Liofyllo is a Greek idiom to say olive leaf, and its founder, Ms. Alexandra Makrygeorgou, urges us to green this planet through creative recycling. She believes that “every action—and offer—should be done with respect to humanity and nature.” Only in this way will we be able to evolve as a species and create fertile ground for future generations! Read this interview to find out how a social enterprise can combine green, social, and female entrepreneurship in an innovative way.

Liofyllo

What is Liofyllo about?

According to the legislation, the olive leaves are considered non-hazardous solid waste, just like the kernel. Most research focuses on the seeds, giving zero importance to the leaves and considering that disposing of them in adjacent fields or burning them is not harmful to the environment. It is estimated that in Greece, this waste reaches 150,000 tons per year. Liofyllo creates a novel eco-friendly material (International evaluation from WIPO – Assessment of the international patent – Copyright of member states) from untapped olive leaves and bio-based or/and biodegradable adhesives, in accordance with the principles of the circular economy.Its mission is to manage mostly the biomass of the olive leaves that is discarded during the production process of olive oil and replace materials that are not environmentally friendly (e.g., wooden panels, plastics, rocks, etc.). This new material is used for a wide variety of constructions, artworks, products, and objects in order to protect the environment and promote the Mediterranean and, in particular, the Greek culture. Until now, Liofyllo has produced the Welia (as wooden panels) and Marelia (as tiles and marble) panels. In addition, it processes panels that are destroyed during the production, and reuses them as raw material to create unique pieces of art. The products work as special souvenirs, awards, memorabilia, and works of art.

Why did you start this social innovation?

Liofyllo was created from the common concern of our team regarding the protection and “exploitation” of the environment at the same time. Our main purpose is to replace materials and products that are not eco-friendly, such as plastic or MDF, and give added value to existing products, while respecting and defending the values and norms of the circular economy. Additionally, our products promote the Mediterranean culture while extolling the Greek one.

Another main objective of Liofyllo is to highlight the environmental awareness. The ever-increasing pollution of the environment, leading to an inevitable and irreparable ecological disaster, predicts a bleak future for the coming generations. In addition, the existence of untapped raw materials, which are considered as waste while they can be exploited and recycled, has led contemporary research into the development of innovative materials. We are trying to develop a program module and a variety of actions to inform people, approach at first the new generations, as well as the third age which is a bit difficult to change habits.

How did you come up with the idea? Was a creative or collaborative process involved?

Since I finished my undergraduate studies, my desire has been to build my own business. I am the mother of two little daughters, and since my first pregnancy, I have been unemployed. My husband, Christos, is a PhD candidate in start-ups, and we also live among an olive grove. All the above characteristics, plus my aspiration to help the global effort to green this planet, were the stimuli for the creation of Liofyllo. The enterprise operates based on the environment, people, and the values and ideals of our country combined with innovation and technology. Our perspective is to become a source of inspiration for potential entrepreneurs. My dream is to grow it so that it can support the local economy and society and manage, at least in our country, the largest volume of olive leaf biomass, offering a healthy environment to society through creative recycling.

What were you afraid of at the beginning and how (if at all) did you overcome your fear?

The balance between work and family is perhaps the biggest challenge I face. When you have devoted 100% of your time to raising your children for the first 4 years of their lives and suddenly that changes, the balance of family life is lost. With the support of my husband, I have managed to normalize the situation, and I also feel more confident about what I am doing. Also, since the birth of the idea of Liofyllo, my biggest concern has been its failure because we have invested a lot of time and money to develop it. In time, however, this concern of mine was eliminated because I saw the recognition of our efforts and the admiration and appreciation in the eyes of those who had known our work.

What were the beginnings of the social innovation? (i.e. how did you build your initiative, business, NGO from zero?)

 Until now, the conduct of laboratory tests, the acquisition of the patent, the purchase of machinery, equipment, and consumables, as well as all of Liofyllo’s actions, have been financed with his own funds. However, the difficulties were not limited to the financial part but also to the bureaucratic procedures that govern Greek legislation. The choice of creating a social enterprise as a legal form lasted more than 3 months, both because of the nature of the object and the philosophy of the members. Despite these challenges, Liofyllo is a social enterprise that consists of six women with different academic backgrounds, professional experiences, and soft skills, which combine to make the best foundation for the rapid development of our project. Three of us are mothers, and, moreover, the four women in our team have already been working in other jobs by offering their knowledge and skills in social entrepreneurship. Every member has flexible working hours to harmonize professional and family life. All the women in the group constitute the administrative council with equal rights and obligations, and they have the same distribution and weight of their voices in decision-making. Equality, honesty, social responsibility, and fair play have an important role in the fermentation and manifestation of members’ attitudes, both internally and externally. Through the project, the members have realized that every woman can contribute to the team in her own unique way in order to achieve the desired results. In addition to our leadership team, most of our volunteers are women, particularly from vulnerable social groups such as the unemployed, single-parent families, and deprived people. Our region is barren of female entrepreneurship, and this was another motivation for the creation of Liofyllo. Through our project, we are promoting female entrepreneurship and want to encourage more women to dabble in business.

How did you attract public attention to the issue you wanted to tackle and make others believe in your purpose and potential?

How did you make sure that your idea actually fits the needs of the users?

As I have mentioned before, my family and I live in a rural area. Having some olive trees for our olive oil production and knowing the usual olive harvest practices, we have identified the problems facing our community. Through Liofyllo, we provide solutions to these, such as

• eliminating the burning of olive leaves and wood in the fields with the aim of reducing CO2 emissions (clean atmosphere during the period of October to February),
• decongesting landfills, and
• saving human and financial resources from municipal waste management (the biomass of olive leaves).

Furthermore, since the novel material is easily scalable and applicable, the team tries, with ongoing research and development, to test its applications in a wide range of industries. Additionally, we are trying to make a wide range of products so that there are different choices and they can meet the needs of the market. Also, we plan to exploit other untapped natural raw materials per se or in combination with olive leaves in order to develop products and promote actions that will have a greater impact.

How did you raise the money for your idea and what is your advice for others considering DYI fundraising?

In October 2022, we received our first financial tool from the region of western Greece where our enterprise is located. This is about funding new jobs in social enterprises. Until then, the course of Liofyllo was financed by its own funds. But I would like to emphasize that what played an important role was not a lack of financial resources but a lack of human resources. In this, we were helped a lot by people who believed in us and our project and offered their work, services, and goods voluntarily, with the aim of fostering the rapid growth of the enterprise.

How did you scale your social innovation and what tips for scaling could you share?

How do you change the whole system?

Positive environmental impact certainly has a social impact. Especially when an effort, such as Liofyllo, is supporting the local ecosystem. Giving an alternative green solution in the field of materials, adding value to waste, educating society to change the mindset of the linear model of production and consumption and adopt the principles of the circular economy, and offering services and goods with the aim of informing and empowering citizens are some of the strategies of Liofyllo to change the whole system. Until now, our impact has been:

• 7,5 tons of olive leaves
• 320 kg of olive wood
• 22.000 € donations of products

What it the one advice you can give to an aspiring social innovator, a member of the Social Innovation Academy, with only two things at the moment: a big heart and a willingness to do something?

If I can chase my dreams, then you can too! In particular for women, I know from my experience that women can do miracles and have a great impact on the level of international decision-making regarding eco-paths.