The first step has been taken. Since its foundation five years ago, PaperWise has given more than 9 million kilos of agricultural waste a second life as paper and paperboard for printing and packaging. And that is just the beginning. From 2020, the company will combine innovative forces within Europe to make the production process from agricultural waste to paper pulp 100% sustainable. Harmless to both people and the environment.
PaperWise is changing the paper industry at a revolutionary and rapid pace. The company uses the stems and leaves left on the land after harvesting as raw material. Today, this agri waste is burned, with all the associated negative environmental consequences. “As soon as children at school learn that paper is made from agricultural waste, we will have achieved our goal and we will know that the paper industry has definitively changed,” says founder Peter van Rosmalen, expressing the sustainable mission of PaperWise.
New, sustainable technology
After five years of successful pioneering, the start-up PaperWise is ready for the next phase. To increase the environmental benefits many times over, the organization is pooling the knowledge of scientists, experts, and leading innovative companies on a global level. The goal: to develop a new, sustainable technology to transform agricultural waste into paper pulp. “Currently, this is still a chemical process that places a burden on the environment. Our aim is to make this process completely environmentally safe,” says co-founder Nick op den Buijsch.
The turning point
In five years, PaperWise has grown into the European market leader in paper and paperboard made from agricultural waste, with more than 1,500 customers in 19 countries, ranging from Tony’s Chocolonely, KPN, and Landal GreenParks to Jumbo, Heineken, and Rabobank. Founded as a social enterprise, the company maintains the balance between people, planet, and economy in all its decisions. This means, for example, that local farmers in India and South America, where the agricultural waste originates, also benefit from the success. “The mental switch must be flipped,” state Van Rosmalen and Op den Buijsch. “Our Earth is under far too much pressure. The ecosystem is disrupted, raw materials are running out, and more than three billion people worldwide live below the poverty line. We find that unacceptable.”
By transforming plant waste into high-quality paper and paperboard, PaperWise has saved 26,500 trees over the past five years. Together, this has prevented 25.5 km2 of deforestation—an area the size of the city of Leiden, or 2,600 football fields.
The necessity of growth
Making money is not a goal, but a must. Nick op den Buijsch: “That might sound strange, but sustainable companies are only future-proof if they make a profit without subsidies. Growth is necessary to finance these types of innovations and to realize our dream. We want to contribute to a world where waste does not exist and every residual material is the raw material for a new product. To achieve this, we need to mobilize as many people and organizations as possible. Only together can we change the paper industry. Together we can be Wise With Waste.”
Special developments and events:
From meetings with Prime Minister Mark Rutte to royal lunches with Queen Máxima as Peter’s table companion; all PaperWise highlights are featured on our anniversary page.
