guests to participate in its sustainability efforts through the Kempinski Green Linen Artefact Initiative, which allows them to opt out of daily linen-changing service.
Sustainability is an emerging trend in Istanbul, according to a local travel advisor. Çağlar Gökgün, an expert for the socially conscious travel company Elsewhere by Lonely Planet, says there's a growing group of travelers who are coming to the city for a sustainable experience — and they're finding it.
Sustainability is an emerging trend in Istanbul, according to a local travel advisor. Çağlar Gökgün, an expert for the socially conscious travel company Elsewhere by Lonely Planet, says there's a growing group of travelers who are coming to the city for a sustainable experience — and they're finding it.
Consider what you'll find on one of Gökgün's tours of Istanbul:
Gökgün is not alone. Geographic Expedition's new women-only Treasures of Türkiye itinerary includes three nights at Istanbul's Pera Palace Hotel, a recipient of the Green Global Certification Award and known for its sustainability initiatives and involvement. It also features local restaurants with locally sourced ingredients, which keep the tourism economy sustainable. The tour spends one evening in Istanbul's Nişantaşı District, home to a number of female-owned boutiques and art galleries, to introduce travelers to community businesses and crafts.
Gökgün makes an important point. Maybe one of the reasons that sustainable tourism hasn't gone mainstream is that people don't know it exists. Educational tours like his, combined with ambitious hotel programs like those offered by the Conrad and Peninsula, are slowly building public awareness.
Back at the Conrad Istanbul Bosphorus, the linens are just part of a massive movement toward sustainability.
The Conrad's commitment to sustainable practices is evident in its daily operations. It diligently monitors and minimizes energy and water consumption, always looking for ways to save. Guests arriving in electric vehicles can take advantage of the hotel's charging stations. The hotel also sources 80 percent of its restaurant ingredients locally, ensuring that guests get fresh, seasonal cuisine while supporting the local economy. Their '50 miles' program emphasizes purchasing food from within a 50-mile radius of the city.
'We all have to pay back to the Earth," says Seçkin, the sales director. "We all have to pay back to our community. So that's why actually with each and every day, we are trying to create different projects that support our community and support the Earth."
The Conrad isn't leaving well enough alone. It's also planning a groundbreaking project, at least for a Turkish hotel: generating its own electricity. It's still in the early phases, and Seçkin isn't sure where the solar farm will go online — only that it will go.
Just as the Bosphorus connects two continents, Istanbul is bridging the gap between tourism and sustainability. It's a slow journey, but with innovation sprouting from rooftop gardens to zero-waste initiatives, it probably won't be long before it's on the other side.