Two hemp-focused tasks in Ukraine had been named to obtain Local weather Innovation Vouchers, a European Union program that helps inexperienced applied sciences with grant funding.
The Ma’Ryzhany Hemp Firm and Ukrainian Hemp (First Hemp Company) had been chosen within the ultimate wave of the initiative, which gave a complete of €384,241 to 11 Ukrainian enterprises. The vouchers may be as much as $50,000; particular person quantities awarded weren’t introduced.
The grants cowl as much as 75 p.c of prices for companies corresponding to certification, mental property safety, engineering, and manufacturing preparation for corporations creating climate-friendly options.
Recipients
Ma’Rizhany Hemp Firm is creating a significant hemp cultivation and processing hub within the Zhytomyr area. The plant focuses on lengthy technical fibers for textiles and shorter fibers for nonwovens corresponding to insulation and paper.
Constructed on the grounds of a former flax mill, the venture represents a $25 million funding up to now and will finally attain $100 million, supporting a whole lot of native jobs. The corporate positions hemp as a secure various to grain exports, which have been sophisticated by commerce tensions with neighboring EU international locations.
Advancing modernization
Ukrainian Hemp (UH) (First Hemp Company), primarily based in Cherkasy Oblast, UH promotes technological modernization of Ukraine’s hemp sector, integrating superior processing strategies to serve textile, building, and industrial markets.
The corporate opened a brand new decortication facility greater than a 12 months after the Russian invasion, and has developed a two-tier harvester designed for tall hemp varieties.
One other funded venture related to hemp agriculture is Carbonex Ukraine, which helps farmers in producing carbon credit by means of audits, emissions discount calculations, and verification beneath worldwide requirements. Different winners span fields corresponding to vitality storage, air flow, hydrogen, and eco-materials, reflecting this system’s broad local weather innovation mandate.
About this system
The Local weather Innovation Vouchers assist shut essential commercialization gaps for rising applied sciences by funding companies corresponding to patenting, certification, and industrial design.
The voucher scheme is a part of the Finance and Know-how Switch Centre for Local weather Change (FINTECC) program of the European Financial institution for Reconstruction and Growth (EBRD), supported by the European Union’s EU4CLIMATE initiative. The scheme has been carried out in Ukraine since 2017 by the Kyiv-based NGO Greencubator, which helps cleantech startups entry funding, experience, and worldwide markets.
FINTECC goals to speed up the switch of local weather applied sciences to the non-public sector, whereas EU4CLIMATE helps companion international locations in advancing local weather coverage and low-emission growth.
Working by means of struggle
Over eight years, greater than 50 Ukrainian corporations have obtained help totaling €2 million, with the 2025 awards marking the ultimate wave of this system’s second part. A ceremony in Kyiv featured discussions with authorities, trade, and European companions on how Ukraine’s innovators are shaping Europe’s local weather future even throughout wartime circumstances.
Regardless of the struggle, Ukraine’s hemp sector has continued to maneuver ahead, with nationwide hemp acreage slowly increasing—from roughly 1,500 hectares in 2023 to an estimated 2,000 hectares in 2024.
