Releaf Paper takes fallen dead leaves from city streets and parks and turns them into paper for bags, office supplies, and more.
We all know that healthy trees are good for our planet, but humans cut down 15 billion trees annually, and about 40 percent of those (nearly six billion) are used to produce pulp and paper. This makes the paper and pulp industry one of the major buyers of harvested wood and the biggest contributor to deforestation.
Meanwhile, the average city produces 8,000 metric tons of leaves every year which clog gutters and sewers, and have to be collected, composted, burned, or dumped in landfills.
In other words, huge supply and huge demand, but Releaf Paper is making fantastic progress. Founded by Ukrainians Alexander Sobolenko or Valentyn Frechka, their Paris based company already produces 3 million paper carrier bags per year from 5,000 metric tons of leaves - supplying numerous big businesses like LVMH, BNP Paribas, Logitech and Samsung.
Joining forces with landscapers in sites across Europe, thousands of tonnes of leaves arrive at their facility in Paris where a low-water, zero-sulfur/chlorine production process sees the company create paper with much smaller water and carbon footprints.
“We want to expand this idea all around the world. At the end, our vision is that the technology of making paper from fallen leaves should be accessible on all continents,” Sobolenka told ZME Science.
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