Lucerne start-up produces paper and cardboard from agricultural waste
In Switzerland, about 140 kilograms of paper and cardboard are still consumed per person and per year. Extrapolated to the entire Swiss population, this results in a consumption of 1.18 million tons, for which entire forests have to be cut down every year. A new paper called envoPAP promises to put an end to this, because it consists of 80% agricultural waste instead of wood.
An entrepreneur from Lucerne wants to bring the paper to Switzerland in September by crowdfunding. The first prominent supporter of envoPAP in Switzerland is Damian Müller, a member of the Council of States from Lucerne. Over 40 percent of the world's felled wood is currently processed into paper products. This is because conventionally produced paper is made from virgin wood fibers. Even recycled paper can only be reprocessed seven times before fresh wood is needed again.
Sugar cane, the solution?
Thanks to a new paper from the British company envoPAP, deforestation by the paper industry could soon be massively curbed: "envoPaper consists of 80 percent agricultural waste from sugar cane, wheat straw and wild grass. That is, discarded stalks and stalks that would normally be burned are mixed and given a second life in the form of envoPap," explains Lucerne-based entrepreneur Yves Beljean, whose startup is the exclusive distributor of envoPAP in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
"This means that waste products can be efficiently recycled instead of trees having to be cut down. EnvoPAP therefore helps in a very tangible way to protect the world's forests and green reserves. The production of envoPAP is also much more energy-efficient than the production of conventional paper." EnvoPap has received multiple awards and certifications from various independent institutions, including the suportthegoals organization, which awarded it the maximum of 4 stars for achieving 8 of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the federal government's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
To the naked eye, EnvoPap is hardly distinguishable from other commercially available bright white papers. EnvoPap is also in no way inferior to conventional papers in terms of use. "It can be used just as well for packaging of various kinds as it can for office purposes. EnvoPap is already being used successfully in the UK, India and Asia - now I would like to give Switzerland the chance to see the paper for themselves."
Crowdfunding for Switzerland
Yves Beljean therefore now wants to bring a first load of the paper to Switzerland at the end of September by means of crowdfunding. "The smallest possible order quantity, which also makes ecological sense, is 20 tons. This is associated with costs of 36,000 francs, which we now want to collect via crowdfunding," explains Beljean. Until the beginning of October, everyone has the opportunity to secure a box of EnvoPap (5x 500 sheets) for 61 Swiss francs. These will be conveniently delivered to your home by post in a CO2-neutral manner. If you buy 5 packs at once, you save a young tree.
"With EnvoPap, we are in the same price range as conventional paper. This makes EnvoPap the first real alternative to conventional paper - other alternatives such as bamboo, grass or stone paper are similarly sustainable, but still many times more expensive." The first prominent supporter of EnvoPap in Switzerland is Damian Müller, a member of the Council of States in Lucerne.
Click here to go to the crowdfunding page of envoPAPIER
