Recently, the UN Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan Dmitry Shlapachenko, members of the UN country team, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps visited the modern NowaEco paper mill in the urban village of Yashlyk in the Ahal region. This was reported by the publication “Turkmenistan: Golden Age”.

This study visit was the result of a UN initiative to develop partnerships with the private sector, launched in 2023. Then a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the UN and the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan. The Memorandum envisages cooperation in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Also, within the framework of this cooperation, the UN-Private Sector Partnership Platform was successfully launched as an operational mechanism for the implementation of the Memorandum.

NowaEco management introduced the guests to the company's mission and its innovative business processes. Particular attention was paid to the principles of sustainable development and environmentally friendly technologies used in paper production.

NowaEco uses agricultural and textile waste, previously incinerated or collected on waste land by agricultural and textile manufacturers throughout the country, as the main raw material for the production of paper and board.
Thanks to the introduction of environmentally friendly technology for processing and recycling agricultural and textile waste, it is now possible to produce 230 thousand tons of value-added products from 290 thousand tons of waste: corrugated cardboard, paper bags and cardboard, notepads, A4 office paper.

The project created more than 500 jobs for residents of Ahal velayat, significantly reduced carbon dioxide emissions in two main sectors of the economy of Turkmenistan - agriculture and textile industry, introduced the principles of a circular economy at the enterprise and local levels, and also contributed to the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals № 1, 8, 9, 12, 13 and 15.

The UN and the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan intend to continue to disseminate knowledge about sustainable business practices throughout Turkmenistan, as well as promote in the regions the best practices of Turkmen private business that contribute to sustainable development and implementation of the SDGs in the country, the source notes.