For Valentin Rylian, this was not just a statistic, but a problem he faced every day. While working in his parents’ print shop, the young man noticed that the production process left a large amount of paper scraps that were difficult to reuse.
Driven by a desire to reduce waste and create a viable economic solution, Valentin began to develop a simple but effective concept: turning paper waste into recycled packaging for eggs, fruits and vegetables – an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional plastic packaging.
The idea started to take shape when he joined the project “Recovering better than before through social entrepreneurship”, implemented by Junior Achievement Moldova within the EU4Youth program. There he received financial support as well as the mentoring, training and confidence he needed to turn the concept into a real business.
“I went through months of training, during which I developed the idea – from concept to final product. I did the calculations, analyzed the market and made sure the idea was really good and could make both a profit and an environmental impact. The basic equipment cost about $20,000. I got funding from several sources, including grants, and with the help of Junior Achievement I bought some equipment,” says Valentin.
First steps to start production
One of the biggest challenges for any budding entrepreneur is finding customers before the product is even created. Without a prototype or actual production, everything depends on the entrepreneur’s ability to present the idea, explain its benefits and gain the trust of potential customers.
“The hardest part was figuring out how to communicate with potential customers when I didn’t have equipment yet and wasn’t producing anything. During the trainings, I found answers to these questions,” says Valentin.
Participating in the program gave him more than just knowledge – it gave him valuable connections. It was there that he met a specialist engineer working in automation and mechanical engineering. This person helped him build a drying line for trays.
The production was made possible thanks to equipment purchased with grant funds
“I was incredibly excited when the equipment arrived. These are 30-ton machines – truly huge. We will use the first mold to make egg cartons. By the summer the drying line will be completed and then I will be able to produce about 1,000 units per hour. That’s when we will start large-scale production,” explains the entrepreneur.
The Repack Company recycles cardboard scraps into pulp, which is then molded and pressed into various shapes, creating environmentally friendly egg cartons.
In the future, Repack Company plans to expand its product range to include packaging for fruits and vegetables, as well as industrial packaging for perfumes and electronic components.
