Mercedes Diane Griffin Forbes with Oleksandr Sokolovskyi of Releaf Paper at Web Summit Lisbon
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ReLeaf Paper is Ukraine’s Sustainable Tech Solution to Save Trees and Reduce Waste

ByMercedes Diane Griffin Forbes

Releaf Paper caught my attention at Web Summit because it asked one of those beautifully simple questions that can change the way we see an everyday product: what if paper did not have to come from trees?

I spend a lot of time thinking about sustainability. After more than two decades working in international development, food systems, agriculture, and environmental issues, I have learned that some of our biggest challenges come from the things we rarely stop to question.

Paper is one of them.

When I travel, I try to live as paper-free as possible. I read ebooks instead of buying new books whenever I can. I scan brochures at conferences instead of stuffing them into my bag. I share digital contact information rather than handing out stacks of business cards. Yet no matter how intentional I am, paper remains woven into nearly every part of modern life.

That is exactly why discovering Releaf Paper while covering Web Summit Lisbon was so exciting. Instead of asking people to stop using paper altogether, this Ukrainian startup is asking a much more practical question: what if we simply made paper differently?

Editor’s Note: DG Speaks has covered Web Summit since 2022, highlighting startups, entrepreneurs, and innovators creating practical solutions for a more sustainable and equitable future.

Why Paper Still Matters

Despite all our digital tools, getting away from paper completely simply is not realistic. Paper is everywhere. We use it in our bathrooms, kitchens, offices, schools, packaging, shipping materials, books, labels, bags, napkins, and receipts.

Paper helps us capture culture, share knowledge, protect products, organize information, and move goods around the world. The problem is not that paper exists. The problem is how much of it we use once and throw away.

That is where sustainability gets complicated. We need paper products, but we also need forests. We need packaging, but we also need healthier ecosystems. We need convenience, but we cannot keep pretending that single-use consumption has no consequences.

The Environmental Cost of Paper Waste

The numbers are sobering. Global paper consumption affects forests, water systems, energy use, landfill waste, and carbon emissions. From toilet paper and paper towels to coffee cups and packaging, many of the products we use daily are designed for extremely short lifespans.

According to The World Counts, paper production contributes significantly to global waste and natural resource use. That reality makes alternative paper solutions especially important.

I have also written before about how everyday choices connect to larger sustainability questions. Whether we are talking about carbon transformation, food systems, packaging, or waste reduction, the heart of the issue is the same: we need better systems, not just better intentions.

From Fallen Leaves to Sustainable Paper

Most paper comes from cellulose taken from trees. Releaf Paper offers another approach. Instead of relying on wood pulp, the company uses cellulose from fallen leaves collected in urban areas.

That idea immediately interested me because it connects two problems at once. Cities already collect fallen leaves as waste. Meanwhile, traditional paper production continues to place pressure on forests. Releaf Paper saw an opportunity to turn something cities were discarding into a useful raw material.

That is the kind of circular thinking I love to see in sustainability. It is not just about reducing harm. It is about redesigning systems so that waste becomes a resource.

The Story Behind Releaf Paper

Releaf Paper began with a simple but powerful idea from Ukrainian innovator Valentyn Frechka. As a teenager, he started researching alternative sources of cellulose that could reduce deforestation. After experimenting in a school laboratory, he created early prototypes showing that fallen leaves could be transformed into paper.

What began as a student experiment eventually grew into a company working to rethink how paper products are made. That story matters because innovation does not always begin inside corporate boardrooms. Sometimes it begins with a young person asking why things have to be done the same old way.

Valentyn Frechka, Co-Founder of Releaf Paper

At just 16 years old, Valentyn decided to study alternative sources of cellulose to help reduce deforestation. By early 2018, after many experiments, he had created working prototypes for his concept.

“We believe that trees should grow in the forest, humanity should breathe oxygen, and paper should be made of fallen leaves.”

A Conversation at Web Summit

While covering Web Summit, I had the opportunity to speak with Alexander Sobolenko, co-founder of Releaf Paper, about how the company transformed an idea into a scalable business.

What impressed me most was that Releaf Paper isn’t simply creating another eco-friendly product. The company has built partnerships with municipalities that are already collecting fallen leaves each autumn. Instead of those leaves becoming waste, they become the raw material for a completely different manufacturing process.

That shift represents something much larger than paper. It demonstrates the power of the circular economy, where one system’s waste becomes another system’s resource.

Alexander also explained that the manufacturing process uses very few chemicals. According to him, the chemicals used are “not toxic” and amount to roughly two kilograms per one ton of paper produced.

Why This Innovation Matters

As someone who has spent much of my career working in sustainable development and food systems, I have learned that the most impactful innovations are often the ones hiding in plain sight. They don’t always involve futuristic technology or billion-dollar investments. Sometimes they begin by asking whether the materials we already throw away could have a second life.

Releaf Paper represents exactly that kind of thinking. Fallen leaves are an abundant seasonal resource in cities around the world. Every autumn, municipalities invest time and money collecting them. Rather than treating those leaves as waste, Releaf Paper transforms them into packaging materials that can replace products traditionally made from virgin wood pulp.

That approach supports several sustainability goals at once. It reduces pressure on forests, diverts organic waste, lowers demand for virgin raw materials, and encourages cities to think differently about resource recovery. It is an excellent example of circular design in action.

Innovations like this are exactly why I continue returning to Web Summit year after year. Behind every booth is someone attempting to solve a real-world problem, and occasionally you find an idea that completely changes the way you think about an everyday product.

Since covering this interview, I’ve also explored other sustainability-focused innovators at Web Summit, including Etosha Cave, whose carbon transformation technology takes an entirely different approach to environmental innovation.

Could This Change the Paper Industry?

No single company is going to replace the global paper industry overnight. However, breakthroughs often begin with one practical idea proving that another path is possible. If more companies can create high-quality paper products from renewable urban waste rather than cutting down trees, the long-term environmental benefits could be substantial.

For me, Releaf Paper perfectly captures what makes Web Summit such an inspiring event. The conference isn’t only about artificial intelligence, venture capital, or billion-dollar startups. It’s also about meeting entrepreneurs who quietly challenge assumptions that most of us never think to question.

My Final Thoughts

One of the things I love most about covering Web Summit is discovering companies solving problems most people don’t even realize exist. Before meeting the team behind Releaf Paper, I had never stopped to ask where the cellulose in paper actually comes from or whether there was another way to produce it.

Releaf Paper isn’t trying to convince the world to stop using paper. Instead, they’re asking a much more practical question: how can we make the paper we depend on every day without sacrificing our forests? That mindset feels both hopeful and realistic.

Sometimes sustainability isn’t about eliminating what we use. It’s about reimagining where it comes from. Whether that means transforming fallen leaves into paper, capturing carbon before it reaches the atmosphere, or finding new ways to reduce waste, these are exactly the kinds of conversations I hope to keep bringing to DG Speaks.

As someone who has spent more than twenty years working in sustainable development around the world, I know there is no single solution to the environmental challenges we face. But companies like Releaf Paper remind me that meaningful progress often begins with one innovative idea and the determination to bring it to life.

Continue Exploring Sustainable Innovation

Sustainable Swaps Worth Considering

If reading about Releaf Paper has inspired you to reduce waste in your own home, here are a few sustainable alternatives I personally recommend checking out.

Want more stories like this? Browse the Web Summit archive for interviews with innovators, entrepreneurs, and global changemakers, or explore more stories on DG Speaks Stories.

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