A qualitative study on marketing and sustainability in the meerschaum craft industry

This study examines the marketing strategies and sustainability challenges surrounding the meerschaum (lületaşı) craft industry, an emblematic form of cultural heritage rooted in Eskişehir, Turkey. Celebrated for its distinctive whiteness, porous texture, and symbolic depth, meerschaum serves not only as a raw material but as a vessel of artistic identity and historical continuity. Using qualitative data gathered through semi-structured interviews with six master artisans, the research identifies two overarching themes: marketing and sustainability. Findings indicate that artisans predominantly depend on personal initiative for branding, product sales, and international outreach, yet face substantial barriers due to limited digital literacy and minimal institutional backing. From a sustainability perspective, challenges such as the depletion of quality raw materials, the decline of apprenticeship systems, weak intergenerational knowledge transfer, fragile organizational structures, and insufficient governmental support threaten the craft’s survival across environmental, economic, and cultural dimensions. Nevertheless, the perseverance and devotion of meerschaum artisans underscore their pivotal role in sustaining this living heritage. The study concludes by proposing strategies to foster cooperative networks and secure official policy recognition while offering an integrated analytical lens that links marketing capacity with sustainability to inform heritage craft policy and practice.