From Waste to Wealth: Transforming Bangladesh's Leather Sector, One Tile At A Time

The tannery industry in Bangladesh, a cornerstone of its export economy, faces a significant environmental challenge. Every year, the sector generates over 85,000 tons of solid waste and vast quantities of effluents—up to 40,000 m3 during peak times. Mismanaged, this waste poses a grave risk to both the environment and human health.

Yet, within this problem lies a remarkable opportunity: transforming waste into wealth.

Innovations with Tannery Waste

Under the Pathways to Prosperity project, Solidaridad has been championing the use of eco-friendly technologies to transform tannery sludge into paver tiles in Bangladesh's leather cluster. Each 4,800 g tile contains approximately 500 g of waste (10.42 per cent of the total weight).

"Transforming tannery sludge into sustainable paver tiles is a significant step towards environmental protection. By converting waste into valuable resources, we are not only reducing pollution but also paving the way for a greener future," says Venkaiah Vadlamudi, one of the persons who introduced this technology here.

At the time of writing, 4,500 such tiles have already been laid on the premises of the tannery unit of Apex Footwear Limited, while 250 tiles have been laid on the premises of Salma Tannery. Efforts are also underway to lay 2,000 waste-to-value tiles on the premises of Dhaka Tannery Industrial Estate Wastage Treatment Plant Company Limited (DTIEWTPCL), a government organization.

A Sustainable Business Model

The initiative has come as a blessing for local tiles-makers and -entrepreneurs—such as Md. Zafar, a self-taught conventional tiles entrepreneur hailing from Narayanganj, close to Dhaka. A struggling businessman, Zafar joined the Pathways to Prosperity project in 2024, where he received training on the sustainable production of paver tiles, marketing strategies, and the use of digital tools, over the course of four sessions.

Zafar is now using CETP (common effluent treatment plant) sludge and effluents to make paver tiles. Since his participation in the programme, he has been able to produce 1,500–2,000 tiles per day—a significant improvement from the 1,000–1,200 tiles he was making daily, previously. He has also been able to employ 10 workers and three women, on a full-time basis, in his enterprise.

The outcomes have led to a sea-change in Zafar's perspective on the initiative. "Initially, I did not think that paver tiles could be made from tannery waste, replacing the traditional method," he says. "Now, I am excited to teach others how to build these tiles to contribute to environmental safety and create economic opportunities for other individuals like myself."

Zafar's enterprise is now flourishing, and he is producing tiles upon receiving orders. It has received recognition from the government, and he is now urging the government to support such initiatives.