Swiss environmental innovation company SWISS GROW is set to implement a $2mn project in Uzbekistan’s leather industry to recycle production waste into mineral fertilizers for agriculture. The initiative is being developed in cooperation with the Uzcharmsanoat Association.
The project comes as Uzbekistan marks 2025 as the Year of Environmental Protection and Green Economy, a period aimed at advancing practical measures, technological reforms, and new international partnerships.
The discussions between SWISS GROW and Uzcharmsanoat focus on the recycling of waste generated during leather goods manufacturing and its use in producing mineral fertilizers for the agricultural sector. For years, such waste was disposed of or destroyed in tanneries, with its value largely overlooked. SWISS GROW’s technology will enable its transformation into locally produced, environmentally friendly fertilizers.
According to officials, the project will deliver a double benefit — reducing environmental pollution and supplying Uzbekistan’s agriculture with domestic eco-friendly fertilizers. Similar technologies have been successfully adopted in Europe and South Korea. Uzbekistan intends not only to import the technology but also to integrate it into local production chains, creating new links between industrial and agricultural sectors.
Negotiations also addressed the implementation process, the legislative framework, and the allocation of necessary land plots. Once launched, the project’s first stage is expected to recycle 60% of all leather industry waste in the country. The total investment is estimated at $2mn.
The initiative is considered strategically important for Uzbekistan’s international image, positioning the country as not only a supplier of raw materials but also a high-tech, environmentally responsible partner. Turning leather industry waste into what officials call “life for the soil” represents both resource revaluation and a step toward sustainable development.
Uzbekistan and Switzerland have doubled their trade over the past five years, reaching $341mn in 2023. In November 2024, it was reported that over 100 Swiss companies were operating in Uzbekistan, bringing total Swiss investments in the country to $1.4bn by the end of 2023. With more than €400mn directed toward sustainable development, green technologies, and innovations in healthcare and education, Swiss businesses are playing a key role in Uzbekistan’s modernization.
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