The Ukrainian startup turning fallen leaves into sustainable paper products.
✍️ Caetano Faria
Paper production dates back to around 200 BCE in China, where early methods involved suspending plant fibers—often from mulberry bark or other natural sources—in water, then spreading the mixture onto screens to dry into thin sheets. Although the technology has evolved significantly, the modern paper industry remains heavily reliant on virgin wood pulp sourced from trees.
This dependence comes at a steep environmental cost. Around 40% of all commercially harvested timber globally is used for paper production, contributing to the clearing of more than 30 million acres of forests each year. Much of this deforested land is converted into monoculture tree plantations, which support little biodiversity and can severely disrupt local ecosystems.
Beyond deforestation, paper production is also highly water-intensive. It takes approximately 10 liters of water to produce a single A4 sheet of paper. Additionally, pulp and paper mills often discharge harmful pollutants—such as chlorinated compounds, dioxins, and heavy metals—into surrounding waterways, posing serious risks to aquatic life and nearby communities.
| “It takes approximately 10 liters of water to produce a single A4 sheet of paper”
At the heart of these issues is an industry largely driven by linear, profit-focused models, rather than circular economy principles that emphasize resource efficiency, waste reduction, and long-term sustainability.
16-year-old Ukrainian inventor Valentyn Frechka with a wonderfully simple solution: producing paper from fallen leaves. After many experiments, Valentyn successfully created a prototype that could transform leaves into usable paper. He then partnered with Alexander Sobolenko and co-founded Releaf Paper in 2021. Since its founding, the company has expanded rapidly, securing five patents, refining its business model, and attracting customers in over 20 countries. Releaf Paper offers a range of products, including packaging paper, corrugated boxes, and fillers for the paper industry.
Releaf Paper’s process for turning fallen leaves into paper is carefully designed to protect the environment. The company contracts municipal services to collect leaves exclusively from urban areas, avoiding forests to prevent disruption of delicate ecosystems. The leaves are then cleaned, washed, and dried before being compressed into a form that allows year-round storage. Depending on the type and properties of the leaves, mechanical and thermo-mechanical techniques are used to extract fibers, which can then be sent to paper mills. There, the fibers are combined with either waste paper or virgin pulp to produce high-quality paper products.
For a long time, consumers have been encouraged to reduce paper waste, placing the responsibility for sustainability largely on individuals. However, this expectation is unrealistic when the only alternative to traditional paper packaging is often plastic. Releaf Paper shifts the responsibility away from consumers by innovating the production process itself, offering a sustainable alternative that reduces environmental harm.
| “Releaf Paper shifts the responsibility away from consumers by innovating the production process itself”.
Since its launch, the company has established offices in Paris and Kyiv, won multiple awards for green innovation, and partnered with major organizations such as Google and WWF. It has also received funding from the European Union, which has supported its growth. Environmentally, the company’s impact is striking. According to a 2020 comparison by Stone Paper, Releaf Paper produces just 0.0066 kilograms of CO2 per kilogram of paper, compared to 1.5 kilograms for conventional paper production. Water usage is similarly reduced, with only 0.0002 litres of water used per kilogram of paper, in contrast to the six litres required for virgin paper. The entire process is chemical-free, further minimizing its ecological footprint.
Despite these successes, Releaf Paper faces some challenges. Scaling the sustainable collection of leaves depends on the cooperation of municipal services and is subject to seasonal variability. The company deliberately avoids overharvesting leaves from forests to protect ecosystems, but this limits its raw material supply. Additionally, the traditional paper industry remains resistant to change, with cheaper conventional paper products presenting stiff competition. Proving that Releaf’s process can be scaled commercially to meet global demand is another significant hurdle.
The story of Releaf Paper offers valuable lessons. Achieving true sustainability requires rethinking not only what we produce but also the raw materials and industrial methods we often take for granted. Waste materials, such as fallen leaves, can be transformed into valuable resources through innovation. Moreover, young innovators like Valentyn Frechka demonstrate how fresh ideas and determination can lead to meaningful solutions for some of the world’s most pressing environmental problems.
