Chinese firm helps Bangladesh turn waste into value

To address the massive solid waste generated by tanneries in the Savar Tannery Industrial Estate, a Chinese company – Bangladesh JW Animal Protein Co Ltd – has launched an innovative project to recycle tannery waste into high-value export products.

Established in 2023, JW Animal Protein is a joint venture of China's Wenzhou Yuanfei Group (A-share listed, 001222.SZ) and is the first and only foreign-invested enterprise in Bangladesh to produce gelatine and industrial protein powder from leather waste.

The company has built a 9-acre factory in Nayarhat, Savar, equipped with an Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP). The factory extracts gelatine – used to make pharmaceutical capsule coatings – from raw hide trimmings, and recovers chrome from shaving dust to produce industrial protein powder for leather softening.

Under its business plan, JW Animal Protein aims to export approximately 5,000 tonnes of gelatine and industrial protein powder annually to China and Russia. Currently, both products are largely imported by local industries, making this initiative critical for import substitution.

On 8 April 2025, JW Animal Protein signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Dhaka Tannery Industrial Estate Waste Treatment Plant Company to facilitate waste collection and processing.

Golam Shahnewaz, Managing Director of the waste treatment company, said: “JW Animal Protein will gradually collect all chrome shaving dust from the tannery estate. The company has already received clearance from the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority.”

Tanneries in the Savar estate produce an estimated 8,000 to 9,000 tonnes of chrome shaving dust annually. In the past, solid waste was dumped openly along riverbanks, causing pollution and becoming a major barrier to achieving Leather Working Group (LWG) certification. Worse, some chrome dust was illegally diverted into animal feed, introducing toxic chromium into the human food chain through meat and fish.

Parvez Khan, an official at JW Animal Protein, said: “Our goal is to produce 100% export-oriented products by processing leather waste. Unprocessed waste harms the environment and is misused by some dishonest actors for animal feed. Through proper processing, we can stop this misuse and reduce environmental and health risks.”

This project represents a major milestone for Bangladesh's waste management and is a key step toward LWG compliance.

Sources: TBS News, Leather News, Apparel Resources.