Using dead leaves instead of healthy trees to produce paper – that's the idea behind Ukrainian startup Releaf Paper, reports Euronews.
While still at school, founder Valentin Frechka used his passion for biochemistry to find new ways to produce cellulose, the key ingredient in paper.
After a failed experiment with grass and straw, he discovered that it was possible to extract fiber from leaves.
After creating a working prototype, Frechka moved to Paris after the start of the war in Ukraine and founded Releaf Paper with his partner Alexander Sobolenko.
Is paper made from leaf better for the environment?
Using a combination of chemical and mechanical processes, Releaf produces one ton of pulp from 2,3 tons of dead leaves.
It usually takes 17 trees to produce the same amount.
Cities in Europe are giving Releaf dead leaves they have collected from their streets instead of burning them as is the usual practice.
"We only work with the leaves we get from the cities, because we can't use the leaves from the forest. It is not easy to collect them in the forest, and there is no need, because there is an ecosystem. In a city, this is green waste that needs to be collected. Indeed, it is a good solution because we keep the balance - we get fiber for paper production and return lignin as fertilizer for cities to fertilize gardens or trees. So it's a completely win-win model," explains Frechka.
Releaf's process involves removing any solid compounds from the leaves, drying them, and then turning them into pellets. This allows to store the raw material all year round and ensure a continuous production cycle.
The pellets are converted into a special fiber that forms the basis of the paper. The resulting pulp is pressed and rolled into sheets of paper.
What is the environmental impact of paper production?
Releaf Paper estimates that the innovative process emits 78 percent less CO2 than traditional production and uses 15 times less water.
"Leaf-based paper degrades in soil in 30 days, while the degradation period of regular paper is 270 days or more," Releaf Paper says.
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the paper industry accounts for 13-15 percent of total wood consumption and uses 33-40 percent of all industrial wood sold globally.
Is the innovative paper sustainable?
The company sells paper from 70 to 300 g/m², suitable for a variety of purposes from packaging paper (bags, e-commerce envelopes, etc.) to cardboard packaging (corrugated cardboard, egg cartons).
The startup produces around three million shopping bags per month, and clients include L'Oréal, Samsung, LVMH, Logitech, Google and Schneider Electric.
The young Ukrainian will open its first commercial factory near Paris in July and hopes to eventually have production facilities around the world.
With a capacity to process 5000 tons of leaves per year, the first site, partially funded by the European Union, will receive green waste from the city of Paris.
Frechka, who has already won several awards since the start of his venture, is one of three finalists for the European Patent Office (EPO) Young Inventor Award 2024. The results will be announced on July 9.