From its base in the city of Dnipro in central Ukraine, Biosphere Corp. supplied countries across the former Soviet Union with household and cleaning products. Demand was buoyant. Orders were good.
Then, like for the rest of the country, life turned upside down in February last year when Russia invaded. Sales collapsed 30%. Biosphere needed to fill the void as Ukrainians went to war. The result: a wet wipe in a khaki-green envelope that’s suitable for soldiers in the trenches.
The product is just one of the many innovations for the war effort that have demonstrated Ukraine’s resilience over the past 22 months. Yet Biosphere is also now an example of how companies have adapted to a reality that politicians have been more reluctant to accept: the conflict isn’t going to end any time soon, and Ukraine needs a Plan B.