Turkmenistan 26 July 2013 -- The first private recycled cardboard mill is to be erected in Turkmenistan. The EBRD has granted a $5m loan to company Toprak for this investment.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is extending a $5m loan to Turkmenian cardboard packaging manufacturer Toprak. The loan proceeds are to finance construction of a greenfield facility that will produce cardboard from recycled paper. The new mill will be the first private paper recycling facility in Turkmenistan, the EBRD said.

The new facility will have a production capacity of up to 25 tpd, the EBRD communicated. Toprak plans to sell a third of this output and use the remaining two-thirds for its cardboard packaging production.

According to the EBRD, Toprak is the largest producer of cardboard boxes and other containers in Turkmenistan. It supplies a range of cardboard packaging products to clients in diverse sectors, from textiles to food, chemical and other industries. The company’s first major expansion in 2010 was partially financed with a $1.5m loan from the EBRD, which funded the purchase of a new automated folding line, it is learnt.