Esan Eczacibasi (EBRD-53258)

Regions
  • Europe and Central Asia
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Countries
  • Turkiye
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Specific Location
Balya, Balikesir province
Whenever identified, the area within countries where the impacts of the investment may be experienced. Exact locations of projects may not be identified fully or at all in project documents. Please review updated project documents and community-led assessments.
Financial Institutions
  • European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
International, regional and national development finance institutions. Many of these banks have a public interest mission, such as poverty reduction.
Project Status
Approved
Stage of the project cycle. Stages vary by development bank and can include: pending, approval, implementation, and closed or completed.
Bank Risk Rating
B
Environmental and social categorization assessed by the development bank as a measure of the planned project’s environmental and social impacts. A higher risk rating may require more due diligence to limit or avoid harm to people and the environment. For example, "A" or "B" are risk categories where "A" represents the highest amount of risk. Results will include projects that specifically recorded a rating, all other projects are marked ‘U’ for "Undisclosed."
Voting Date
Feb 7, 2024
Date when project documentation and funding is reviewed by the Board for consideration and approval. Some development banks will state a "board date" or "decision date." When funding approval is obtained, the legal documents are accepted and signed, the implementation phase begins.
Borrower
Esan Eczacibasi Endüstryel Hammadeler ve Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S.
A public entity (government or state-owned) provided with funds or financial support to manage and/or implement a project.
Sectors
  • Energy
  • Mining
The service or industry focus of the investment. A project can have several sectors.
Potential Rights Impacts
  • Healthy Environment
  • Labor & Livelihood
  • Marginalized Groups
Only for projects receiving a detailed analysis, a broad category of human and environmental rights and frequently at-risk populations.
Investment Type(s)
Loan
The categories of the bank investment: loan, grant, guarantee, technical assistance, advisory services, equity and fund.
Investment Amount (USD)
$ 50.00 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Loan Amount (USD)
$ 50.00 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Project Cost (USD)
$ 246.00 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Bank Documents
Media Documents
Primary Source

Original disclosure @ EBRD website

Updated in EWS Apr 28, 2026

Disclosed by Bank Oct 31, 2023

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Project Description
If provided by the financial institution, the Early Warning System Team writes a short summary describing the purported development objective of the project and project components. Review the complete project documentation for a detailed description.

As stated by the EBRD, the transaction entails the provision of a long-term loan of up to USD 50 million to Esan Eczacibasi Endustryel Hammadeler ve Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. (Esan).

The EBRD funds will be used to co-finance resource and energy efficiency related investments at the producing Balya lead-zinc-copper mine in Balikesir province in Turkey including construction of an ore hoisting shaft, upgrade of the existing processing plant, construction of a paste fill plant (subject to regulators' approvals) and renewable energy investments.

Early Warning System Project Analysis
For a project with severe or irreversible impacts to local community and natural resources, the Early Warning System Team may conduct a thorough analysis regarding its potential impacts to human and environmental rights.

The Esan Eczacibasi project (Balya polymetallic mine and associated expansions) presents a range of environmental and social risks typical of large-scale mining, with evidence pointing to both pollution-related health impacts and labour-related concerns. Environmentally, studies from the Balya mining region show high levels of heavy metal contamination (including lead and cadmium) in soils and mine tailings, with carcinogenic risks exceeding safe limits for both adults and children, particularly because mining areas are located close to settlements (see: https://dergipark.org.tr/en/doi/10.31015/jaefs.2024.1.14). These findings indicate risks of soil and water contamination, long-term ecosystem damage, and public health impacts. Socially, there is evidence of labour rights concerns and worker precarity, including reported mass layoffs and dismissals linked to unionisation efforts, which triggered protests and union action at the Balya site (see: https://www.ekonomim.com/kose-yazisi/balyada-neler-oldu-eczacibasi-cozum-yolunu-nasil-buldu/677742).

Concerns are mostly associated with labour retaliation, dismissal of workers, union busting, especially in the wider context of shrinking civic space in Turkiye.

Communities impacted by the Esan Eczacibasi project are primarily rural, land-dependent populations in western Türkiye, particularly around mining and processing areas such as Balya (Balikesir) and parts of Mugla. These include village residents, farmers, and livestock keepers whose livelihoods depend on access to land and water, as well as local workers and youth tied to mining-related employment. Evidence indicates that these communities face risks linked to land use change, environmental degradation, and proximity to extractive infrastructure, including threats to agricultural areas such as olive groves: https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/cevre/muglada-yeni-maden-tehdidi-2097821 

Investment Description
Here you can find a list of individual development financial institutions that finance the project.
Private Actors Description
A Private Actor is a non-governmental body or entity that is the borrower or client of a development project, which can include corporations, private equity and banks. This describes the private actors and their roles in relation to the project, when private actor information is disclosed or has been further researched.

As stated by the EBRD, Esan is one of the leading producers of industrial minerals and base metals in Turkey operating the Balya lead-zinc-copper mine in Balikesir province. In addition to the Balya mine, the company operates 40 quarries and nine processing plants producing 3.5mt of raw materials (feldspar, quartz, kaolin etc). Esan currently exports to more than 50 countries and has presence in Italy, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and other countries. Esan is owned by Eczacibasi Holding A.S. a diversified group engaged in building products, consumer products, healthcare as well as natural resources, information technology and property development sectors.

Private Actor 1 Private Actor 1 Role Private Actor 1 Sector Relation Private Actor 2 Private Actor 2 Role Private Actor 2 Sector
Eczacibasi Holding A.S. Parent Company Industry and Trade owns Esan Eczacibasi Endüstriyel Hammadeler ve Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. Client Mining

Contact Information
This section aims to support the local communities and local CSO to get to know which stakeholders are involved in a project with their roles and responsibilities. If available, there may be a complaint office for the respective bank which operates independently to receive and determine violations in policy and practice. Independent Accountability Mechanisms receive and respond to complaints. Most Independent Accountability Mechanisms offer two functions for addressing complaints: dispute resolution and compliance review.

Client - Esan Eczacibasi Endustriyel Hammadeler ve Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S.:

Phone: +90 216 581 64 00 / +90 216 581 64 99
Website: www.esan.com.tr
Address: Girne Mah. Nehir Sok. No: 1-3 Maltepe, 34852 Istanbul

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

You can request information by emailing: accessinfo@ebrd.com or by using this electronic form: https://www.ebrd.com/eform/information-request

ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF EBRD

The Project Complaint Mechanism (PCM) is the independent complaint mechanism and fact-finding body for people who have been or are likely to be adversely affected by an European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)-financed project. If you submit a complaint to the PCM, it may assess compliance with EBRD's own policies and procedures to prevent harm to the environment or communities or it may assist you in resolving the problem that led to the complaint through a dialogue with those implementing the project. Additionally, the PCM has the authority to recommend a project be suspended in the event that harm is imminent.

You can contact the PCM at: pcm@ebrd.com or you can submit a complaint online using an online form at: http://www.ebrd.com/eform/pcm/complaint_form?language=en

You can learn more about the PCM and how to file a complaint at: http://www.ebrd.com/work-with-us/project-finance/project-complaint-mechanism.html

How it works

How it works