Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The Swiss company SWISS GROW has launched the implementation of a new project in Uzbekistan’s leather industry, with a total value of US$2 million.

The year 2025 has been declared the Year of Environmental Protection and the Development of a Green Economy in Uzbekistan. This designation has become not merely symbolic, but a period of tangible transformation, technological reform, and new international partnerships. One notable step in this direction was the start of negotiations between SWISS GROW, a leading Swiss company in the field of environmental innovation, and the Uzcharmsanoat Association.

At the heart of the project is the recycling of waste generated in the production of leather goods, with its subsequent use in manufacturing mineral fertilizers in demand by the agricultural sector. Until now, such waste at leather enterprises has typically been disposed of or destroyed, with its real potential largely untapped. The technologies proposed by SWISS GROW will make it possible to transform this waste into valuable, environmentally friendly fertilizers.

The project promises a dual benefit: first, reducing the negative environmental impact of leather production, and second, supplying the country’s agricultural sector with high-quality, locally produced fertilizers. International experience shows that similar technologies are already successfully applied in Europe and South Korea. Uzbekistan aims not merely to import innovations, but to integrate them into its own production processes — an important stage in fostering interaction between the industrial and agricultural sectors and a practical embodiment of the green economy concept.

During the negotiations, the parties discussed details of the project’s implementation, regulatory and legal issues, and the allocation of the necessary land plots. At the first stage, approximately 60% of leather industry waste is expected to be recycled.

The total value of the project is preliminarily estimated at US$2 million.

This initiative carries strategic importance for Uzbekistan’s international image, positioning the country not only as a raw material supplier, but as a high-tech, environmentally responsible, and innovation-oriented partner. The idea of transforming industrial waste into “life for the soil” represents not just recycling, but a rethinking of resources and the creation of sustainable solutions for the future.