The European Innovation Council (EIC) has developed a dedicated GHG Tool to support EIC innovators in the assessment of their company’s carbon footprint. One of the tool’s aims is to inspire EIC beneficiaries by promoting innovative solutions for mitigating carbon emissions. In this spirit, this month’s EIC Coffee Break will dive into the inspiring story of EIC Accelerator beneficiary Releaf Paper born in 2021 in Ukraine, thanks to its CEO Alexander Sobolenko. Through his words, we will take a journey from the early days of creating the world’s first producer of pulp and paper made of green waste to Releaf Paper’s recent achievement with the launch of its pilot production line and innovation centre in France.
First of all, can you tell us how you came up with the idea of creating Releaf Paper?
The idea to start the company came from my partner, Valentyn Frechka, specifically his idea to create a technology that would change the paper market.
When I heard about a young researcher who was studying leaf fibres – already with some success – I knew I wanted to dedicate my life to this. We successfully combined my entrepreneurial experience and my partner Valentyn’s scientific passion, and this is how Releaf Paper was born.
Paper production generates substantial CO2 emissions and leads to elevated water consumption. How will the solution proposed by the EIC-funded Releaf Paper project make a significant contribution to the reduction of high CO2 emissions from the paper and packaging industries?
The majority of CO2 emissions in the paper industry come from the harvesting and pulping of raw materials. The use of leaves largely solves this problem, as their collection in urban infrastructure is quite energy-efficient. We have created our own process for processing leaves, which consumes several times less energy and ten times less water than the traditional pulping process.
In addition, we should not forget about the CO2 emissions savings, as the carbon dioxide absorbed by the leaves during the growing season remains in the leaves during processing. In general, by using leaves as one of the production components, we significantly reduce the use of primary raw materials, thus making an additional contribution to environmental protection.
Releaf Paper has come a long way since its inception, with the recent launch of its pilot production line and innovation centre in France and the recent collaboration with Uber Eats Paris aimed at helping to reduce single-use plastics in food delivery.
What are your expectations from these recent milestones and how do you think the EIC Accelerator grant has helped you reach this stage in your innovation journey?
In the 3 years of the company’s existence, we have really accomplished quite a lot: we have created and demonstrated the technology in our home market, relocated to France due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine, opened a pilot line near Paris and got our first customers. The contribution of the EIC grant was crucial because it was primarily thanks to it that we were able to realise our ambitious goals so quickly and efficiently. Unlike software products, hardware innovations have slower development dynamics but also a much greater impact.
The EIC Accelerator grant is important because it does not let breakthrough ideas die but contributes to their growth in every possible way. The piloting phase, which we have completed with the help of the EIC, is critically important for us, because the hardest battle lies ahead of us – the battle for the market.
Part of your efforts in your daily work also go to spreading the message of leaf-technology and sustainability among businesses. What do you think is currently stopping some businesses in their shift to recyclable packaging?
Every business has its own reasons for using or not using sustainable materials in packaging. For us, Europe is the ideal market because it is the only place where the demand from the end consumer, who increasingly wants to see environmentally friendly packaging, and regulation are combined to a large extent.
However, it is true that in 2025, recycled packaging is not yet mainstream. In the case of Releaf Paper, many customers are waiting for the right moment and are not in a hurry to switch to our innovative material. Some need more time to evaluate and make a decision due to internal bureaucratic reasons, others have high expectations of leaf paper, which is still paper after all. But perhaps most importantly, we could not offer a quality product in large quantities for a long time due to our lack of production capacity.
Thanks to a production line recently opened in France with EIC co-financing, we now have everything we need for the next step. So, we are gathering our troops to conquer our market niche.
About Releaf Paper
Since 2021, Releaf Paper has been dedicated to turning green waste into valuable raw materials for the paper and packaging industries. Supported by the EIC Accelerator, the innovative company is revolutionising sustainability for the paper industry, changing people’s perceptions about the responsible use of resources for paper production.
Find out more about Releaf Paper by visiting CORDIS and the official project website.
About the EIC GHG Tool
The EIC offers its beneficiaries a dedicated GHG tool, GHG Badges initiative as well as further resources to help mitigate their CO2 emissions.
In addition, co-creation activities with businesses, industrial associations, regions in carbon transition and EIC beneficiaries take place on a regular basis.
DISCLAIMER: This information is provided in the interest of knowledge sharing and should not be interpreted as the official view of the European Commission, or any other organisation.