Olha Lekova, founder of Recast Plastic (Kyiv), a furniture manufacturing company using 100% recycled plastic, became one of the 65 winners of the first stage of the “CREATE!” program. Thanks to grant support, she managed to scale her business in just six months. The “CREATE!” grant program was launched by the Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture of Ukraine and the Ukraine-Moldova American Enterprise Fund. It is implemented by KSE Foundation with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, in partnership with the Avrora retail network and Oschadbank.
With the grant funds, Olha purchased four units of specialized equipment, including plastic processing machines. The new technology helped increase production volumes, create new product lines, and develop innovative furniture solutions for shelters. Overall, the acquired equipment boosted the company’s production capacity by 25%.
Founded in 2022 despite the challenges of wartime, the company has proven its resilience. Twice the production site was affected by enemy attacks: after the first shelling, the office and warehouse were lost, and today the company operates without centralized electricity. Even under such conditions, the team continues its work, preparing for relocation while expanding operations.
Thanks to the #CREATE! grant, the company entered new international markets and is actively establishing supply chains for shelter furniture to EU countries. In addition, Recast Plastic is in negotiations with several Asian countries.
“Thanks to the grant, we are actively setting up supplies of our shelter furniture to 25 EU countries, with which we are signing an exclusive distribution agreement. This year we plan to enter the markets of Poland and Austria, and we are also negotiating with Asian countries,” Olha shares.
In Ukraine, Recast Plastic is actively engaged in furnishing shelters, community crisis spaces, educational facilities for children, and inclusive recreational areas.
The company has successfully passed additional certification and is now the only enterprise in Ukraine in this sector with a full set of certificates. Meanwhile, Olha herself, who has been a member of the French-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce for two years, has applied for membership in the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
At the same time, Recast Plastic remains committed to its main goal — sustainable development. The company continues testing new types of secondary materials for construction and is developing innovative solutions for shelters and social infrastructure.
“From the very beginning, our business was built on the principles of the circular economy. The new equipment allows us to prototype products without overloading the main machinery. In addition, thanks to the grant, we installed extra dust collection systems, which let us reuse production waste,” says the entrepreneur.
