Start / Talk innovation: unlocking technology / Turning over a new leaf for sustainable paper

Turning over a new leaf for sustainable paper

33 min • 15 juli 2025

In this episode of Talk Innovation, host Ed Cooke sits down with Valentyn Frechka, the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Releaf Paper, in a conversation recorded during a live online event. Valentyn shares his remarkable journey of turning a school project into a business that transforms fallen leaves into raw material for the paper and packaging industry. Along the way, Valentyn offers insights into the challenges of turning an invention into a successful business, adapting to existing industry processes, the role of intellectual property in business strategy and the importance of picking the right team.

Moderator: Ed Cooke, EPO patent examiner

Guest: Valentyn Frechka, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Releaf Paper. Second place winner of the EPO’s Young Inventors Prize 2024