Consumer industries contribute a significant 30–35% of global emissions, according to Packaging Industry, an online news platform. 

In order to reduce these emissions, the consumer industries, including the packaging sector, are under immense pressure to adopt sustainable solutions. 

This transformation has been led by Olha Nikitenko, the development director of Alfa Paper Cup, who has become a game changer in an industry already facing increasing pressure to adopt eco-friendly solutions. In her 20 years as an entrepreneur, Olha has leveraged innovation to surmount the obstacles facing her business.

Not only does Olha’s work reshape how companies address sustainability in Ukraine, but it is also reshaping how companies are thinking about sustainability on a global scale. Her leadership has paved the way for international business expansion, creating jobs for over 200 people and humanitarian efforts that support communities that need it. Her determination to effect real change in the world has taken her through political instability and a lack of government support but has not deterred her.

Therefore, Olha’s story highlights her contributions to the packaging industry and how her innovative thinking and dedication to community upliftment are breaking new ground in the sector. Not only is her attention to eco-friendly materials and automation changing the way business gets done, but it is also demonstrating that sustainability can be good for business and the world.

The Start of a Journey of Innovation

Much like many entrepreneurs today, Olha’s career was driven by a passion for creation. Olha initially trained to be a seamstress cutter, but she soon learned that she wasn’t cut out for factory work. “It has always been my wish to be an entrepreneur because there’s that great freedom to work on your own ideas and projects,” Olha recalls. “So, I wanted to create, invent, and manage projects.” 

However, her breakthrough came with a simple yet transformative idea: putting a second wall onto one that is already white (blank), gluing it, and thus creating a corrugated cup. In 2007, that idea came to fruition with the establishment of Alfa Paper Cup, one of Ukraine’s largest producers of eco-friendly packaging for cafes, restaurants, and more. Her breakthrough in sustainable packaging reflects a broader shift where small innovations are pushing industries toward eco-friendly alternatives.

Creating Eco-Friendly Packaging

All over the world, people are starting to embrace eco-friendly packaging. This trend aligns with the focus of companies such as Alfa Paper Cup, a global leader in the supply of a wide range of sustainable paper packaging products for the food service industry. “Our product range is more than 5,000 items. From conceptualizing to design, prototyping, logo/brand design to trial production, and finally full scale production and delivery, we have a complete suite of services to offer,” Olha explains. “Unlike our competitors who outsource services like printing, flattening sheets, or cutting blanks, we have a complete production cycle in-house.” With this commitment, Alfa Paper Cup found itself growing even during times of political instability and war.

Collaborating for Growth 

Scaling innovations is about collaborations. As a result, Olha’s collaboration with Metro Cash & Carry and state institutions follows a trend in other industries, as such partnerships drive market expansion and sustainable growth.

Metro Cash & Carry has been an important partner for the company and has helped it scale and expand its reach. These collaborations have improved the company’s market position further while allowing for further innovation in sustainable packaging.

Beyond collaboration, another key factor contributing to the growth of the company is its commitment to quality and customer satisfaction, which has enabled it to thrive even in challenging times. “Our clients get nonstop support by our company managers in the process of selecting the product, samples, ordering, logistics, and documentation packages, particularly on export orders,” Olha notes.

Creating Social Impact and Helping Communities

Today, Alfa Paper Cup has achieved a lot of success under Olha’s leadership. “In 2007, I became a crisis manager for a bunch of our companies, so it was time to start growing actively and to increase the team. We started working with large national companies and became partners, and the company’s turnover began to grow. And all this had to be managed effectively,” she states. “I also took the post of HR director, whose duties included hiring, adapting new employees, and creating an internal reserve by creating conditions for training and career growth of employees. In addition, I managed new projects, from the creation of a new department in the company to the introduction of an automated warehouse storage system.”

Beyond that, the company also continues to thrive under Olha’s leadership due to her promotion of an inclusive work environment. “We have created more than 200 jobs with roles for people with disabilities,” she discloses. The company’s strict focus on inclusivity makes it easy for employees from different backgrounds to have access to meaningful work. In addition to an inclusive work environment, the company always puts the welfare of its employees first. “We also give loans and decent material assistance to our employees in difficult situations.”

Olha’s multiracial and inclusive hiring practices align with a growing worldwide approach to social responsibility. Similar efforts in other industries show how businesses are combining growth with community impact and diversity.

Due to Olha’s efforts, the company has improved efficiency by introducing technologies such as CRM systems, automated warehouses, and IP telephony, while these new technologies also support employees. These innovations reduce processes, allowing the company to grow, and create a supportive working environment in which people thrive.

Olha and her team are also involved in volunteer work, delivering packaging to humanitarian food distribution in Ukraine. “During a crisis, giving back is essential,” she says. By doing that, these social impact initiatives extend the company’s influence beyond business success.

Overcoming Challenges and Looking Ahead

Everyone in this industry has a concern for safeguarding intellectual property. So, patenting Olha’s innovations reflects a broader trend as she tries to stop an attempt by competitors to copy her company’s designs. “It’s a compliment, and it shows that our ideas are truly impactful,” she points out. To protect her innovations from plagiarism and copying, she started to patent her company’s own unique designs and manufacturing processes, solidifying its role as trendsetters in the packaging industry.

As if that weren’t enough, the political and economic instability in Ukraine and a lack of government support for entrepreneurs equally compounded her problems. But her memories of a tough childhood powered her on. “I set the goal to be successful and to make sure neither I nor my children would ever need food or clothing like I did,” she reveals.

In the years ahead, Olha wants her company to go beyond Ukraine’s borders. She plans to open branches in Europe and the U.S., helping to expand their innovative packaging solutions to the global market. “I think we’re ready to scale our sustainable, custom-made products internationally,” she concludes.

Released on November 12, 2024.