Beko CEO Urges Smarter Electrification at COP31

Speaking at a panel hosted at the Koç Holding pavilion, Dinçer discussed how home appliances could help meet growing electricity demand while reducing emissions and household costs. The panel included Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Ministry official Dr. Bilal Düzgün, APPLiA Director General Paolo Falcioni and IEA energy policy and modeling expert Dr. Mine Işık. CLASP climate director Ana Maria Carreno moderated.

Global electricity demand rose 3% in 2025 and is forecast to increase 3.6% in 2026, according to the International Energy Agency’s Electricity Mid-Year Update. The agency cited appliance ownership, air conditioning and heat pumps among the drivers, along with industrial growth, electric vehicles and data centres. Average spot wholesale electricity prices in the European Union were more than 30% higher year on year in the second quarter of 2026, the report said.

Türkiye’s COP31 Presidency has launched the “35 by 35” Global Electrification Pledge, which aims to increase electricity’s share of global final energy consumption from just over 20% to 35% by 2035. The target accompanies the COP28 commitment to double the global average annual rate of energy-efficiency improvements by 2030. Buildings account for more than half of global electricity use, and appliances consume 45% of the electricity used in them, according to the IEA.

Beko says Scope 3 value-chain emissions make up 99% of its total emissions, with more than 80% of those emissions coming from product use in homes. The company identifies improving appliances’ efficiency during everyday use as its biggest opportunity to cut those emissions. “Every kilowatt-hour saved at home can help reduce pressure on the electricity system and lowers household energy use and costs,” Dinçer said, adding that efficiency is central to product design.

Earlier, Dinçer joined a Türkiye Pavilion discussion on cooling, energy access and climate change in emerging markets. Drawing on Beko’s experience with Dawlance in Pakistan and Defy in South Africa, he said cooling demand is growing fastest in markets where efficiency standards are often still developing. He argued that efficient products should reach those markets before regulations require them. Beko is attending COP31 with Koç Holding, a Global Business Partner of the conference.