Central Asia

Be Green

Podcast

Website

Zamirbekov
CEO

Problem

Every year, around 1.7 mio tons of trash is generated in Kyrgyzstan, with plastic accounting for 21% of all waste. Most people aren't educated on the importance of recycling. Consequently, a lot of the trash ends up burning in landfills, polluting the soil and liberating dangerous toxic fumes.

Solution

In 2021, BeGreen started to manufacture bottle-shaped trash cans at scale to encourage the population to recycle plastic. They later opened their first plastic recycling plant, where the plastic waste they collect is cut into tiny flakes, which are then exported and notably up-cycled into textiles, carpets, and construction straps.

Impact

BeGreen currently produces 10 Mtons of flakes out of recycled plastic bottles every year. Most of it is exported to Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan to be up-cycled into different kinds of products. BeGreen is among the leaders of the Green Revolution slowly gaining traction in the country.

(source: BeGreen, 2022)

Codify

Podcast

Website

Dinara Ruslan
Founder & CEO

Problem

Since its creation, Kyrgyzstan has struggled to build a strong education system, leaving many young people with untapped potential. Many are pushing for reforms in public education. Gender disparities and access to education for marginalized groups have also been put forward.

Solution

Codify is working towards the development of the IT sector across Central Asia through education, training, and innovative software development. With Codify Labs, they offer programming courses and mentorship to people of all ages, helping them master highly demanded coding skills and increase their chances of finding a job in the IT sector.

Impact

Codify is one of the few female-led businesses in the country. They have already helped thousands of young people get internships and jobs in IT, empowered women to start their own digital businesses, and helped hundreds of adults make a career shift and achieve financial independence.

Ilim

Podcast

Website

Ibragimova G. Kurmanbaevna
Operations Manager

Problem

Many former Soviet Union countries struggle to build strong national institutions, including public education. As the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, a lot of Kyrgyz families slipped into poverty. As a result, a lot of children were required to help sustain the household. Education became a luxury for many.

Solution

Founded in 1993, Ilim Educational Complex was the first non-governmental educational institution. In a context of great instability, Ilim built a unique education model (kindergarten to high school), which empowers students to develop key mindsets and real-life skills through intrinsic motivation, project-based learning, and collaboration.

Impact

Ilim is seen as a reference in the education space in Kyrgyzstan, and has been a member of UNESCO-associated schools for years. Graduates often end up becoming leading entrepreneurs, public servants, designers, and artists in all parts of the world. So far, Ilim has received over 20 awards in the education space, at a national level and abroad.

Impaakt

Website

Interview

Episode

Problem

Efficiently monitoring and measuring businesses' overall impact on people and the planet is essential to accelerate change, but it’s complicated. Which metrics to use ? Should we rely on data from the companies themselves or do we make our own assessments? How do we avoid green washing and measure the real impact of a company ?

Solution

In 2018, Impaakt launched a peer-review platform to measure the true level of sustainability of major companies worldwide. Thanks to ratings and analyses made by the +20’000 certified community members, they’re building company scores with the goal to create the ultimate resource of objective, quality impact information for investors and consumers.

Impact

Since 2018, 40’000 people joined the Impaakt community. 400k ratings have been made covering the impact of over 1500 companies.

Central Asia

Zamirbekov CEO

Problem

Solution

Impact

Zamirbekov
CEO