UN Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan Dmitry Shlapachenko and the UN Country Team members, development partners and embassies in Turkmenistan visited the production facilities of a modern paper mill, NowaEco, in the Yashlyk district of Ahal region on 29 April 2024, the United Nations in Turkmenistan reports.
NowaEco stands out for its sustainable production approach. The company utilizes agricultural and textile waste as its major raw material. This environmentally friendly technology allows NowaEco to transform 290,000 tons of waste into 230,000 tons of valuable products, including corrugated cartons, paper bags and cardboard, notebooks, and A4 office paper.
The management of NowaEco shared their vision of the business going beyond profit and cash income.
The project created more than 500 jobs for residents of the Akhal province, significantly reduced carbon dioxide emissions in two main sectors of the Turkmen economy – agriculture and the textile industry, introduced the principles of circular economy at the enterprise and local levels, and also contributed to the implementation of SDGs 1, 8, 9, 12, 13 and 15.
Nowa Eco is the largest manufacturer of containerboard, corrugated packaging and paper in Turkmenistan. The company’s market share in Turkmenistan is about 50 percent, making it the undisputed leader of the country’s paper and packaging industry.
Additional information can be found on the company’s website: NowaEco – Making Sustainable Future Reality
The study visit organized by the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan was the result of the UN initiative to develop partnerships with the private sector, launched back in 2023, when the UN in Turkmenistan and the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan (UITP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals.
In February 2024, the UN–Private Sector Partnership Platform, an operational mechanism for the implementation of the Memorandum, was launched.
The UN and the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan are set to continue spreading knowledge of sustainable business practices throughout Turkmenistan, as well as promote in the regions the best practices among Turkmen private businesses contributing to sustainable development and SDGs implementation in the country.///nCa, 10 May 2024 [photo credit – UN Turkmenistan]