On February 1, 2024, at 23, he joined the Salacia team in Rotterdam as a sustainability intern. Utku Erdogan has had a rewarding journey, expanding his skills to protect and preserve the environment. With a bachelor’s degree in International and European Law from the University of Groningen, he helps Salacia Solutions—or rather, their clients—apply the laws prescribed by the #CSRD. As he puts it: “Studying law provides skills, such as conducting research, learning to think critically, and developing sharp analytical skills. At Salacia, I have a keen eye for what it takes to prepare good, valid sustainability reporting. I share a passion for both law and sustainability, and everything comes together beautifully here in Rotterdam. I now use my research talent to support Salacia’s ESG team.”
Making a difference as a major motivator
Utku, born in Turkey, moved to Kosovo at the age of four, where he grew up. The desire to study international law brought him to the Netherlands, to Groningen to be precise. “I used the first year of my studies to explore what I wanted to achieve. Studying law offers a very broad horizon of possibilities. I wanted to connect my passion for nature, the environment, and sustainability with what I was learning during my studies. In my third year at the University of Groningen, I was accepted into an exchange program at Erasmus University. That’s how I ended up in Hungary, in the cultural capital of Pécs. There I participated in two courses: ‘Environmental Law & Policies’ and ‘Sustainable Consumption & Production in the EU’. That was a real trigger for me, and after that, I knew which direction I wanted to take. I realized that with my studies, I could make a difference in the world of sustainability. It offers me the opportunity to make a difference. The latter actually interested me even more than the study itself.”
Nature has a strong appeal
Even as a child, Utku felt a strong attraction to nature. “I could always be found outside somewhere,” he explains. “If I was indoors, I’d have the television on, watching the National Geographic Channel and the Discovery Channel. That love of nature has always stayed with me, and now I’m making it my career.” Utku is initially interning at Salacia Solutions for three months, but is exploring with the company the possibility of extending it to five months. “I feel like I’m not done learning after three months. In fact, you never stop learning. I’ve long since decided that I want to continue working with a focus on the environment and sustainability. That’s why ESG reporting is the ideal arena for me to work and learn in. Of course, it’s incredibly interesting to put everything I’ve learned and am learning into practice within the ESG domain, but I want to keep my perspective broad. I can also imagine that with everything I learn, I could apply it to my work in the business world, as long as it’s related to sustainability.”
Finally, we ask if Utku himself lives in Rotterdam. He appears to: “After three years in Groningen, I moved to Rotterdam because I see this city as a kind of ‘incubator’ for sustainability initiatives. There are simply fantastic opportunities here that align with my ambitions. Rotterdam is an international hub, very modern, and offers a futuristic setting compared to the rest of the Netherlands. It’s actually quite logical that Salacia Solutions came into my life in that respect. It’s great to be part of this team. It’s wonderfully international, and everyone is on the same page.”
