From March 30 to April 1, the ChangeNOW Sustainable Innovation Summit took place in Paris – one of the world’s largest exhibitions dedicated to sustainable development technologies.
This year, Ukraine showcased its innovations for the second time at the Ukraine House stand, featuring three Ukrainian startups:
- SPOGAD, a circular fashion tech startup creating fashion items from plastic waste
- Peony, developing biodegradable women’s hygiene products
- Sirocco Energy, creating wind turbines adapted for suburban areas
Startup tickets to the summit were also provided by UFS, La French Tech Kyiv, and the EU4Innovation East project for Beholder, WOOD MOOD, MarketplaceHUB, and JobAtlas.
The Ukraine House stand was one of three national stands at the summit. The other two featured technological products from innovators in the Netherlands and Taiwan, highlighting the global visibility of Ukrainian innovations and the attention of international innovation ecosystem stakeholders to Ukrainian projects.
Notable guests at Ukraine House included Vadym Omelchenko, Ambassador of Ukraine to France; Nicolas Dufourcq, CEO of Bpifrance; François Benaroya, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of UKRSIBBANK BNP Paribas Group; Rose-May Lucott, co-founder and Deputy Executive Director of ChangeNOW; as well as representatives from Expertise France and Plug and Play.
The Ukrainian startup S.Lab – Sustainable Laboratory, which develops eco-friendly packaging without plastic, was also presented at a separate stand. The team pitched at the ChangeNOW 2026 Pitch Awards Ceremony and won first place in the “Circular Economy” category.
Participation in this year’s ChangeNOW summit provided the startups with potential partnerships, experience presenting their products to an international audience, insights into global sustainable development trends, and networking opportunities that could lead to collaborations.
The Ukrainian delegation’s participation was organized by the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Startup Fund, La French Tech Kyiv, and the EU4InnovationEast project, funded by the European Union, co-financed by the French government, and implemented by Expertise France.
