Hasan A. Özkan, CEO of Sunar Group of Companies, stated that the R&D culture, which began with the foundation of the group, was crowned in 2018 with the Sunar Mısır R&D Center approved by the Ministry of Industry and Technology. Özkan said, “Our R&D Center works continuously to increase added value for all our companies and to substitute imported products that are not produced domestically.”
The R&D Center of the Sunar Group of Companies, which produces for dozens of sectors such as food, livestock, textiles, construction, paper, and chemicals, continues to implement successful projects. Stating that they invest in R&D well above sector standards and reap the rewards of these investments through innovative products, Hasan A. Özkan said: “The fundamental policy we have set as a group is to produce high-value-added new products that are currently not produced in Turkey and on which we are foreign-dependent, thereby contributing to closing the import-sourced current account deficit through local and national production. To date, we have produced ‘firsts’ in our country, and we continue our path with the same understanding.”
Biopolymer from Starch
Stating that work on R&D projects continues uninterrupted in every Sunar company, Özkan said: “Our youngest company, Sunar NP, has succeeded in producing Turkey’s first and only biodegradable thermoplastic starch and biopolymer. We are all proud to see our starch-based biopolymer—an eco-friendly, innovative product for many fields from packaging to agriculture—used as a greenhouse cover or as fertilizer due to its ability to dissolve quickly in the soil. Particularly, starch-based biopolymers, which have a very common use in biodegradable shopping bags, are expected to appeal to wider usage areas and experience rapid market growth in this period of increasing environmental sensitivity.”
Local and National Products Through R&D
Stating that the number of countries the group exports to has exceeded 100, Özkan said they take pride in providing a competitive advantage to exporters in the global arena, not only with the main products they export directly but also with the intermediate products produced for many industries. Noting that products manufactured at Sunar Mısır facilities are found in the content of hundreds of items today, such as toothpaste, newspapers, ice cream, diabetic sweets, and concrete additives, Özkan spoke as follows: “The first stage of the emergence of all these products passes through our R&D Center. In line with the R&D and entrepreneurship-oriented vision of our founder Nuri Çomu and our Chairman of Honor Hüseyin Nuri Çomu, we bring foreign currency to our country through our exports while contributing to the effort to close the current account deficit, the most significant problem of our economy.”
Özkan mentioned that the Sunar Group of Companies possesses one of the few integrated facilities in Turkey that processes oilseeds from the field with modern technology and delivers them to the final consumer as liquid oil. He also pointed out that agricultural investments are made within the framework of respect for the land and nature, noting that alongside industrial facilities, the group produces both dried and fresh fruit with 80,000 trees.
Millions of Consumers in 100 Countries
Continuing its activities with the concept of sustainability across all environmental, economic, and social operations, the Sunar Group of Companies brings ‘firsts’ to Turkey with its 6 companies, nearly 1,000 direct employees, 2.5 billion TL turnover, and companies listed in the ISO 500 and TIM 1000. Having completed 5 years in Europe’s and Turkey’s first ‘Sustainable Sunflower Oil Farming’ application from field to shelf, Sunar’s brands meet millions of consumers worldwide. Realizing its most important breakthroughs through innovative projects, Sunar employs expert and experienced chemical and food engineers and researchers in its R&D Center, which is a first in its sector. The group continues to support the R&D Center with strategic investments, modern laboratori
