Polesie is a toy manufacturer located in the small town of Kobrin, Belarus, famous for its cheese, and now also its toys.
“The company was established in 1998 by a small team of enthusiasts who decided to make their first toy,” said Natalia Tarasjuk, who works for Polesie’s commercial relations department.
Two decades later, the company employs 20 percent of the city’s inhabitants – more than 3,000 people.
“From one machine to 130; from a tiny room to a 60,000 square meter facility; from three employees to 3,000… The company has become the living heart of the city!” said Ms Tarasjuk.
The factory handles the entire production cycle, from each concept’s inception to the transport of the finalized toys. The toys are exported to more than 60 countries, including Russia, Italy, Australia, and Japan.
Now, the company has become the first Belarusian business to join the EBRD’s Finance and Technology Transfer Centre for Climate Change (FINTECC) programme, supported by the Global Environmental Facility.
Finance available through FINTECC has helped Polesie install energy efficient technology that is new to the Belarusian manufacturing sector.
A combined cooling heat and power plant (CCHP plant) allows the factory to efficiently generate its own heat, electricity and cooling power needed in its production plant.
The new technologies are expected to generate electricity savings of around 3,000 MWh and gas savings of 24,100 MWh per year. It will also reduce CO2 emission by 7,500 tonnes per year, the equivalent of the average annual emissions of more than 2,200 households.
The EBRD’s FINTECC programme helps companies implement advanced climate technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase climate resilience by providing grants and technical assistance.
It provides businesses not only with finance but also the necessary know-how to invest in climate technologies to save energy, water, and materials.
At the same time, it supports policymakers in building the right environment for such investments to thrive long term.
Original source: EBRD
Published on 24 December 2018
