envoPAP

envoPAP makes sustainable packaging and paper from agricultural waste. A certified B-Corps and already the recipient of a number of sustainability and innovation awards, envoPAP is currently raising investment to build a manufacturing facility to meet the rapid rise in demand for its products.

The Product

envoPAP’s paper and packaging is made from renewable sources in agriculture – such as sugarcane waste – recreating the quality and adaptability of conventional products but using 80% less wood fibre. 

To encourage uptake in the supply chain, the team behind envoPAP knew it needed to make its products easily accessible and affordable. Through research, development and innovation since 2014, they have aligned the technology so that manufacturers can ‘plug and play’ without the need to alter their systems to use envoPAP as an alternative in production.

envoPAP is now operating in over 50 countries. Initially its biggest markets were in the developing world, largely Africa, with a rapidly growing number of contracts now also in Europe and North America. It has partnered with a number of bluechip companies to provide food packaging materials, product packaging, printing paper, envelopes, flower packaging, labels, and more paper products.

Currently the model uses waste from agriculture in India – from wheatgrass, sugarcane and rice growing – but there is potential to explore the capability of the same process in other climates. 

envoPAP started making paper from waste before sustainability was ‘in’ as its founders believed this provides a solution to several interconnected environmental problems. By repurposing agricultural waste, it reduces air pollution from burning and it running off into water courses as well as moving paper production away from its reliance on trees. 

The business is constantly innovating to further reduce its carbon and water use to minimise environmental impact and improve sustainability along the supply chain. The figures show that so far that envoPAP products have a reduced carbon footprint of 38% in paper and 28% in packaging compared to the industry standard. 

The goal is to replace the dominant use of wood-based paper and single use plastics in packaging. The start-up estimates it has saved over 913,000 trees globally from deforestation so far and aims to reach 10 million by 2030. 

In 2020, envoPAP was certified as a B Corporation, which shows that it is operating to the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.