They are collected from the trash and sold in Europe for 109 TL each, in high demand.

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In Antalya, the tree branches and pine residues collected by villagers from forests and garbage are transformed into both art and money in the hands of women. Christmas wreaths, produced at a rate of 1 million units per year, are sold to Europe at prices around 3 Euros (109 lira) each.

Christmas wreaths made from tree branches and pine residues collected by villagers in Antalya are sold to Europe for 109 TL each.

10 MILLION EURO FOREIGN CURRENCY INCOME

Businesses making Christmas wreaths are working intensively ahead of the upcoming Christmas. With the transformation of forest waste into works of art by women, 1 million door decorations were exported last year, generating 10 million Euros in foreign currency income.

Pine residues and products like pine cones collected from forests in Antalya are transformed into Christmas wreaths by women and exported to more than 20 countries. Wreaths used during Christmas, celebrated by Christians on December 24, are preferred for door and table decoration and are also used in religious rituals.

SOLD TO 20 COUNTRIES

A company operating in Antalya for 23 years has started an intensive work schedule ahead of the upcoming Christmas. A team of 100 people, consisting of women and collectors of forest products from rural areas, produces hundreds of Christmas wreaths daily at the facility. These handmade wreaths are sent abroad at prices ranging from 1 to 3 Euros.

The owner of the company and a founding member of the TIM Women’s Council, Şerife Altındal, stated that they will be in a busy work tempo for exports until the first week of December. Altındal mentioned that Christmas wreaths are shipped by mid-December and that they export to 20 countries, primarily the Netherlands, the UK, and Germany.

WASTE PRODUCTS ARE TURNED INTO VALUE

Altındal emphasized that the Turkish wreaths produced by women will decorate homes in Europe, stating that this decoration should be present on the doors of Christians as a religious symbol on Christmas Day. She also highlighted that products left as waste after tree cutting in the forest are being converted into added value.

Altındal noted that the total Christmas wreath exports from Turkey last year amounted to 10 million Euros, and this year they expect a slight decrease due to rising costs and some exporters' low pricing policies. She added that their export target is over 1 million units and that prices range from 1 to 3 Euros.

WOMEN WORKERS ARE SATISFIED WITH THEIR LIVES

Gülsen Demirer, who has been producing Christmas wreaths for two years, expressed that she enjoys her work and that it feels good to have a product she made decorate a home in Europe. Güllü Bozbey, who has been working at the same company for 15 years, mentioned the busy period before Christmas and said that they sometimes hang the wreaths they produce on their own front doors.