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Exitcom sets an example
S e l f – m a d e m a n a n d p i o n e e r M u r a t I l g a r i s o n a m i s s i o n t o b o o s t
Tü r k i y e ’s b a t t e r y re c y c l i n g
Türkiye may be the world’s largest steel scrap consumer but as a battery recycling
nation it ranks relatively low. Change is underway, however, thanks to Murat Ilgar
and his team at Exitcom. Boosted by the rapid growth of electric cars, the
electronics and battery recycler is busy expanding its Kocaeli operations with a
second facility for lithium batteries. RI flew to Türkiye’s Marmara region to learn
more.
We’re in Kocaeli, a densely populated
district on the Marmara Sea, east of
Istanbul. This is one of Türkiye’s most
industrialised regions with two major
ports and a concentration of chemical
companies and car producers, among
others. There is also a handful of recy-
cling businesses and one of them is
Exitcom Recycling, founded and led
by Murat Ilgar.
MAN ON A MISSION
Ilgar is a man on a mission. Helping to
make the world a better place to live
is what he stands for. ‘I want to do
good for my country and the people I
work with,’ he says over Turkish tea in
his e-scrap art-decorated office. He’s
also an entrepreneur and a business-
man seeing opportunities and taking
on challenges.
Early in his career, Ilgar moved to
Germany where he founded Exitcom
as an e-scrap company near Hannover
in 1999. Four years later, in 2003, he
expanded his business to Türkiye.
‘Honestly, in that time there was not
much happening in the field of e-scrap
recycling in my home country. But,
obviously, with electronics consump-
tion increasing rapidly, I saw plenty of
opportunities.’
BUILT FROM SCRATCH
Ilgar bought some land in Kocaeli and
built the Exitcom Türkiye division. He
established the treatment lines him-
self, through his experience and know-
how.
Twenty-one years on, Exitcom Türkiye
handles 15 000 tonnes of e-scrap per
year. It operates a nationwide collec-
tion system, with a strong focus on
greater Istanbul and Ankara. The com-
pany has introduced joint take-back
programmes with big brands and
chains across the country of 85 million
people.
Summer has come early to north west
Türkiye. It’s only the first week of June
and the temperature is already 37C.
‘Trust me, this is not normal. Climate
change affects all of us, anywhere,
there’s no escape’, says the taxi driver
during the 20-minute drive from my
hotel to the Exitcom headquarters.
‘You see that mountain?’ he points.
‘Up there is the Kartepe ski resort.
They’ve had no snow for five years or
so due to mild winters.’
Exitcom currently handles some 10 000 tonnes of batteries per year.
A U T H O R | P H O T O S Martijn Reintjes
16-17-18-19_turkey_exitcom.indd 16 03-07-2024 12:16
